Winter, it seems, is upon me!

[johnr]

I was going to describe how the wind was literally howling, bringing heavy rain at a shallow angle and punctuated by the odd flash of lightning.

I was going to tell you about catching part of a news item about trees, roofs and power poles being blown away. Must have been in some other part of the country. Anything that can be blown away down here long since has been.

I was going to tell about a tornado on the West Coast of the South Island. That's weird. First one I've ever heard of in this country was last year way up in Auckland. Now there is one only 350 odd miles North of here. Things are changing very fast!

I was about to relate how the temperature had sunk way down as the wind was moving too fast for it to have warmed much since it left the ice.  I had to resort to the sleeping bag to watch TV and a lighter fuel tin on my shelf 'popped ' as its sides sucked in.

I was on the point of saying that the absolutely worst place I could think of being right now was on my imaginary yacht out in the definitely not imaginary Foveaux Straits. (Just a few miles away and reputed to be the second roughest in the world)

But then... It all stopped!!! What the... Weather doesn't behave like that down here! A storm down here is supposed to wax and wane a bit but in general it should last a week! What does it think it's up to?

 

[oldbike54]

 Maybe it's "bi polar" 

 Dusty

[johnr]

Hmmm, as opposed to South Polar?

  Nah, Your comment is very clever Dusty I can't beat that.  Have one on me.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Just MHO, but I think Mother Nature is upset, and is just giving us a taste of what she can be..

[johnr]

Just MHO, but I think Mother Nature is upset, and is just giving us a taste of what she can be..

Well I think she should cool her heels a bit, She has already parked the hole in the Ozone layer right over us giving New Zealand the highest Melanoma rates in the world by quite a substantial margin, That's enough.

[Tom]

Fire up your bathtub and stay out of the sun.  Works for the yellow people that don't want to turn orange.

[Cool Runnings]

46 F @ 2:00PM  here right now!!!

[Tom]

Brrrrrrrr.  Same here or colder at the 13,700 ft. level.

[normzone]

Rain? You can get rain?

Please share....

[johnr]

Rain? You can get rain?

Please share....

Verily I understand that plea! The geography of the country is such that North Canterbury gets sheltered from the incoming weather by a chain of mountains (The Southern Alps)  Said mountains ensure that any rain contained in incoming weather systems gets dropped on the West Coast. North Canterbury gets everything else, but not the rain! Farmers are fast reaching  the point of walking off the land!

It is said that it rains twice a week on the West Coast, Once on Monday,Tuesday, and Wednesday, and once on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday!

It's an incredible ride down that coast though, so if you are visiting these islands on a bike you want to do it if you can. All you need is a weather system that's coming in from the East. (none too common) The Scenery is spectacular but if you are going North it tends to be coastal. Travel south and you will see more mountains. if it's raining you will see very little indeed, just  hint of whats there.

I would have loved to publish a few rainfall figures but couldn't find a suitable info site let alone one that used inches.  I'll leave that for another time.

[johnr]

Brrrrrrrr.  Same here or colder at the 13,700 ft. level.

That's a hell of a long way up Tom. Higher than our highest peak in fact. Of course it will be cold. Where are you?

[Tom]

Kailua-Kona, west side of Hawaii island.  I'm at about 500' level.  The peak of Mauna Kea is the 13700' level.  The highway that splits the island north and south is at 1 mile high.  Temps. have been cool.  We should have some late snow at the summit level while down below it's 82F. 

Hawaii island is not as large as yours but we have some great Alpine style roads with no police patrols most of the time.  Weekends is WFO riding.

[Sasquatch Jim]

  Hey Tom, I am about to become one of the landed gentry soon.  Should be closing on the sale some time this week.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Congrats, Jim..

[oldbike54]

 So does this mean we have to start calling Jim "Sir Sasquatch?  "Sir Squatch?" "The right honorable Sasquatch?" "The big Patron?"  "Haole El Grande?" 

 Dusty

[Mr Revhead]

Hey John, don't hog all the sympathy, it rained here today....
But look what's coming your way....
http://i.stuff.co.nz/motoring/80039320/nelsons-new-zealand-classic-motorcycle-museum-to-move-to-invercargill.adaptive.html