with older joints . TC is great also , allowing just enough slide to have fun , but keeping everything checked . Out on to Awatere valley road , and down to the northern boundary of the Molesworth road , the Suzuki was in Rider mode A and the Harley was in sport mode . Two 1000 + cc ADV / Touring bikes on a sunny country road , having a blast and burning through dinosaur juice like it ’ s 1997 . This was what summer bike trips are made of , and we were excited to do a load more gravel , under massive skies with wide-open terrain . However ... we were abruptly forced back into reality when greeted with a closed gate and a massive padlock at the Molesworth Homestead . The big storm that blew through in July had damaged Awatere Valley road , meaning it was only open to residents . We had blasted through here without even noticing . This also meant the northern gate to the Molesworth wouldn ’ t be opened until late summer 2022 , forcing us to backtrack to Seddon and take SH1 down to Kaikoura , heading inland toward Mt Lyford and finally rolling into our accommodation around 8pm .
DAY TWO After the disappointment of not being able to ride the Molesworth through to Hanmer , we saddled up early . After a quick stop in Culverden for breakfast , we got on the road to the Lewis Pass . As we had already had a long day in the saddle , we were really starting
104 KIWI RIDER