Driving in New Zealand

I wasn’t sure what driving in New Zealand would be like.

The roads are generally very good. They are well maintained with good surfaces. The aggregate used in the roads is much more coarse than in Europe and I am sure tyres would wear out faster here in NZ. Road rash in NZ would be much worse than in other countries.

Generally, the main roads are two-way, with no central division. Outside of the towns, the speed limit is generally 100 kph / 62 mph. Most people drive at that speed, or slightly above. From what I have seen, drivers are generally courteous. Driving in NZ is on the correct side of the road, meaning the left. Coming from the UK, this of course presents no problems at all.

The big difference though is the scenery. On the South Island, the west side generally consists of mountains and the east side is flatter, but still hilly. The roads in the mountains are terrific to drive as they twist and turn, following the landscape. We are in a car and driving is great fun, but riding a motorbike would be fantastic.

According to folklore, the sky as we prepared to leave Te Anau promised poor weather, but it never came....

We drove along the side of Lake Wakatipu on a great road under a glorious blue sky. The car we have rented is a 12 year old Nissan Silvia Varietta with a folding retractable hardtop. It is an unusual car and it is growing on me....

How about this for a great looking road....

North of Queenstown, we took Highway 6 to Wanaka, also known as the Crown Range Road. Full of steep sections, the road rises and falls in dramatic fashion and is a joy to drive. One section has a series of hairpin bends...

Overall, driving here is a great pleasure.

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Stunning Milford Sound

We had been looking forward to seeing one of New Zealand’s highlights, Milford Sound.

The drive to get there from our overnight stop was very dramatic, with low clouds shielding the mountains we were driving through. At one point the clouds were very dark and created a strange light over the landscape....

Eventually the clouds dispersed and those remaining hung low over the land and roads. Driving into a cloud is a very strange feeling....

The scenery became more stunning the nearer we got to Milford Sound. The road passes through some great parts of the Southern Alps, with twists and turns that make the drive very enjoyable. It would be even better on a motorcycle. The road passes through Homer Tunnel, which has a 1:10 slope in a near-darkness. Great fun!

The fjord is 15km long inland from the Tasmin Sea and has sheers cliffs that rise 3,900 ft / 1,200 metres above the water. We travelled on the 40m long boat, Milford Mariner on a two-and-a-half hour sailing along the sound and back again.

Milford Sound is a World Heritage site, and it is easy to see why....

It was a good day to see such a great place, as this was our 15th wedding anniversary....

On the return journey inland, we saw seals....

The base of the 155 metre Stirling Falls. Trying to take a picture and keep the camera dry at the same time was impossible....

On the way back....

Milford Sound has an average annual rainfall of 268 inches. That is a staggering 22 feet or 6.8 metres, making it one of the wettest places in the world. We were blessed with a wonderful day, with blue skies and sunshine.

As we arrived back at the boat dock, we passed the second of the ever-running waterfalls....

A couple of pictures from the journey back. Who couldn’t like driving on roads like these?

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Burt Munro and The World's fastest Indian

Jackie and I went right down to the bottom of New Zealand’s south island and headed to 105 Bainfield Road. Why? This is where the legendary Burt Munro built his motorcycles in a simple shed. Now containing a family home, the small piece of land once was also home to a lemon tree....

Many readers of my blog will understand what this is about, but some will not.

Burt Munro was an eccentric New Zealander who at 60 years old broke the land speed record on a 40 year old motorcycle with an original top speed of 55mph. The first time he took his motorcycle to Speed Week, at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, he broke the record at 179mph. His story was captured in a wonderful film, The World’s Fastest Indian. Motorcyclist or not, If you haven’t seen the film, it is simple – you must.

After Burt suffered a stroke, he sold his motorcycles to a local motorcycle fanatic. The bikes are kept at E.Hayes hardware store on Dee Street in Invarcargill, the town where Burt lived.

This is a replica of Burt’s record breaking bike, with its full slipstream shell....

One of Burt’s record breaking bikes....

Those that have seen the film, will no doubt remember Burt’s trailer that he moved his motorcycle around on. Here is the real trailer....

Burt had a set of shelves in his shed, where he kept the parts he hand-made for his bikes. With the words “Offerings to the God of speed” written on the edge of one of the shelves, I am not sure if the shelves were real, or made for the film. Either way, the shelves are now located in the hardware shop.

In addition to Burt Munro’s motorcycles, the store contains many other historical bikes and a few cars. It is quite a place and unlike any hardware store I have ever seen....

Finally, we went to see Burt’s grave in Invarcargill’s Eastern Cemetery....

What a rare, wonderful man.

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Mount Cook – Sunshine or Rain?

We drove from Christchurch to Mount Cook in the pouring rain. This wasn’t just rain, it was biblical. We kept expecting to see Noah and his big boat, but that didn’t happen. We are driving a rented 12 year old convertible car and its roof probably didn’t leak when it was new.

It was a shame, but the cloud was so low, the tops of the mountains were like a child after watching a horror film – hiding under blankets. Eventually the rain cleared, the clouds thinned and Mount Cook could be seen in its 12,316 feet of majestic glory....

Looking north, Mount Cook stand behind Lake Pukaki, with its remarkable turquoise coloured water....

Fed by the waters running off a glacier, the lake contains very finely ground rock particles suspended in the water and it is this that gives the lake its striking colour...

Mount Cook is part of New Zealand’s Southern Alps.

We stayed at the Hermitage Hotel, set amongst the mountains and with magnificent views. That is, when it wasn’t raining....

Some people choose to see the mountains from one of many plane or helicopter flights that operate in the area. I liked the idea of looking down from a bi-plane, but didn’t have the time....

Clyde Power Station...

I group of crosses by the side of the road. One crash was to blame.... very sad....

Of course, I loved this sculpture of a chopper motorcycle and had to turn the car round, drive back and take a picture.....

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