Update on the NZ weather:

Cyclone Gita is now considered a severe low depression now and is still carrying a lot of rain and high winds with it, but it’s cleared the North Island right now, and is heading through the South Island.

https://www.weatherwatch.co.nz/content/special-weather-video-cyclone-gita-arrives-new-zealand-tonight

It’s Tuesday night, 9:30pm here now, and we’re due to leave home to travel down the country to our starting point on Thursday mid-day for a Friday mid-day rally start, the ride is between Friday noon and Sunday noon. We’re hoping to have completed our BB2500K or BB1500 by midnight on Saturday night.

Oddly, the weather behind the depression is looking really good, so we’re hopeful for a really clear ride on the North Island. – I think the South Island rally riders will perhaps find slips etc creating issues with quite a few of the roads down there. – They’re getting a snow dumping on the highlands tonight due to the amount of air and weather which has been sucked up from the South Pole by Gita. – VERY unusual for mid-feb. – That’s the equivalent of the northern hemisphere getting snow in August!! Mad.

Final planning:

The last sets of bad weather has closed the State Highway between Kawakawa and Paihia, which means we need to re-route around a detour (longer), and it’s going to need our fuel planning to change too. So, I’m now onto our 11th version of the route planning sheet. – I’m hoping to get that finished tonight.

I’ve been charging all of my electronics today, and trying to get all of our final paperwork for rally scoring etc printed and readied and packed into water proof bags. I’m finalising my packing list, which I’ll be using tomorrow night to pack everything into the various bags on my bike.

I’ll be taking a rucksack down to Wanganui on my back, for the ride I’ll leave that down there and rely only on the tank bag and my rear pack bag. Nigel has adequate panniers and storage for extras like 5L fuel cans etc. 🙂

Some links for those who might want to track us as we ride round: