TRAVERSE 165
TRAVEL - NEW ZEALAND
LEIGH WILKINS
MORE THAN JUST ANOTHER MOUNTAIN
Complacency was surely setting in , not boredom , not underwhelmed , just a level of “ oh yeah , another single lane bridge , another gravel road ”. Then it appeared , thrusting skyward from the mist , a combination of mountain fog and ocean spray , a huge peak that seemed to float above the crashing waves .
Otherworldly , Mount Fyffe seemed different to the past few days as I ’ d wondered how many more “ bloody snow-capped mountain could we look at ?” It wasn ’ t that they weren ’ t spectacular , no , everything on New Zealand ’ s south island is , but this was different .
Part of the Seaward Kaikõura Range , Mount Fyffe is a relatively low-lying peak at just over 1,600 metres , yet its proximity to the ocean and dramatic incline make it feel much higher , there ’ s also something about snow-capped mountains so close to an ocean that seems aethereal . We ’ d sited Mount Fyffe as we ’ d made our way from Hanmer Springs , on the southern reaches of the Boddington Range , a drizzly morning that promised much and delivered a little less , yet as we reached the east coast town of Kaikõura there it was an image that summed up this part of the world .
It wasn ’ t surprising that this peak was insignificant compared with similar in other regions of the globe , for New Zealand is considered a young land , both in a geological and human timeline , explaining the many dramatic mountain ranges throughout this landscape , a perfect place to ride adventure bikes .
Aboard a trio of Yamaha Ténéré T700s we ’ d started our trek south following the Rainbow Station Road , infamous amongst adventure riders in this part of New Zealand . We ’ d been taken along the Wairau River in the foothills of the Richmond Range
TRAVERSE 165