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New
Zealand 2014
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Since
our bodies are slowly figuring out just what time zone it is, we don't have
much planned for today. Once we get the bikes, we'll sort out our packing,
GPS mounts, and our communication gear/tank bags. John is coming to pick
us up so we can collect the bikes in advance of leaving out tomorrow. We
wander across the parking lot for a bit of breakfast. Alain wisely chooses
the 'help yourself option' and I chose an omelet - one of my favorite breakfast
options. But this one is burnt around the edges and not very tasty. All
I get is the burnt omelet, a sprig of parsley and a glass of water - $18.
I figure it must be the parsley that drives the price up ... |
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John shows up exactly when
he says he will and we make the short ride over the Te
Waipounamu Auckland facility. Since I can't pronounce their name
(and still can't), I ask John -
"What does the name mean?"
"Oh, means the South Island"
he says which is where their main office is located.
It is the official Maori name
for the south island. 'Te Wai Pounamu' actually means "the water(s)
of greenstone" since one of the major tribes used the very hard greenstone
(jade) to make adzes and other implements, as well as ornaments.
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Out back sit the two ST1300s
that will carry Alain and me on our journey. I notice on one of the bikes
in the shop, there is a GPS cradle from a Rage. I ask John about it, and
he says -
"Yes, we use the Peaklifes
and the Rages as our rental GPS systems. They work quite well for us."
"Well, that's what I brought
with me" I tell him. "Good units at a good price".
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They are both red,
so I pick one and name her 'Ruby Red'. She's a lovely lady and we strike
it off quite well right from the get go. But then, two of my 'girls' back
home are red so I guess I have a fondness for that color already. |
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She has 83,575 clicks
to start with, which is 51,931 miles for those who would like to know. |
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We finish up the
paperwork and soon we are out on the proper side of the road back toward
our hotel. I miss the turn off, but we recover pretty easily and arrive
with no more drama. |
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Now it's time to
figure out how to mount our tank bags, which carry the J&M Integratr
IV comm systems and FRS radios I brought with me. That's a bit of a chore
running the straps, but Alain is pretty resourceful so between us we get
it sorted out. We both bought brake reservoir Ram mounts for the GPSs, so
that's an easy one. With that behind us, I figure out what I will put in
the ST luggage and what I will carry in a river bag. On most trips now,
the stuff I will constantly haul back and forth to the motel rooms I put
in a river bag and strap it to the back seat. That way, 'unpacking/packing'
is just unstrapping/strapping the bag and I'm good to go. It also helps
keep the luggage from being overloaded in case I need to get something while
on the road. |
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We decide on an early supper
and early bedtime so we can hit the road before most of the traffic in
the morning. Since at this point we have no clue as to what travel times
will be like, we'll give ourselves plenty of time to get to our next point.
After two days on airplanes, a walk into downtown Parnell for supper sounds
like a winner. We take a survey down through the area and run into a gentleman
standing in the doorway of a shop. I ask him,
"Anywhere around here
you'd recommend to eat"?
"Yes, just up the street
two blocks" he says, so off we head with a destination in mind. When
we see this sign, it looks pretty good inside so we give it a whirl.
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I'm not much of
a seafood person but when I see calamari on the menu, I figure it should
be worth a try. I have to say it is probably the best and freshest calamari
I've had in quite a while. |
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On our waddle back
to the hotel room, I spy this old roadster back behind some gates and have
to get a shot. |
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Alain and I passed
by a little market on the way down and decide to stop by and pick up a few
things for the road tomorrow. |
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For
it's size, it is pretty well stocked and we are able to find what we need. |
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It's a fairly long
walk back the hotel, but after that supper it's a good thing for me. It
sort of jiggles all that stuff down to a more comfortable spot in the innards. |
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With things all
ready to go for tomorrow, I sit out on the balcony and enjoy watching the
sun slowly go down over the city of Auckland. |
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I get my first glimpse
of some strange looking trees in the distance that I will see time and time
again in our travels. |
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Still
dealing with a little bit of jet lag, it does not take me very long to collapse
into a comatose heap beneath the covers. |
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