Headway Systems: New Zealand South Island Junket

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This is a journal of the South Island Junket 2002: one week of the most awesome mountain riding in the most awesome setting anywhere!

I've broken up the Junket into one page per day due to the large number of pictures that were taken. I know that's a lot, but it seemed a shame not to show the whole trip, especially after the time Barney and I put into taking the pictures. (And everyone likes to see photos of themselves, right?) Enjoy the memories.

Intro

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 3 - Wine Tour - Queen Charlotte Ship Cove - Furneaux

We spent the first 4 hours touring many vineyards in the Marlborough Region with a final stop at Highfield Estate for lunch.

Skoda passing out each of us a voucher to be used towards the purchase of our choice of wine. Or olive oil. We had plenty of wine for the rest of the trip.

Jane, not one to miss an opportunity, performs a karaoke on the bus. Gong.

The gang bellies up to the wine bar for the first tasting at 8 am.

A nice nose with just a touch of oak.

Not a bad wine for after breakfast!
"Ready, set, swill!"

This is serious business.

Follow me kids...

How do you like them grapes?

I think it goes in here, pushes down the thingy majigie, and then.....

The boys have run out of things to play with.
Can we go now?

Carol bribing Barney for his wine voucher.

3 Amigos

2 (Bloody Crazy) Amigos

Skoda

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, do you have any hair?

The boys, locked up where they should be.

Paul

Lunch at Highfield.

DAY 3 Continued - Queen Charlotte Track

After our wine tour we took a water taxi from Picton to Ship Cove and proceeded to ride the first section of the Queen Charlotte Track to Furneaux Lodge.

This was our first day with a bit of rain and cloud.

Skoda keeping an eye on the bikes.

Arrival at the wharf.

Getting bikes ready.

Starting at about 3 pm I think we rode the first 2 spikes on the map to about km 10.
"Apart from the steep climb out of Ship Cove, the track to Furneaux is quite rideable", says the book.

Queen Charlotte Walkway is the longest single track ride in New Zealand. The northern section from Ship Cove to Punga Cove is closed to mtn bikes from Dec through to end of Feb. (Too many trampers at that time of year anyway)

We rode from Ship Cove to number 3 on the map which is Furneaux Lodge.

Water taxi from Picton to Ship Cove (start)


I think the girls are enjoying a bit of cold hard steel between their legs.

The monument at Ship Cove where Captain Cook anchored several times.

There was no warm up leaving Ship Cove. Straight up and lots of it. Some of the boys managed alright, the rest of us rode what we could. The view at the top was well worth the grind.

Gyro checks the view.

The Canadian Connection
"Simply Awesome. It doesn't get better than this."

Which of these beaks most resembles the birds beak?

The trail, mostly on single track, also took us through farm yards....

.... and over fences.

This was the last view before we rocketed down to the shoreline. There were heaps of cross drainage boards on the track which made it excellent fun to jump them at high speed.

Furneaux Lodge. Beautiful buildings and grounds. Unfortunately they have let it get a tad run down.

The Croft. Says it's a great place for backpackers which translates to a bunch of saggy bunk beds that resemble hammocks more than beds, and a shower block that's falling apart. We enjoyed ourselves in spite of it. Any port in a storm. There are cabins, which are far nicer, but they were booked out.