11-28-10

New Z

I made some whole wheat bread jamb packed with raisins and walnuts for my traveling food. I dried them out for a couple of days and pack them so they can get air. They don’t mold that way and after more than a week they are just fine. One half of one of these is a meal and a quarter one for lunch is enough I find. They sure come in handy when I don’t want to go out looking for food, especially at airports…..

Oh, I never did get groped at the airport. Actually there were three nice looking women TSA agents at the Billings airport and when they found I was going to New Z to ride motorcycle, they all wanted to go. Unfortunately they didn’t have tickets….

I met this guy at the Denver airport and after talking with him for a while he happened to mention that he lived in Tonopah for a few years. It turns out we now a lot of the same people. He even worked on rebuilding the Goldfield Hotel. Then it turns out he tore the roof off the Belmont Court House. That is the historic Court House I rebuilt the wood roof and it is the one that Steamboat Jack and Jimmy came down and put a new Turn Metal standing seam roof on. Small world I live in it seems.

This is the entrance to New Zealand airport when you get off the plane. Maori Indian wood carvings are really unique.

Stepping outside the airport I am welcomed by an Airstream Pod all remodeled to make it a coffee shop.

I went hunting motorcycles and it seems they are located in special districts. This display if from an adult store and I thought it was an unusual Christmas scene. Warm down here and I guess Santas helpers wear less.

Finally a motorcycle store. Here is a Honda TransAlp that they don’t import into the USA. Pricey little bastard eh? I talked with the salesman and he said they do have a buy back policy and they would give me about $4,000 less when I brought it back plus anything it needed like tires, chain, sprocket and of course any scratched plastic would have to be replaced. WOW!!! That is for three a months ride….

The next shop down the road had these Korean motorcycles. The salesman said that they just made a deal with Harley Davidson and they would change the name but they would be sold in the Harley stores. It will probably be a good thing because I don’t think Harley is selling many bikes now and they sure can use some business.

The next store down the line had Suzuki’s

Found outside the Kowsucker store… a Holden ute (utility vehicle) what they call em down here like over in OZ.

The Sky Needle

Sail boats in the harbor. Must be a big thing down here as I don’t think I have ever seen more sailboats.

This was a bungee type thing that launched three people up in the air and bounced them up and down right in town. I didn’t go for a ride. 

How come motorcycle shops are around here?

The old part of town… yeah that is a sex shop on the corner.

public restroom which was nice to find. It was very clean and not creepy at all.

under an old bridge in town is a really cool old cemetery that is kind of used as a little park. 1850’s

This is what I bought over in OZ when I went down there two years ago. They just sold one this summer in Miles City for right at $6,000. The NZ dollar is worth about 80cents American  so it would be right at $8,000 USD. I wonder why a new bike would cost two thousand more here than up home?

I hopped on a bus headed for Wellington which is the capitol of New Zealand.

The bus route went through a town where they were running a major bicycle race. The bus driver said that there were many 100 serious racers but there were about 5,000 people that brought their bikes and did the same ride but at a slower pace. The ride is around this lake and he said it was 140 km long (maybe 80 miles?)

Part of the ride was up this hill and it was a steep one.

Looks like what I left in Montana…. Old volcano’s… actually I felt a small earthquake this afternoon here in Wellington. They just had a major shake down in Christchurch I think.

The bus stopped at a little restaurant in a place I think they call Gum Boot and they had this sculpture in a little park there along the highway.

For my flower friends…. More later of more unusual ones,  maybe…. J

The menu at the rest stop.

old classic car shop

Fiddlehead ferns made of iron for traffic control.

I am staying in a hostel (Nomads) across the street from this Town Hall.

They are really a clean bunch of folks down here. there was hardly any litter on the highway and signs all over reminding you to keep they country clean.

Nice little Suzuki, I have never seen one before. It is a Volty. Nice looking little bike.

Summer time down at the park by the bay. This kid did a really nice back flip.

The parking garage I walked by. Jeez, thirty bucks to park your car for a day….

There are places to confess your sins….. (take note Roger)

I thought this just really sucks to take a find old building like this and let Burger King in it.