Sheldon's NZ Vacation

[L4OMEO]

OH MY GOD I'VE JUST QUOTED OSCAR WILDE  

Maybe I do deserve to drive a hairdresser's car after all...

[Frank Musco]

Regarding where you were in the photos, I thought I worked it out until you posted the places, I was thinking you're into motorbikes, and the MX-5 'track car' you hired and that you were in the South and it hit me, obviously you hired the MX-5 to go to Teretonga raceway, Invercargill, and onto Oreti for some beach racing. I can see some taped up number plates...

[Davidm1600]

I figured I knew at least a couple of the places shown (the Lake Hawea one and the Arrow Valley one), given how much time I have spent in this area over the years, bike riding, driving on ski trips etc. 

But one question did you use a company called MX 5 Hire P/L out of Christchurch?  I only ask as I like your idea of having something more pleasant to drive on all those great roads over there, instead of the usual boring hatchbacks and other crap that most hire companies dish out.

[Sheldon McIntosh]

Hi David, the company was called MX5 Rentals Ltd., out of Christchurch.  http://mx5rentals.co.nz/

The guy is named Ron, he just runs it from his home, I believe he has 3 or 4 NB MX5s, and maybe 2 or 3 NCs. If getting an NB, definitely ask for the white one, the one I had, jeez it was good.  He's a really good bloke too, a real car guy.  When I dropped the car off he showed me though his garage to look at his nearly finished Midget, and the NZ one-off roadster special he's come across, which he is building up (it was built by some guy in his shed in the early 70s, but never finished, but it's a very high quality chassis; Ron was still trying to decide what engine to run in it -it came with two Rover V8s, I tried to convince him to run an Alfa V6, he said he'd contemplated an Alfa twin-cam, but might go a modern Nissan turbo engine.  Should have got pics, dammit.)

Plus, he can pick you up and/or drop you off at the airport too.  All in all, a great service, highly recommended, and an excellent way to experience probably the best roads in Australasia.  Cheap too, it worked out less than $100AUD per day for us, including the extra insurance (lucky I got that, it covers headlight and windscreen damage, and I got a HUGE stone-chip in the windscreen, directly in front of the driver, on the way to drop it off on the last day.  Oh yeah, and then we went to a car wash to clean it before dropping it off, and someone in a Porsche Cayenne reversed into me!!), it's a pretty similar rate to hiring a decent sized hatchback from one of the regular hire companies.

My one regret is that I never took it up the road near the Cardrona pub that used to be the Race to the Sky Hillclimb.  I would have loved to have paid my respects to Possum Bourne, and to give it a fang up that road, but the missus wouldn't have liked it, and Ron was such a good guy that I would have felt a bit guilty fanging his car up a gravel hillclimb.  Shame, it would have been great up there, 6-speed and LSD would be perfect for it...

[Davidm1600]

Thanks Sheldon heaps. Yes that is the place I found on the interweb thingy. I knew it was something like what I mentioned. 

What a blast, and thanks for all the info re Ron.  Sounds like a cool dude.  We seem to head over pretty regularly to NZ, South Island, and generally have ended up with white goods on wheels for transport.  So some fun with the lid down would be far more enjoyable, even at times in winter, though perhaps Ron mightn't be too keen on us taking it to the snow.  Still there is the bus for those trips if needed.

Heh heh, yep know the roads you mean near the Cardrona Pub.  Stopped off there last time for a couple of brews after a day up on Cardrona. Damn there are some really great driving roads over in NZ. 

[Sheldon McIntosh]

Damn there are some really great driving roads over in NZ. 

There certainly are.  I'd only really driven North Island roads before, and my Aussie mates are sick of me telling them how much better NZ roads are than Aussie roads.  But I was surprised just how good the South Island roads were, easily the best I've ever seen.  I don't know why it is so, but the NZ road builders put the perfect camber into the corners, and the roads are in such good condition (I guess because of the light traffic - I remember on the Haast pass, I stopped to take a photo, and for 5 minutes nothing passed in either direction, this in probably their peak time).  Just magic, the best driving conditions possible, I don't remember seeing a cop in 4 days of driving.  I'll definitely be back.  And I didn't even do Te Anau to Milford, apparently the best road in NZ.

[Sheldon McIntosh]

So some fun with the lid down would be far more enjoyable, even at times in winter, though perhaps Ron mightn't be too keen on us taking it to the snow.  Still there is the bus for those trips if needed.

The heater in an MX5 is pretty good.  Just do it man!!  (Don't know where you'd put skis or snowboard though)

[Davidm1600]

Heh heh, yep know what you mean re the snow fun gear, but hell where there is a will there is a way !!

I know exactly what you mean re traffic levels, let alone the Haast pass. Damn it, many years ago I cycled this as well and don't recall much traffic on that trip either.  It was a little tough on the bike (well me) but no where near as hard as some of those west coast roads or Arthurs Pass from Hokatika. 

The drive down to Milford is brilliant, I have driven it, as well coached it.  Driving it is definitely more enjoyable.