Words & photos: Peter Elliott
NZ BUCKET LIST T
A millpond-smooth Cook Strait
Having left Auckland and
wound his way to Turangi,
Peter Elliott strikes out
for Kaikoura.
20 KIWI RIDER
TURANGI TO KAIKOURA
I
t’s dark, damn dark. It’s 5:30am. I’m blurred as
hell, but it’s quiet. I peer out of the bathroom
window, tattered clouds are scudding across
the sky but it’s not raining. I shower and pack
the bike, turn everything off, sweep and clean
the place, and am on the road by 6am. The gas
station is bright, but I want to get on the road, cross
the plateau and roll down into the southern side of
the North Island. No coffee yet. I figure Taihape for