NZ Norton Rally
• 6 December, 2020 – Christchurch, NZ
In Europe, on the eve of December 6th, small gifts are hidden in boots to make childrens’ hearts beat faster on St. Nicholas Day the following morning. Our Canterbury area representative Jim Stevens duly managed the same to get his Southern Norton flock excited for a perfectly sunny 6th December ride. We met opposite Princess Margaret Hospital to then proceed up Hackthorne Road to Dyers Pass into the Port Hills. Eleven Commando riders, Dave Thomas’s G15 CSR, Jim’s P11A Ranger and two Dominators
(aka Dave Warren’s 99SS & Steve Murray’s 1957 Dommie) were joined by four Ducati-riding friends of the club for the day out. Upon reaching the top of the road, the group turned right at the Sign of the Kiwi café onto Summit road for a bend swinging fest. We were afforded majestic views of the Canterbury Plains and the
Southern Alps on our way to Gebbies Pass, which took us down again to the Plains towards Banks Peninsula on SH75. After a brief stop at Little River, we ascended the mountain road towards the Hill Top Tavern turnoff, where the elevation rises to about
555 meters. Turning left into the windy and narrow and at times shingle-surfaced Summit Road afforded us again great mountain top views to the entrance of Akaroa Harbour and the Canterbury coast line.
At Devauchelle, I joined forces with Dennis Powell, riding his yellow, halffaired 850 Commando and me riding my yellow 750 Commando, to tackle the ascent to Hill Top together, for our designated lunch stop. After our return hill descent, some fast sections on SH75 after Little River towards Christchurch brought us to the turnoff to Kaituna Valley, where Jim prearranged our sausage sizzle lunch setup at the local Scenic reserve picnic area. The Triumph Car Club also chose the same venue for its outings picnic, with some lovely old Jaguars also in the mix. The weather played ball for our 160km outing, only the return ride to Christchurch graced some of us with strong, cold wind on the way home, depending on your departure time.
All in all a most enjoyable, great day out in good company.