When the cold weather in Denver started to cast a haze over our fond memories of warm weather riding, Teri and I decided to wander down under for some summer fun and the perfect motorcycle roads of New Zealand's South Island.

Having saved up our children's inheritance to take a motorcycle tour of New Zealand with Edelweiss 4 years ago, we were determined to do this trip on our own and see just how much fun we could have, and how much money we could save in the process.

Of course the world wide web was our ticket to paradise. We found airline tickets on the Internet (New Zealand Air) cheaper than we could get from our travel agent and booked a brand spankin' new BMW R1150GS from Te Waipounamu Motorcycle Tours Ltd., in Christchurch (www.motorcycle-hire.co.nz). We even booked several nights at the YMCA in Christchurch over the Internet.

Crossing the International Date Line is an experience, when you realize you're losing a whole day, but the new reclining seats in coach on New Zealand Air were a pleasant and welcome surprise. Leaving on Friday we arrived on Sunday, and cautiously peeked out of our YMCA windows (at $25/night you can't beat it) Monday morning only to be greeted by gray skies and rain. Waiting didn't help and we finally loaded up the scoot and set off along the coast towards Blenheim. Ah, Blenheim!!! The only problem, is that when you asked a Kiwi how far it is to Blen-heim, s/he'll look at you like your speaking German!!! Of course if you ask them where Blenum is, they'll tell you right off!!!! This took some getting used to, but we were chopping our words to bits by the end of the trip and gttn long jst fne!!!! The only other problem with getting to Blenheim was torrential rains and gale force winds. After 40 miles up the coast, and soaked to the bone, we stopped in a tiny town, headed for the nearest store, and as invading aliens in our helmets and Aerostitch suits, were immediately greeted by the locals with offers to spend the night in their homes. Only in New Zealand will you find people all over the island willing to give you the shirt off their backs. Simply wonderful people.

We only made it another 20 miles before giving up. Our hotel for the evening was transformed into a launderette as every stitch of clothing was suspended, in every possible way, to dry. Another wonderful "touch" in New Zealand presents itself every time you check into a room. Even with rooms as cheap as $25/night (we never spent more than $40), we were always handed a pint of fresh milk for our tea in the morning. Frankly sublime!

The next day started with early morning clouds. We bundled up, mounted our trusty steed and headed north. The clouds parted, the sun shone, and the crashing waves along the coast rivaled any view of California Highway 1. After some tea and pastries in Blenheim, we head across Queen Charlotte Drive, filled with wonderful twisties, rich vegetation and glorious views of the Queen Charlotte Sound. In Nelson, on the Tasman Bay, Teri discovered chocolate Afghans and was delirious. These are apparently somewhat unique to New Zealand (maybe Australia) and are best described as a large chocolate cookie, with corn flakes folded in, topped with chocolate frosting and a walnut...mmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!! It seems as though the rest of the trip was divided between fantastic roads and Afghan hunts! Traveling along the Tasman Bay, we passed through Motueka where our previous tour had stopped and then had headed south. Boy did they miss the goodies. We decided to travel a little further north and ran into Takaka hill---12 miles up and 12 miles down of the most amazing twisties I've ever ridden packed into one mountain. We ended up in Golden Bay in a small seaside town called Pohara Beach. The night was spent in a great little hotel, with a $35 suite which slept 5! Dinner at the adjacent café included fresh fish and artistically prepared salads served in large clamshells. Divine!!!!

An early morning walk on a deserted beach started our day, before zooming back over Twisty Heaven (aka Takaka Hill). The weather was perfect as we headed out over rolling hills, and fields of sheep towards the Buller Gorge. Once at Kawatiri we followed the Buller River for about 70 miles of the most perfectly paved sweepers flowing in unison with the river below. It was almost hypnotic, and with the sun filtering through the leaves on the trees, I realized it just doesn't get any better than this. At Westport, we had arrived on the west coast and the Tasman Sea. Heading south, we again reminisced about numerous trips down California Highway 1. The only difference was that the giant red woods were replaced with lush jungle-like vegetation bordering on rain forests. We stopped at Cape Foulwind and looked out at the seal rookery. Continuing down the twisting coastal highway, we passed Punakaiki and the famous blowholes and 'pancake rocks'. The evening was spent in Greymouth, better known as "Grymth", as we lodged along with the Ulysses motorcycle club; a band of 'over 40' rag tag scooters nuts with a fabulous motto: "Growing Old Disgracefully".

Leaving Greymouth the next morning, we headed for our first splurge: a helicopter ride to the top of the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers. It is impossible to imagine how this tiny country can have such diverse scenery. Within one mile of the ocean are magnificent glaciers grinding towards the coast. Our pilot landed on the Franz Josef and we clowned around in this "summer/winter" wonderland like a couple of kids. After our alpine adventure we headed further down the coast and spent the night in Haast Beach, a national preserve. It seems that our afternoon and evening were to be just as much a highlight as the glaciers. We were told of a "restaurant" at the end of the road with the best "fush and chups". We tooled along through the forest, for miles on end until arriving at Jackson Bay, an almost completely deserted fishing outpost which is the southern most, year round, inhabited point on the east coast of the island. Our restaurant turned out to be a 35 foot converted trailer on wheels with a one-woman tour de force cooking up a storm. A monstrous hamburger, complete with onions, tomatoes, and cole slaw, along with a platter of fresh, deep fried fish fillets, drowning in a sea of french fried potatoes, lightened our wallet to the tune of $6.00!!!!!!! Once we arrived back at our hotel, the fun really began. Our landlady lived in the adjacent flat and had Christmas music blaring into the evening. After another lovely walk on another deserted beach, festooned with Dali-esque drift wood scattered in a surreal landscape, the town drunk roused us from our sleep at 2:00 a.m. demanding to be let in to our room so he could look for someone!!! The following day we headed across Haast Pass, into the interior of the island with more rolling hills, barren landscapes and immense rivers. After a quick lunch stop in Wanaka, with some appetizers for the ducks, we headed for the adrenaline capital of the world: Queenstown. Feeling a little bored? Well in the course of a day you can bungee jump from the famous 142ft Kawarau bridge, paraglide over the city, hang glide, sky dive or hang on for you life as you fly up the rivers in a jet boat. Oh, did I forget to mention some new fangled contraption, that looks like a rocket sled??? This baby is suspended on cables across a gorge. You lie prone in an open cockpit, grab the handlebars and twist the accelerator. A gas engine propels a large fan blade behind your feet which reacts to steering inputs, and turns you as you fly through the air!!!!!!! We opted for the jetboats on the Shotover River. Some bloke in New Zealand invented these boats just for some of their shallow rivers. Running a huge Chevy V8 with an impeller, these craft can fly along rivers only 3 inches deep! With 8 of us on board, replete with full rain ponchos, we careened up the Shotover until our driver miscalculated a shallow transition and the boat slammed into the riverbed. Ouch!!!! "O.K., everyone out!!!!" Just imagine for a minute, turquoise blue, snow melt, river water! Now imagine wading across the river, barefoot, with water swirling up to your thighs as you try to navigate to the banks. Brrrrrrrrr! Ouch! (Again!) As if that weren't enough, once a substitute boat arrived, we had to wade back across!!!! Back in town our luck improved as we stumbled upon the Vudu café. Definitely the "coolest" spot in town with fabulous food, and divine funky, toe tappin' music serenading you. We became instant "groupies" eating there 5 times in 2 days!!!!!!

After our free day in Christchurch, we booked passage on the charming 1912 Earnslaw steamer across Lake Wakatipu. This fully restored steamer was built specifically for the lake which is 99% pure and contains no minerals or deposits. It pulls water directly from the lake for its boilers. The entire engine room is open to the public and is a motorhead's dream. We booked passage for the Beemer and ourselves and coasted across the lake for an hour. Once at Walter Peak Station, we drifted off across 60 miles of dirt roads through farms and rolling hills. Teri did the honors, as we had to stop every several miles to open and close sheep gates. Other highlights included putting the GS through its paces as we forded streams and soaked our boots. A wonderful lunch stop at the Mavora Lakes in the middle of nowhere made for a perfect afternoon. Once back on the perfectly paved roads, I lost my famous navigational skills, did the manly thing by refusing to ask for help and directions, and by the time I finally had us turned around, we were racing back to make up time on the wrong side of the road! After days of effortless driving on the left side of the road, I had a serious brain fart and wondered why Teri was beating me on the shoulder, ever more tense as an oncoming car was also wondering why I was so insistent on becoming her new hood ornament!!!!! For the first time since our rain soaked start, the weather began to turn cold. Our plans to revisit the magnificent Mildford Sound (don't' miss this if you go) were stymied by the weather. We headed south to Invercargill to sleep for the night. True to our experiences from the Edelweiss trip, hotel food in New Zealand makes MacDonalds seem like a five star dining experience. Teri convinced me that we were too cold and tired to get out on the scoot and find a restaurant. Now I'm not so sure!!!

From Invercargill at the south end of the island we headed northeast towards Dunedin to spend time with some friends we had met on the Internet. The travelogue becomes a little less exciting about this time as this region of the island is geographically challenged and sheep after sheep after sheep after sheep after sheep (you're getting very, very sleepy now), rule the countryside. It remained cold and gray, drizzling throughout the next free day we spent in Dunedin. Teri and I decided on a "lil' culture" and were very impressed with the city's modern art gallery. The most famous Maori artist from New Zealand, Hotere, had a stunning exhibit. We learned later that his pieces command such extreme prices, that a collector had been able to sell one from his collection and buy a summer home!!!!

Our trip was drawing to an end as we left Dunedin and headed back up the east coast to Christchurch. After turning the bike in, we spent the day in Christchurch renting a canoe to float along the Avon River which runs through the city center, strolling through the magnificent botanical gardens, taking in an intriguing exhibit by a brilliant artist named Boyd Webb, and ending the evening with the culinary jewel of the trip; "The Mythai". Teri and I are constantly trying Thai food whenever and wherever we travel, and short of getting to Thailand (someday!), the Mythai topped our list as the best we have ever eaten. Bravo!!!!!

New Zealand is truly one the best places in the world to tour on a motorcycle. With a total population of only 3 million, 60 million sheep, and only 600,000 inhabitants on the south island, the perfectly maintained roads roll and twist endlessly with no traffic. We were also delighted with our budgeting for this trip. We understand that Edelweiss is in business to make a profit, and that they probably would not book a tour to include some of the small (but always neat and clean) little motels which we used along the way, BUT, we kept a record of every expense, AND we ended up saving $4,000.00 relative to our first tour with them! Would we go back? In a heartbeat.

-- Lance LaCerte, Denver  Colorado