Motorcycle diary of the South Island: Arthur’s Pass
Bums aching after five straight hours on our motorbikes, we finally arrived at our destination –30 minutes south of Greymouth. It was good to be back in the saddle and on the road. Nothing quite like the open road loaded with gear and nowhere to be at any particular time!
After a restful night, our first outing was to Arthur’s Village. To get to there involves driving through ‘paradise’ – mountain pass with rivers, forests, gorges, look out points and of course for motorcyclists – corners!
Arthur’s Pass
Arthur’s Pass, which runs through the Southern Alps, is definitely a biker’s road. It is also rated as one of the AA’s top 10 things to do when in the South Island. Take this into consideration because depending on the season and time of day you go, you can either get stuck behind campervans and trucks, or you can breeze through hitting every corner with grace – like dancers moving in harmonious rhythm (okay maybe not in a car!). I know the ride can be so enthralling you just want to carry on going without stopping, but having a tea or coffee break and enjoying the beauty of Arthur’s Pass Township is definitely worth it. For the energetic there are plenty of walks to do in the vicinity, with an interesting tourist information display with photographs.
Background information on Arthur’s Pass
The highway that travels through the heart of Arthur’s Pass National Reserve is the highest over the Southern Alps. It was built in less than a year in 1865. There are plenty of look out points where you can stop and marvel at the extreme civil engineering that went into building this highway. The brains behind the project had to plan viaducts, bridges, rock shelters and redirect waterfalls over the highway via chutes. At the look out points you can also enjoy scenery ranging from shingle filled riverbeds, mountains, beech forests to deeply gorged rivers flowing through dense rainforest.
Arthur’s Pass Township has accommodation, restaurants, cafes, a small store and petrol. Be petrol wise when doing the Pass! The first time we travelled it, the petrol station in Arthur’s Township didn’t have any fuel. We made it to the nearest petrol station with 1 litre left in the tank! A little bit of a nail biting experience. The second time we were more prepared especially when we discovered that our ‘lifesaving’ petrol station had actually closed down.
Take your time, enjoy the road, scenery, the environment and the feat of engineering making it possible for you to explore this Pass. Don’t miss it!
A side note
If you are travelling from Greymouth, your next petrol stop is Arthur’s Village – a distance of 84km.
If you are doing the whole route to Christchurch then be aware that from Arthur’s Village to Christchurch is 170km, with the first petrol stop at Springfield, on the outskirts of Christchurc.
Don’t get caught out on a low tank or run out of petrol!