New Zealand is perhaps best described as the fond
memory we older Americans like to think our own country once was
in a less complicated time of small towns, unhurried pace,
little crime, friendly people with a genuine love of the outdoors,
and open roads to places of uncrowded natural beauty. I
doubt that America, in fact, was ever quite the ideal place we
like to think it was, before too many cars and too many people
with too little time, but I'll argue that New Zealand with its
relaxed pace, stunning beauty, friendly people, low crime, and
open roads comes as close to that ideal of what we would like to
believe America once was, or should have been, as one is likely to
find on the planet. To visit New Zealand is both a
return in time and an adventure into a unique culture and place.
For the
motorcyclist New Zealand is a dream come true: awesome mountain
scenery, a network of well-maintained and lightly-traveled
roads, and, with a favorable exchange rate of around two NZ
dollars to the US dollar, a bargain. So, if you've ever considered
motorcycling in the Alps, consider instead the Southern Alps of
New Zealand which offer all the motorcycling thrills of Europe's
mountain passes in a more compact and less expensive
package. In literally an hour you can carve twisties from
tropical rain forests to savanna grasslands, from breath-taking
beaches, to towering snowy alpine passes, or from a fresh salmon
feast to family dinner on a 3000 acre sheep station.
Tandy Bozeman
|
I'm just back from my third visit and
second motorcycle tour of this beautiful and unique country and
appreciate it as a motorcycling paradise of open roads and diverse
scenery. It's also a country in which the most likely
response from a native Kiwi to your request for a little special
treatment will be, "No problem mate."
The
following is an account of the 2002 guided motorcycle tour of
New Zealand hosted by Tom Van Beveren of Free2Wheel magazine and
operated by John Rains of Te Waipounamu Tours. My first tour with
Tom and John was in 2000 when our group started in Christchurch
and ended in Auckland. This time in 2002 we did the reverse,
starting in Auckland. The 2000 tour was in April (early fall) and
this most recent visit was in November (early spring). Of the 12
riders on the tour six of us are repeats.
Four of
us flew down together from Los Angeles and plan to ride as a
group: Matt Kelch, Harry Hauss, Dion DeCamp, and myself.
Matt's son Jim arrived a few days earlier and is waiting for us in
Auckland. Matt and Harry are both veterans of the ride in
2000. This will be the first time in New Zealand for Jim and Dion.
 
Jim
Matt
Harry
Dion
The five
of us have ridden together before and share a common background as
pilots. Matt served a military tour in fighters and then
moved on to a career as an American Airlines pilot, retiring at 60
as a 767 captain. Dion is also a retired American Airlines captain
with lengthy military experience in C-130s flying into such remote
places as the Congo and Khartoum in the Sudan where he and his
crew were quartered on a houseboat on the Nile. In his seventies
and going strong, Harry is the senior man in the group and also
retired after an incredible career flying helicopters for the
movies. Harry is arguably the most skilled rider in the
older group. Matt's son Jim followed his dad into the Air Force
and then to the airlines. He grew up on motorcycles and will ride
circles around us. He refers to us as "the old farts riding
club".
The South Island in Fall
|
