Committee Contact Details

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1 May 2011 What a fashion statement! Perhaps to be included in the next National Bike Raffle????? For details of where and when this was found, ask the writer of the AGM trip item..

2 Note: Opinions expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the Editor, or the Canterbury Branch of Ulysses Club of New Zealand, or, or the Ulysses Club of New Zealand Inc but are those or the contributing or original writers. Committee Contact Details Position/Person Phone Mobile Coordinator/ Branch Liaison Mike Dew Secretary: Bob Tanner Treasurer: Chris Groube Welfare Newsletter Editor: Carolyn Falkenberg St John Fundraising Organiser: Chris Carey Rides Coordinator: Gene Wyngaard Website: Robert Edgeler Social Convenor: Brian Schlaadt Non Committee: Sheriff Maureen Dew Deputy Sherriff Chas Packer Archives/Property: Leicester Moss Quartermaster (Gear Sales) Marilyn Molloy Assistant Quartermaster Roger Mills Mentoring Coordinator David Moore

3 Co-Ordinators Comments On behalf of all the Canterbury Branch members I wish to welcome Mark Dexter to the Ulysses Club. I hope you enjoy your time in the Club and remember to uphold the Club motto Grow Old Disgracefully. Many thanks must go to everyone that participated in our St John Ambulance Run on Monday the 25 th April (ANZAC Day). Chris Carey, Ian Tennant, Steve Parr and Maureen Dew did a great job of organising this event. It was just a pity that it starting raining at about 10am and this kept away a lot of riders, but approx 75 hardened supporters turned up. The ride from the South City Mall car park to Little River at 1:00pm was lead by a motorcycle-mounted police officer. The ride out to Little River was very controlled and on arriving at the Awa-iti Domain we were greeted by a well set up BBQ site. The team had set up the two shelters for the BBQ s and hot brew area and everything was ready and waiting for us on arrival. The sausages, hot drinks and fruitcake were consumed and then it was time to draw the raffles. Then came the job of cleaning and packing everything up so it could be returned straight away to the storage container in the city. To run this event we require the assistance from a large number of Branch members and on behalf of the Branch committee I d like to thank you all very much for all the time and effort you all gave so freely. Thank you. Our Branch motorcycle mentors have now formed a sub-committee and David Moore is the POC for the mentors. Please contact David at presidentmainlanddrivers@yahoo.com or on if you would like to take advantage of some free mentoring. David will arrange for you to be assigned a mentor that will best suit your needs. Please note that the mentoring is on a one to one basis. The rides and social coordinators have been busy setting up a good select of rides and functions for the next 2-3 months. Please keep viewing the Branch website ( canterbury) to be kept up to date with the planned activities. For those not doing anything over Queen s Birthday weekend why don t you come and join us at the 31 st Brass Monkey Rally (4-5 June)? Entry forms are available on our website and you can also view some photos from last year s event. I ll be taking the Branch gazebo and some tarpaulins down for shelter on site and Steve and Pam will have their BBQ on site for the toasted sandwiches on Saturday night. The Branch will also be providing tea, coffee, milk and sugar on site and you will need to bring your own cups, plates and mugs. Please also bring along some snacks (biscuits/cake/fruit and nuts etc) to share. This month s social evening will be held on Wednesday 18 th May and our guest speaker will be Ryan Hampton from Hampton Honda and he will be talking about his motorcycle racing. Until next month keep the shiny side up. Mike # 2415

4 Maureen has planned a Ladies coffee get together. This social event is for the Lady Ulysses members, Ulyssians wives or their lady partners. Meeting place : Annie's café at Tower Junction. (next to Baker's delight) Time : 10 am Date : Saturday 28th May A great opportunity for just the cost of a coffee for the ladies to get together and talk about what ever it is they talk about. ( probably about how great us men are) So guys, if you have received this invite how about passing it on to your fair lady and in return this will leave you with free time to watch the TV or clean the bike. No booking required, just turn up at Annie's Café at 10.00am on the 28th of May. Cheers, Brian Schlaadt The editor gets some interesting pics sent with no details identifying what is happening so wonder what the story is here??? This should serve as a gentle reminder to those who send in pics and articles for the newsletter please help by adding captions or identifying what the pic is about - Editor

5 YOU KNOW YOU RE FROM CHRISTCHURCH WHEN Genet/Christchurch QuakeMap is on your homepage The rest of the country offers you a place to stay Munted and buggered are official technical terms You go pffff when Wellington has a 4.5 earthquake that s 40km deep You see a nice park in another city and think it would make a good evacuation point You sleep in one suburb, shower in another and collect water from yet another When you drive on the right side of the road and no one thinks it s wrong You are happy two policemen came for a visit Your bike becomes your best friend You think it s fine for a soldier to be stationed at the end of your street You see armored vehicles driving down the road It s normal to greet people with do you need a Shower? A bucket of s**t is no longer that old car you drive Every house is a crack house Instead of rushing to the clothes line to get clothes in when it rains, you put dirty washing on the line in the hope that it will rain enough to clean them Your doctor recommends having a few drinks before bed to help you sleep You know how to start and refuel a generator You have tied the pantry, liquor cabinet and all the cupboard doors closed and it s not to keep the kids out You prefer to sit under the table instead of at it You think electronics that have shock proof should say to which earthquake magnitude You know and actually understand the terms and conditions of your House and Contents Insurance policies You can see irony in claims about houses made of permanent materials You en-suite has a vege garden, dog kennel and grass

6 Your teenagers are only too happy to sleep in the same room as their parents You stop using the term built like a brick s**t house Dressing up to head into town means putting on a hi-viz vest, hard hat and boots Discussing toilet habits with total strangers is an everyday norm Wee boys don t get excited when they see (another) digger or a dozer but all the adults in the street cheer wildly Voluntarily staying in Timaru for 5 days seems like a good idea You know what that extra gear lever on your 4x4 is for Metservice includes a graph for dust You have dust mask tan lines You can use the term liquefaction in everyday conversation even your 3 year old can A massive group of student appears in your street, you feel overwhelmed with gratitude instead of calling the police What s more, the student have left the street in better condition than when they arrived When the Farmy Army visits to shovel silt and bring food you are thankful we are just another rural town! The answer to where anything is.. it s on the floor You smile at strangers and greet people like you re one big family

7 Ride to the 2011 AGM The weather at the January 2010 Woodstock Rally was very hot and necessitated the consumption of several cans of Speights to remain cool, but we managed it and as always happens I started thinking about the next ride, only in this case it was more like the next year. In 2011, Wellington Branch was organising the National AGM and the short ride from Christchurch to Wellington, while appealing, was still only a short ride. What you reckon Steve, how s about we go to the Wellington AGM next year via Cape Reinga? Yep I m a starter he says, And I reckon Jim will be too. He was right, we woke Jim up and he was interested, so the seed was planted. Before we knew it Chas, Karen, Terry, Janet, Grumpy from Picton and pommy mate Tony from London were all keen, bugger this was becoming more like an expedition than a quick ride around the North Island. As the plan evolved we decided to leave Christchurch on Friday 18 th March (10.00am from Shell Amberley and only 1 person was late) and head to Picton for the night, few beers and a BBQ tea at Grumpy s place which was almost exactly how it happened. Fly in the ointment, however, was Terry who d decided to go to his nieces wedding, in Whitianga, on Saturday 19 th and consequently had to ride off on his own, although we did accompany him to Kaikoura as part of the knitting group ride on the Wednesday. Great ride up to Picton, Jim took the lead for the first 3 or 4 minutes but wouldn t overtake a granny in a Morris Minor so that position was reallocated as it was important that we got all the way to Picton in the one day. Grumpy did us proud, that night, and we all met up next morning at the Shell in Picton before heading down to the Ferry Terminal to catch the sailing to Wellington. I d made up a list of names and booking numbers to save time at the check in but that was a waste of time as one nameless person (same one who was late at Amberley as it happened) had booked for the previous day, but we did get it sorted and were all able to board. Had originally hoped to get the 6.30 am sailing, as we had a long ride planned for the day, but the times had all changed because of urgent freight getting to Christchurch after the quake. We were heading for Taumarunui, via The Forgotten Highway but that was when we thought we could leave Wellington before 10.00am but now we wouldn t even get there until after 1.00 pm. Consequently Chas, Steve & Janet opted for the long ride while Tony, Grumpy, Karen, Jim & I turned off at Wanganui and got to the pub long before the others. Stayed at Twin Rivers Motel in Taumarunui which is owned by a very friendly local Ulyssian called Michaelle who looked after us real well, would certainly recommend that motel for future visits. It s also directly opposite the local RSA where we were able to meet other local members and dine and dance the night away (well some of us anyway). The Sunday ride was always going to be a long one; we were heading for Opua in the Bay of Islands where my brother in law, Dave, has a large waterfront section and a spare guest house. However before we got there we had to meet up with Terry and get through the Auckland motorway system. No problem catching up with Terry at the BP in Bombay but Jim had decided to duck off to see his sister in Pokeno, a place he d last visited in 1975, so he knew it well, but an hour after meeting Terry still no sign of Jim. But then a text! See you at the toll gates, presumably at the toll road north of Auckland; but there weren t any gates it was a pre pay and take your photo type of system. Ah well, hopefully he s headed north and we ll find him sitting by the side of the road somewhere, and amazingly we did, about halfway Waiting for Chas and Karen between Auckland and Wellsford where he d stopped for a nana nap.

8 And so there were 9, but hang on a minute, Chas and Karen had decided to stop off in Auckland and chat up her boss so we were down to 7 but by then making pretty good time to Whangarei. Quick stop there for supplies, food, beer, wine and toilet rolls, the guest house was not all inclusive, and while the shopping was easy the stowing on the bikes had to be seen to be believed. The classic was Janet who d brought the perfect backpack to carry the toilet rolls but with the bike pack full to the brim and overlapping the pillion seat (we reckoned Bill was in there) there was no room to fit her, wearing a back pack, unless she was laying face down across the tank. Bit of a rethink but finally away for the last 100ks to Opua and the 10ks of gravel road leading to Daves place, which we mostly negotiated with little trouble, except for Terry who stopped at one point and put his foot in a hole and couldn t hold the bike up. As if that wasn t enough Steve offered to help Janet, who was busy gazing down Daves steep gravel drive, by hanging on to the back of her bike and keeping her upright. Geronimo time to go but Steve was still holding on, however it wasn t being dragged down the gravel that bothered him it was the walk back up the hill in all his riding gear. No damage just a few red faces, but not to be out done Jim thought he d have a go too and also put his foot in a hole, but at least he waited until we d arrived at the house, which was just as well as he actually hurt his leg and was out of action for a while. No one was interested in cooking that night so we jumped into Dave s boat and he took us over to the Opua Cruising Club where, as refugees from Christchurch, we were welcomed with open arms. Brilliant night, friendly people, great beer, good wine and yummy tucker only downside was it was starting to rain as we headed home in the boat. Had planned to do the Rawene Ferry and Opononi ride on Monday but it was still raining in the morning and I had to go and meet Chas & Karen and show them how to get to the house, however wasn t looking forward to the 10ks of gravel which had in fact turned into 10ks of slippery clay. Terry & Steve offered to come with me, which was great, but it was a pretty scary ride and there was no way we wanted to come back that way and certainly not with Chas & Karen who we d planned to meet in Whangarei. We were there on time and spent ¾ of an hour standing in the pouring rain before getting a text from Chas, they d missed the meeting venue but were warm and dry in an Info Centre so where were we? Politely told them where we could meet up and then rode north into Piahia for more supplies at the local supermarket (beer mainly for Chas). Told them about the slippery 10ks of gravel and all agreed we should leave our bikes at Opua and get Dave to pick us up in the boat, which he did after arranging a safe shelter for our steeds. Regrettably the Cruising Club was closed on Monday so Chas offered to cook dinner, spaghetti bolognaise, for all 10 of us, which included Dave. Did a brilliant job too, but its easy to see why he s had 6 wives and they ve all left him, he s a tyrant in the kitchen and it was all we could do to get to the beer fridge without risking castration for being in his domain. Planned to do the Cape Reinga ride on Tuesday but the rain was still fairly heavy, as it had been all night, and Tony, Janet, Jim and Grumpy were looking decidedly skeptical about getting their bikes along those 10ks of gravel even though it would need to happen sooner or later. Jim obviously couldn t ride, he was still in pain so Chas offered to ride his bike out and Janet was just plain bloody stubborn and insisted on doing it herself so I offered to ride Tony s bike, because the last time he was here in 2008 he went home with a broken ankle and wife Pam would never forgive me if I sent him home injured again. Janet got half way up Dave s drive and promptly fell off as she thought a car parked in the bush on her left was actually moving, however she did get going again and made the whole 10ks the right way up. As if the muddy gravel wasn t slippery enough when we got to the end we found the river flowing over the road (combination of high tide and heavy rain) so it was a case of riding through at least 350mm of water and hoping the road was still there, which it was.

9 Obviously weren t going to get back in there that night so Karen made a few phone calls and managed to get us all into the Waitangi Copthorne hotel for that night, brilliant. Getting close to midday by now and we still hadn t left for Cape Reinga, a 450k round trip, but most were still keen to do it. Jim couldn t, so opted for a quiet afternoon at the hotel while the rest of us headed north. Interesting ride up there and now all sealed roads so made good time, hardest part was the walk back from the lighthouse to the car park, the hill s a lot steeper than it looks when you re heading up it, still it needed to be done we were, after all, heading to Wellington via this point, and, by now, it wasn t actually raining. Didn t get back to the hotel until about 8pm so it was a quick shower a few ales a satisfying feed and a smug feeling knowing we d achieved our objective. Very comfortable night in the hotel and all feeling refreshed for the next leg to Coromandel Township at the top end of the peninsular, but first negotiate the Auckland motorway and exit at Takanini and ride through Clevedon then down the coast to Miranda and on to Thames, no sweat. Bit of division here, some wanted to ride up the east coast of the peninsular and some up the west coast so we split up for a while and met up again at the Admirals Arms Hotel in Coromandel Township. The reason for the Coromandel stop was to do the Driving Creek Railway trip, which some of us did the next morning and found brilliant. However the next days ride to Takapau, 100ks south of Napier was another long one so some opted to leave Get out! This ladle s loaded! Three heads gotta be better than one! early and give the railway a miss. Janet at this point was causing trouble again with a unreliable battery and needed a replacement, not available in Coromandel, so she left with others and picked up a new, bright yellow, unit in Matamata. Chas, Steve, Tony & I did the railway trip and headed away south about an hour and a half behind the others, enjoying a magic ride until halfway through the Napier/Taupo highway where we struck light drizzle lots of road works and a fair bit of traffic. However made it into Takapau with no real problems and enjoyed an evening of brilliant hospitality after taking over the bar while the delightful owner cooked us a fabulous roast dinner. Steve became honorary barman for the night, although there s some speculation as to how much of the night, and all bar tabs were paid in full. By now, of course, it was Thursday and I had to be in Wellington by midday on Friday and as it was such a short trip I struggled to get the buggers moving, so suggested I go on my own and see them there. No way they all said, We re coming with you which is why I was late!

10 Pretty easy ride though and we did have to stop and pay homage to the brewery at Mangatainoka, even if it was only for coffee. Jim should have had 2 coffees because when I turned right onto the bypass, around Masterton, he sailed on past and had to be chased and brought back into the fold. Then Grumpy decided his innards were playing up and needed an urgent stop at Carterton, to relieve the pressure, to say nothing of the constant road works which all conspired to make me late into Lower Hutt where we all, incidentally, got lost on arrival. Never mind we d made it, Christchurch to Wellington via Cape Reinga with a whole lot of fun thrown in. However the fun wasn t over, there was still the social side of the actual AGM which turned out to be a real buzz. Wellington branch put on an efficient business programme and a great show in the evening, where we were joined by other branch members and rocked the night away. Overall we d had a brilliant 7 days and as the others headed for the Ferry Terminal on Sunday morning Tony and I headed for the Petone Working Men s Club to enjoy the magnificent breakfast, compliments of The Ulysses Club of NZ Inc, prior to heading north again for another 4 days riding. The motley crew at the Ferry Terminal Quotes from the trip! ( That wasn t a Morris Minor it was a Standard 10! Jim). ( I m sure I told Steve to let go! Janet). ( Wish I d had the chance to ride those 10 ks of wet gravel! Karen). ( I once auditioned for Master Chef but scared the cameramen! Chas). ( Of all the holes in all the gravel roads in all of NZ, I had to pick that one! Terry). ( Can t believe my jocks were still by the fire in the bar the next morning! Steve). ( It must have been the toast I had for breakfast; beer never affects me like that! Grumpy). (Can t believe we only got 1 wet day; the rain gods obviously didn t know I was here! Tony). ( What part of ( corner of SH1 & SH14 ) was hard to understand? Bob). Bob Tanner Happy Birthday to our May Members! Colin McCobb Peter Shaw Malcolm Fleck Malcolm Keen Rob Edwards Leicester Moss John Abel Evan Swenson Graeme Raxworthy Michael Ingham David Bailey Paul Delamain Frank Rzoska

11 The National AGM for 2011 in Wellington I am so tempted to write If you weren t there too bad you missed a great weekend and this tale would end right here. But, we all know that won t happen. As arranged last year we were booked for the Wellington AGM very early, so really all that we had do was work out what time to leave to catch the boat. That plan fell over quick with a change in sailing times being advised a couple of weeks out. So we revised our plan, confirmed with our travelling companions the departure time was set again. So before appointed time I did a full preflight check, packed the bike and trailer for an extended stay in the other island. Then when the time was right all I had to do was ensure the passenger was comfortably and appropriately installed in the correct seat and had made the correct preflight stops and visited the rest room. Off we set for the one minute ride to the start point, where we met up with Mike and Maureen and headed north. First stop was set for a snack and fuel, as I was lead rider and as we both were towing, we didn t want attract too much attention, so the pace was set to the traffic speed. We arrived in the township of Kaikoura and set out our snacks, smoked salmon, cheese platter, etc. along with hot and cold drinks. This is also called for the mandatory potty stop, because as we all know what goes in must come out. After a fill up of the humans it was only fair to refill our steeds, back on the road to Blenheim and on to Picton. Straight to the ferry terminal and into line, this year I not only had all the correct paper work but had backed up the schedule and booking numbers into my mobile phone. Into line and a short wait, but what s this coming in fast behind us a modern car, black, just enough time to register there was something, not quite right when it did a sudden lane change to get behind Mike and Maureen, well ok the line was shorter, but not happy there, so changed again only to stop beside Mike. Was that a yellow vest over the back of the passenger s seat along with a blue shirt with patches? I did notice a flash of red and blue but I wasn t sure. The next thing I hear is a whoop of a police siren, just one and very close, where did that come from? Suddenly Mike was taking a very close interest in the car and driver, yes she was nice looking but he had Maureen on the back. Turned out he had been travelling a little quick with the trailer on, no damage done to the wallet only his pride. As I was leading must be my fault eh! The report was she was very good in her approach and comments, it was apparent she had been behind us for quite a while but couldn t catch up because of traffic; otherwise she might have been talking to us both. Mind you if she had used her lights and siren she would have caught up with us a bit quicker. Into line and await the boarding call, look who s here? We weren t the only ones sailing across for the AGM. Swapped the normal pleasantries with the fellow Ulysses members awaiting the ship, as you do with people you have known for years. Eventually onto the boat, bike tied down and upstairs for a bite and drink. Purchased movie tickets and headed down to watch the movie, this helps pass the time and finishes just off Island Bay. This gives you time to get up stairs and check the weather in Wellington and get a little fresh air before being summoned down stairs to the bikes. Off we get and head on up to Upper Hutt and our Motel. Settled in and made contact with Mike s sister and husband arranging a dinner date and a venue. If you are into Asian food try A Taste of Malaysia in Upper Hutt; we have been return visitors and we will be going back. After dinner home for a drink and bed.

12 Friday Mike had National committee duties in the morning and the Coordinators meeting in the afternoon,. Pam and I have friends in Wellington and two of them were to get married on Saturday so as we had made plans before they announced their plan, so we went into the city to see them and give a hand to set up for their wedding breakfast and dance. It was great to catch up with them but we were disappointed in that we were not there to share their day. So after watching a practice run of their wedding dance we headed back out to the Hutt. Dropped in on Dennis and had a cup of tea and then down to the AGM venue to pick up our registration packs. Back to the motel and after Mike s return we all walked over to the venue for the Friday met and greet. I don t know exactly how many times this piece of advice has been given to AGM organizers, but Friday night does not need a band. In fact you could get away with quiet music in the back ground, as everyone is catching up with old friends and making new ones. Being of the age we all are, a lot of us are hearing challenged (read as deaf as) and the competition between voice and band is too much trouble so people leave. After a supper and returning to the hall area we spent more time catching up with even more people. On the amble back to the motel we were overcome with the munchies and the girls headed into the Asian takeaway and Mike and I into the pizza parlor. Food in hand we headed up to the river bank to enjoy. After this is was back to the motel. Saturday dawned and after breakfast and a cuppa or two it was off to the AGM meeting, which when all is said and done it is what we are here for. The meeting was great, short, sharp and sorted real quick. As we weren t booked on any trips or tours we then trawled the local mall and shops, got a bit of lunch and headed back to the motel for a relax and a pre-dinner drink. On arriving back at the venue things had changed with the tables all set for dinner but without enough seats around the table for the Canterbury contingent we soon solved this by joining a couple of tables together, and settled into party mode. Dinner semi over the hall started to fill up with non-members some very young and well dressed in fact very 50 s-60 s. Yes it was quick because when the music started and they all started dancing, I realized this was the floor show. It was excellent and these adults and kids could dance. It didn t take Gene and his partner long to join in along with a few others, after that the band started along with the dancing. I have photos of Bob and Mike under the table but I don t think it had anything to do with alcohol, more to do with toes (you decide). The night finished as it started with a quiet drink and off to bed.

13 Sunday, pack up, clean up and of up to Waikanae Beach where we were to stay in the defence bach. As we were not meant to be in til after two we stopped at the picnic spot for a snack and a relax, just as we finished eating it started to rain, obviously Maureen s discussion with him up stairs about the weather wasn t working today. Mike checked on the key and we were given access early. Settled in and unpacked decided we weren t going anywhere for a while. Visitors arrive and being good friends and family they went out and picked up tea. Overnight the rain stopped, sorry Maureen I shouldn t have doubted you. Monday to Tuesday off to get in supplies and also to stretch the legs and look around the area. Retail therapy was called for and there is plenty in the area of Otaki for the shops, (ladies a piece of advice - take plenty of money with you.) I should point out here we were here to relax and we did, Pam and I walked the beach every morning. We cooked spuds in foil in the ashes of the BBQ (first attempt was not good but edible, second excellent). Had a drink or two and told the world to go away for a while. Wednesday saw Pam and I off to meet up with cousins, one we hadn t met and one I hadn t seen since we were kids, was good to catch up. Thursday we all headed down to Paraparaumu and here we found the best fish and chips I have had for years. Spent some time talking to a couple of locals and eating lunch in the sun, another great day. Maureen was doing well. Back to the unit and then when the time was right a walk to a local restaurant for a very nice dinner. Friday came around too fast, pack up the bikes and after cleaning the unit we headed back to Wellington to the ferry, being a bit ahead of schedule we stopped for a bite and then continued on only to be very early. They had changed our sailing time but the was misread and so we arrived early. We had had the news of Peter Dew being in hospital with heart trouble and Alistair s untimely demise earlier in the week and with his funeral being on Saturday we discussed riding straight home or to follow the plan but leave Blenheim very early and be back in town in time to attend. In the end we stayed with Mike s sister in Blenheim and went and dined at the Combined Club. Saturday up early and on the road but only after the Cavalcade gave us a fright with not wanting to start, but she did and we headed home. A refuel at Kaikoura and a feed at The Caves then home in time to shower and freshen up before attending Alistair s funeral. Not the best way to finish our trip but the biggest shock was to arrive at the service to see Peter Dew standing there looking quite well. Steve Orpwood #02119

14 I think there was about 16 bikes, I did not get to count them as I did not know I was doing the report until just about home time. Ride to French Farm We had a great ride to French farm with a 10 minute stop at Little River. RIC Bob over shot the turn off but I got us back on track. Arriving at French Farm we were very surprised to see the gates locked with a closed sign swinging from them. What to do now?, Dave suggested we go to Akaroa. Hell yes, I like going to Akaroa, let me see now, how long is it since I have been there. That s right, it was yesterday. So that is where we ended up and it was great. And what a lovely day it was and we got to have a look at some very old mint jap bikes, Photos are on the web. Thanks to all those who made it such a great day. Cheers Peter O Connor #7211

15 Brian s Overnighter 2011 The plan was to meet at Rolleston BP to set off on Brian s overnighter. Mike, Lester and Vern were also meeting us there to ride some of the way south to Timaru to present the motorbike to the winner of the Ulysses national raffle. I turned up early so I could fill up with petrol and then enjoy a cup of coffee (important start to my day.. more necessary than I realized) and catch up with others as they arrived. As I was parked at the pumps filling up my bike, I was thinking petrol seems to be pumping slowly, I looked up, and horror of horror, it was not the petrol pump ticking over but the diesel, horrified I looked down and it was confirmed I was holding a diesel pump in my hand! How did that happen, CRAP?*!! actually my words were quite a bit more colourful than that but not appropriate for print here). I left the bike, walked over to Robin and Chas, who were parked up waiting for the group to assemble, proclaiming I have just done something really dumb!. I became even more concerned as they did not seem that surprised at my statement but I will worry about that another day?! Now my gratitude starts, Robin and Chas leaped into action, wheeling the bike over to the edge of the forecourt and instructing me to go see if I could get a petrol can, by the time I got back they had the petrol hose disconnected and a smelly mix of diesel and petrol was slowly but surely coming out of the tank, down the luge than Chas had made from cardboard and into the petrol container. I am not sure how long the process took as I was still dissociating from the trauma of it all. Eventually the petrol/diesel mix stopped trickling. With the hose reconnected the bike was wheeled over to the pumps to be filled up with petrol I felt anxious as my hand moved toward the pumps but the mantra that has now become my friend when at petrol pumps seemed to help don t touch the diesel. don t touch the diesel. I should also note (because my mate Jim won t let me forget) that as people gathered around my bike reviewing the fact that I had put diesel in my tank, Jim noticed that my chain guard had lost a bolt and was loose. Thing were going from bad to worse, the chain guard was taken off completely and put in the boot of Karen s car for later reattachment. A big thanks to all those who helped J On to much more pleasant topics. My bike started up as if nothing adverse had ever occurred and off we went. The day wasn t too bad when we set off but not too far South the weather deteriorated and those that hadn t already put their wet weather gear on, stopped briefly to do this and on we went. The weather on the Saturday stayed pretty drizzly but it didn t dampen the enjoyment of 11 of us on the trip. The route was fantastic, Geraldine, Tekapo, Twizel, lunch at Omarama then on to the Wahao Twin Forks Hotel (just outside Waimate) for the night. All up the trip on the Saturday was about 430ks, the roads were great and the scenery fantastic. You just can t beat those beautiful autumnal colours and crossing the Benmore Dam was definitely a highlight.

16 The fire at the Wahao Twin Forks Hotel was roaring and the hostess was very welcoming when we arrived. After putting our wet gear around the bar fire to dry we settled in for a few drinks and chat. There were a number of options on the menu for dinner and all the meals were tasty and generous based on the satisfied comments from the table. After dinner a pool competition ensued with a nail biting finish between Bob and Jim and the eventual supreme winners Chas and Christine. After a warm and comfortable night we all met in the dining room for a very large cooked breakfast and. yet another update on quality of Chas s morning constitutional (I am sure Freud would have something to say about the latter). What is astonishing is that the whole Wahao Twin Forks experience was just. $55, fantastic! After breakfast we all gathered outside, fine at least while we all got organised to go. We were separating into three groups at this point with Chas, Steve and Bob heading south to hunt oysters, Jeff and Christine were also heading south following their noses for a weeks or so on holiday and the rest of us, Brain, Raelene, Jim, Robin and me were heading back to Christchurch. There was a slight delay departing as Steve tried to work out which pocket he left his bike key in! I think the anticipation of oysters may have been distracting him. In sum, Brian s overnighter is a fantastic ride ending with great accommodation and gets the big thumbs up from me. Thanks Brian! Janet Carter #8024

17 32 Allen Street, Christchurch Phone Fax info@citymotorcyclerentals.com GROUP RATES QUOTED FOR Ulysses Motor Cycle Club Group Booking Reference: FA5485 Off Peak Fares: Each Way Off Peak Dates: Adult $ Jan 20 April 2011 Children $ April 20 October 2011 Motorcycle $ October 15 December 2011 Car/Van up to 5.5 metres $ each Each half metre over 5.5 metres $17.00 Peak Fares: Each Way Peak Dates: Adult $ January 2011 Children $ April 2011 Motorcycle $ October 2011 Car/Van up to 5.5 metres $ each December 2011 Each half metre over 5.5 metres $22.00 Group Booking conditions and instructions for members are: Each reservation must be made direct with Interislander Phone Group Desk Hours: Monday Friday Saturday 0800-noon. To access these rates members must quote group reference FA5485 Every reservation will be given an expiry/payment date, required to be paid in full by that date Space is subject to availability at the time of the booking request Membership card is to be shown at check in - no membership car then retail fares will be charged. Refunds Once paid for fares are 90% refundable if cancelled prior to check-in and non-refundable if cancelled after check-in. Fares valid from 01 January through to 31 December Members to bring their own tie downs.

18 Earthquake Assistance Page NELSON Hi Mike, I have had a couple more offers come in for accommodation for your members if they want to get a way for a few days. Here are the people to contact;- Rene Visser 03) rvisser@extra.co.nz one bedroom with 2 single beds. Lives in city. John Ross 03) hotwash@xtra.co.nz - 2 double bedrooms Lives in Wakefield. Hororata Hi Mike& Maureen I would like to offer accommodation if needed to any Ulysses member displaced in Christchurch. We have a couple of bedrooms available if needed, while people sort themselves out. We didnt sustain any damage this time but feel for those who did. Fortunately our children were very lucky as well hence the offer. Just contact us on and we will do what we can to help. All the best Jean and Richard Crawley Accommodation in Dunedin 10A Wavy Knowes drive Waldronville, Dunedin / , but the cellphone is not always turned on. william@ulysses.org.nz william@web-enz.co.nz william@old.geek.nz CHRISTCHURCH Hi Mike. Penny and I may have a room to spare for a fellow Ulyssian in need. J Dave. Contact Dave at dhawkins@xtra.co.nz NELSON Terry and Di are terryhainsworth@hotmail.com. Phone or Also, if any of your members have a camper and want to park up on our landing strip for free they are welcome. They will share a toilet and shower with us and can have absolute peace for a while. Lorraine -eagleview@xtra.co.nz CHRISTCHURCH Mike Anybody needs a shower or washing done get them to call us and arrange it. Phone Ray and Barb Hi Mike, Shattered to hear about the disasters enough said. As you are prob aware I am in Gympie, 60k from Noosa and 180 north of Brisbane. If anyone wants/ needs a break please contact me. I have a spare room (queen bed) and couch. A Harley Road King, BBQ and a fridge full of beer. I live on a golf course and the complex has a pool. The temp is between 22 and 32 so no jumpers required. It will only cost the airfare over and your green fees. Take care John Watson Senior Finance/Contracts Co-ordinator john.watson@skillcentred.com.au Telephone: Fax: Address: PO Box 642, 41 Nash St, Gympie QLD 4570 Hi Mike - My wife works for Waimak Alpine Jet at Springfield. They are offering $20.00 off Jet boat Rides and Neds Cafe and Bar at the same premises is offering a 20% discount off all food and coffee to all Ulysses members when they show their Card or badge.- Regards, Annette & Trevor Johns

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20 Ulysses Club South Island Remembrance Service Your hosts The Ulysses Club - Canterbury Branch invite you to the South Island Remembrance Service. When: Saturday the 6th August Where: The Murchison RSA Hall, on the corner of Hampden & Brunner Street. Time: The Service starts at 1:00pm. Please assemble at the RSA Hall from 12:30pm. An afternoon tea will be provided after the service in the Murchison RSA Hall and a gold coin donation is requested. Thank you. There will be an event badge on sale for $10. Accommodation available (Book your own) in Murchison at: Murchison Motel Telephone Hampden Hotel - Telephone Commercial Hotel Telephone Kiwi Park Motel Telephone Mataki Motel Telephone Penman Motel Telephone The Old Bank Telephone Ride History: The Ulysses Remembrance Ride was started in August 1988 under the name of the Mel Curran Memorial Run. The Auckland branch had planned a weekend run to Taupo and it was on the eve of the run, 5 th August 1988 that they learnt of the death of there friend Mel who had been in hospital for some weeks after an accident on his bike. During the weekend the members present in Taupo decided to remember Mel the following year (1989) with a Memorial Run for which a badge would be struck. Since that time we have lost a number of good friends and fellow motorcyclists through accidents or illness and after the first Memorial Run it was decided to change the title to Remembrance Run in order to include all riders who wished to come along to remember old friends. The first South Island Remembrance Run was held in Twizel in August The following year the service was held in Murchison on the 4th August 1991, so this year s service is our 22nd in the South Island. Considering the time of year and possible road conditions (ice, snow etc) travelling by car is OK, as it s your participation we would like to see. For more details contact Mike Dew, Canterbury Branch Coordinator, Telephone (03) (evenings) or canterbury@ulysses.org.nz Canterbury Branch website -

21 Pictures of the Very Wet Annual ANZAC Day Ride of 2011

22 Pictures of the Very Wet Annual ANZAC Day Ride of 2011

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24 Calendar of Rides Rallies and Events Note --- unless stated below, ALL rides will leave from Shell Curletts Road, or from the Belfast Hotel (usually known as The Peg). Sunday rides leave at 10.30am, OR as stated below.' Note -- RIC = Rider in Charge... TEC = Tail End Charlie Any Time Saturday Mornings 9am-Meet at Dennys for a chat over Coffee/Tea, Breakfast - Stay as long as you want, drop in by car or bike. Any time you eat/drink here, say you are from the local Ulysses Branch and you will earn reward points for the Club! For a full up to date list of future rides and events go to:- Note --- unless stated below, ALL rides will leave from Shell Curletts Road, or from the Belfast Hotel (usually known as The Peg). Sunday rides leave at 10.30am, OR as stated below.' Note -- RIC = Rider in Charge... TEC = Tail End Charlie RIDES CALENDAR - May 2011 This is a guide only, for the latest info on rides please visit the Ulysses Canterbury Web Date Where to Details Wednesdays 4/11/18/25 May Midweek Ride, Every Wednesday, weather permitting Meet at Shell Curletts, at am ready for departure at am, bring lunch or buy en route Wednesday 18 May Branch social evening 7.30pm at Cashmere Club, dinner available from 6 pm Sunday 22nd May Branch ride to Cave Stream Meet at Shell Curletts at 10am ready to leave at 10.30am sharp Sunday 29 May Branch Ride to Geraldine Meet at Shell Curletts at 10am ready to leave at 10.30am sharp Friday/Sat/Sun 3/4/5 June Brass Monkey Rally Departure details will be advised closer to the event Site at : and click on What s On on the main menu. If you loose this sheet you can print another one off on the above page under Printer Friendly Version Button Web Master, Robert Edgeler, Ulysses # Ulysses6969@gmail.com

25 If not found, please return to PO Box 4611, Christchurch 8142