2026 - Sunday 22st

 Good evening, 

Left the hotel at about 9am - but managed to leave my travel adapter and cable in the room…. Silly bugger.

It was a 5 hour ride today over to Greymouth on the West Coast.  Miles and miles of fantastic country roads with very few petrol stations !  The low fuel light came on and I started to worry.   Then viola just in the nick time a GAS Station …. Topped up and had breakfast (cup of tea and a pie).

Finally got to the coast and the views are fanastic.

Arrived at the hotel at Greymouth, showered and changed and walked into town to replace the plug adapter etc.   Met up the the couple I first met at the Overland Winter Warmer in February this year and we plan to have a beer later on.  Still have issues with this SatNav - ah well I’ll sort it eventually.

2026 - Saturday 21st

Good morning dear reader,

I spent the morning packing too much stuff into too small panniers, setting up the bike (BMW 750 GS! : almost new - with a quick shifter : fancy but unnecessary !

Then I chanced my arm with the Saturday Christchurch traffic, well well behaved, then before you know it you in the gorgeous countryside on the east coast heading north.

The sun is shining, I have a full tank of gas, and an empty bladder: life is looking good.  The only spoiler is that I can’t get the SatNav to talk to me!!!  Oh well never mind.

I arrived at Hanmer Springs and found the hotel (yes, I’m not camping on this trip).  Very nice hotel with the bike parked under cover.  A well appointed room with a great view.  After a brisk walk around town - very touristy, lots of Fish n Chip places and loads of beer bars.   I am currently sitting in Monteith’s Brewing Co. Bar with three different tunes playing over big speakers competing with the live music coming from the Irish Bar next door!

Tomorrow is a much longer day, about a 5 hour ride over to Greymouth on the West Coast.

2026 - Friday 20th

Good morning,

I spent the last two days in a bit a jet lag haze.  Yesterday we when to Rolleston food shopping and have a tea stop, then went visiting Matt, Hannah and Beau at their home and took a walk with the dog.  Still tired and had another early night.

Today we are going into Christchurch to have a tour around and a little bit of pre-motorcycle tour last minute shopping - I may need a couple more shirts etc.

The bike is arriving about 6:30pm - so that leaves Saturday morning to pack the bike - the first days ride is only a couple of hours so there is no need to leave before mid day.

Feeling my age and jet lag …. Old man on a bench

Hannah, Beau and Arora the dog - and of course “Pops”

The AirBnb where we are staying

2026 - New Zealand - Day 1

Well we arrived intact at Singapore and after some chasing around we manage to get our baggage located and earmarked for our flight to NZ late the next day.  The problem was that at Singapore the baggage claim is the other side of Immigration.   So you would have had to enter the country in order to collect your bags…. Then re-enter the airport to check in for the fight next day…!!!

That sorted we found the Hotel at Terminal 3 and without much effort turned in for the night.   Then an early exit next morning (8 am) for breakfast and hurry up and wait to spend the next 10 hours in the terminal waiting to catch our flight to NZ.  The break was good as I don’t think I would have liked a 13 hours flight followed by another 10 hours !!  I just felt like Tom Hanks in the movie Terminal.

We arrived at Christchurch at 11am and then had to worry about whether our baggage made it .  We managed to get through their very strict bio-security.   We then were met by our daughter Hannah and our grand son Beau and were taken to our Air BnB but  we felt totally knackered . 

Another early night was needed but I woke up at midnight and I am now sitting in the kitchen writing my blog…….. an its nearly 1am.   Don’t you just love travelling..

I did make contact with a couple of RTW bikers that I met at the last Overland Winter Warmer as they too are in NZ at present so hopefully we can meet up for a beer or two.   Carl and Isabel Abram’s.  Life2 on-tour. https://www.life2ontour.co.uk/?fbclid=IwVERDUAQncwRleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeJCBsodarq-bbcDvB9vpDZvsYZnRl3YWYDRcluJDiVWUqp-2Z5r0nUyAK4Bs_aem_4yCUKSnw1HgR5wqRmVWimA

Tomorrow is a day off with the family, a bit of shopping and get ready for the bike being delivered by Paradise Motorcycle Tours on Friday evening - ready for a noon Saturday start with a short ride up to Hanmer Springs and the start of 10 days riding around the South Island of NZ.   

It’s now 1:30 in the morning and time for another cup of tea and return to my bed.  

2026 - UK to Singapore

It all started so well; first the bus arrival at Ringwood was delayed by 15 minutes, but this was OK as the flight from Heathrow was now delayed by 45 minutes.

I can’t remember the last time I flew from Heathrow but I’m sure that Terminal 2 was never that big!    We managed to find a seat in the “London Pub” and had a very nice but pricey Cheese Burger: £21.50 ; I ask you.   Once the departure gate was announced it was a charge from what seemed to be one side of the airport to the other !

The flight was with Singapore Airways - highly recommend - then started a mammoth 13 hour flight.   I managed to watch a decent film staring Emma Thompson and even slept for a bit.

We arrived on time at Singapore where we would be stopping at the Airport Hotel for the night to break up the journey .   Then it was a matter of where is our baggage?  There appeared to be no ‘Baggage Claim’ area like what is at other airports.   We managed to speak to a chap the the airline help desk and he dutifully arranged for the bags to be secured over night and cross loaded over to our flight to NZ tomorrow evening!!!  I live in hope - I still remember losing a bag for good at Jo’berg SA airport in 2008 - it never did appear.

We are now settled in the hotel at Terminal 3 but the time change means that we are not too tired : hence me typing this at 0:30 in the morning!!!    Breakfast is at 8:00am and we then have a long lay-over until our 2nd flight.   Only a 9 hour flight this time.

The bike is being dropped off at  our Air BnB on Friday evening and my 10 day self guided tour of the South Island we’ll start.

But I will get the meet up with our daughter, her husband and the grandson Beau before and after the tour.

Nite nite

Tracker links for next week

https://maps.findmespot.com/s/GK7S

https://nigel-grace.blogspot.com/?m=1

March 2026 - and I’m off again

 

That’s the only clue you get …,,,,

Jan 2026 - Overland Winter Warmer

What an interesting weekend, David and I met up with lots of old friends, made a few new ones.  Camped in a cold, windy and muddy field near Oxford.   What’s not to like.

Watched some great presentations, drank a lot of tea, had some great Asian food.

2 Jan 2026 - Ringwood

Well today's the day that I am selling my Yamaha Tenere 700 World Raid. It's being collected by Peter Leach of BikeHike and delivered to its new owner in St Albans.

It's been a great bike and I have ridden it all over the place including France and of course 10 weeks across the USA, from Florida to Virgina via Alabama and then across to California. I would love to have kept it, but if I want to travel in 2026/7 then I will need the funds.

I still have my 1997 Honda XRV750 Africa Twin.

Unpacking the bike in Orlando Florida

The Grand Canyon

Monument Valley

Nov 2025 - Moto Junkies Wales

What a night that was - very high winds, torrential rain, thunder and lightning : who could ask for more!!! 

After a couple of ciders and went back up the hill to the tent to get another jacket on, but ended up reading my book and staying.

Then the wind got stronger and the heavy rain started… I had to get out at about 1am the fold up the tarp before it ripped its self to pieces. Then again at 3pm to get rid of too many cups of tea and a couple of ciders. Only to find 3 chaps still toasting their way through a bottle of vodka in the bar…

I don't think I slept a wink all night, what with the tent deforming every five minutes.

This morning I cooked my breakfast in their kitchen and also had a bacon bun. The rain continues, as does the wind.

I then decided that I would visit Mick O’Mally on the way home, so I packed up in the rain and departed about 1pm and ride back down to Hay on Wye for the night.  Then following another good breakfast at the Honey Cafe I ride off in the sunshine to to see Mick and his new wheelchair.

After a hour or so and a very nice cup of tea I ride the rest of the way home.  I arrived just as it started to rain again.   Monday morning and I hung up the tent, ground mat and tarps in the garage to dry off.   Then unpack the panniers.   I’m not sure when the next trip is but it will probably be the Winter Warmer in Oxford at the end of January !!

31 Oct - Moto Camp Wales

 Good morning reader

The ride up the Wales yesterday was fine, and the rain held off all day.    I stopped for lunch but had

just missed the breakfast menu so I had to settle for ham, egg and chips!! and tea of course.

Made it to the camp site which has now been taken over by a “group”.   All very clean and tidy with excellent showers .   Not and lot to do here and it gets dark at 5pm - so a very early night in the tent having a read of my latest book.   The wind and the rain started at about 9pm - and what a blower it was, good job with those storm guy ropes.   

Early rise this morning the rain had stopped for a while and a 6am hot shower was really good.  On the road for 8am and the wind is very gusty this morning.   I road the few miles the the Honey Cafe at Bronllys but it doesn’t open til 9am - so I ride the the nearest petrol stop to top up.   I think this was the first fuel stop I have used in the UK where you have to pay for fuel first before you can use the pump - i.e like the USA where you have to guess how much fuel you need!!!  

I’m now sitting at the Honey cafe with an early pot of tea awaiting breakfast.   It’s a tuff life on the road

Oct 2025 - Home at last

Well the ship arrived at Southampton, the shippers shipped the bike to Chandlers Ford and I arrived to collect it on Friday but alas it would not start.  After nearly five months in transit since I dropped the bike off at LA, the battery was totally buggered.  Despite numerous attempts to jump start it, it would not run.

A quick phone call to Carol Nash insurance and the RAC recovery were despatched.   Thanks to the nice guys at LV shippers for their help and the cups of tea.  The recovery truck arrived and we were transported to the Yamaha dealership in Verwood.   

So I purchased a new battery and it was charged up over night and I collected this afternoon.  All the kit was unpacked, washing done, tent aired and all spread out in the garage.   Now I need to repack ready for a weekend away at MotoCamp Wales next week.

It just needs a good wash and polish tomorrow.

Oct 2025 - Nearly home

 Following my trip across the USA earlier in the year, I ended up in Los Angeles.   I delivered my bike to the Shippers on the Friday 30 April and flew after the week end.   Then it was just a case of waiting for the container to be full and allocating it to a ship!!  That what I thought, but after a long wait it was ready to ship but then US Customs decided to hold the container for a customs  check and so it missed that boat.

Once this customs check was completed it was then allocated for another ship ( and an invoice issued for the check - £470 just for my bike ).   

So after a while the arrived at LA, the container was loaded and he ship sailed towards Southampton via a couple of ports and the Panama Canal.

I have been able the track the ships’ progress across the Atlantic and today it finally sailed into Southampton, and my tracker on the bike started to work again as it sailed up the Solent ( it works on the GSM network that does not work in the good old US of A ).  So nearly 5 months later I get to receive both my bike and the bill for shipping (including the charge from US Customs)

So now I just need to wait until the container is moved to the agents in Chandler Ford and I can go a recover it.  I’m assuming that it undamaged, luggage is all complete and the bike starts !?!  Fingers Crossed on that lot.