March 8 Pegasus Bay

Working back from a scheduled lunch stop in Kaiapoi with Ray and Gerry at 12:00, I planned on leaving the Ashley S H Way One Bridge at 10:30 AM for the 20 km ride alongside the Ashley along the Coast and in to Kaiapoi. Perfect. Except for the morning coffee stop at Amberley. I pulled in to the Z station to re-fuel and said there's a Cafe if you want coffee, so there was a quick exit out of the Van for five of the seven people on Board. Soon there were five disappointed men looking very lost as the Cafe was closed! My caring nature came to the fore and I said there is a cafe further along the Road and so long as you're ready for when I'm finished here we'll be good to go. Smiles returned to faces and off along the footpath they went.

Ian I finished the re-fueling and drove down the road to the NW Cafe where we got a park outside and waited and waited. This was meant to be a "Grab-n-Go" job not a sit down and read the paper job! And so we waited some more - eventually someone came out, followed by another and eventually the fifth appeared. All up I reckon that one stop for coffee too us about 13 minutes longer than was allowed for on our time bound itinerary! 

We pulled off the Highway just over the Ashley River bridge and there was Gerry who had ridden out from Kaiapoi to meet up with us. Bikes were unloaded (something the team have become very slick at doing) and we were soon on our way down to Waikuku Beach where we popped out to check out the surf before riding along the trail through to Pines Beach and then up beside the Waimak to Kaiapoi where Ray was waiting for us at "Paris for the Weekend". By now it was just after 12:10 PM!

A nice casual lunch was had before we all headed off for my place (less Gerry) - the ride alongside the Otukikino, The Groynes, Clearwater and Rotokahu is one of my favourites and all off road. At Raeward Fresh we took the underpass under S H Way One and from there it wasn't too far on the route in to my place where we all had a drink to celebrate the conclusion of a wonderful set of rides with a great bunch of Guys.

I got to put some more ticks alongside some of our South Island trails and still have a few more to tick off as well.

All up I was away from home for 19 days, we rode on 14 days, I covered 793 km (56.6 kpd) and climbed 5710 m (407 mpd).