was in the embrace of dear friends in their astoundingly beautiful home on the banks of paradise . I won ’ t go on , as this is private , and motorcycle magazines are not usually the place for reminiscences on this scale . Suffice to say , it remains one of the highlights in my life , the meal and drinks and conviviality that night . We talked of a baptismal moment that all motorcyclists share when arriving at this southern Babylon , but champagne and the drifting rain put it on hold for another time . The Honda Hikoi of Happiness hit a high .
CHRISTMAS WITH FAMILY I rode along the Motueka River in sparkling conditions , through Golden Downs and down towards Owen River , past my in-laws living on the banks of the mighty Buller River , and on down through the glorious bushtunnelled roads of Lewis Pass to the plains of Christchurch . Where I stayed with my own family for Christmas . The foothills and uplands of North Canterbury provided a great ride in a stonescape of movie fiction , no pressure , among silver tussocked hills , and beckoning shimmered river runs , fair bursting with the promise of trout as the endless curves laid the world before me . Ah , the Honda Africa Twin , the perfect pairing of power , poise and precise handling , what a pleasure to ride each
and every day . A week in Christchurch saw it garaged and waiting for more .
A MAD PLAN Christmas came and went . Friends Rob Goes and Jeff Smith jet into Christchurch from Auckland , with a mad plan to buy two motorcycles , check they ’ re ok and get on the road next day to ride the South Island for a while , and then get them back home , and sell them . Jeff has bargained for a Triumph Tiger 800 XC , done a few miles and looking a bit tired , but got it for fair money . Rob has opted for a weathered Suzuki DL650 , ex rental , with 100,000km on the clock . Again , fair money . Both have windscreens and double panniers with lockable top-boxes . To accommodate their astonishing luggage levels . Rob , a fully credentialed Dutch Harley mechanic , checks the steering head and bearings on Jeff ’ s XC and declares it needs front wheel bearings . We pop into GCM and chat with Brad , who makes us welcome , and offers to get Jeff on the road today . A very kind offer , and very gratefully accepted . We discover the brakes also need pads , plus a new tyre is called for , so I leave them to it and prepare to meet them in the morning for the run south . They have a plan . Paid , plotted and prepared . I do not . I have some wishes , some friends , and a phone . TO BE CONTINUED .
106 KIWI RIDER