Picton, Nelson, Hanmer Springs, Blenheim
The BMW Safari came about from an idea from John Glasswell of BMW NZ for a South Island based multi-day adventure ride on a grander scale than the single day North Island based rides we were then delivering. The question however in my mind was how would we cope with the greatly increased logistic complications and costs of a multi-day event that moved each day. It was obvious that we would have to put in place a far more complex and comprehensive effort with more crew and support.
I felt certain that with help from local enthusiasts we could easily string together the terrain, but how would enthusiasts react to a multi-day ride that involved not only the expense of setting up and running, but relatively expensive accommodation, meals and logistic support?
As it turned out the riders did come and they did love the BMW Safari to bits, despite the increased costs.
As I hoped local enthusiasts provided valuable help and contacts, Paul Swift and John Sinclair and Brett Hipkins came up with some great new terrain and accurate route sheeting and Greg Power volunteered not only himself but his ute for sweep duties and photographer Geoff Osborne came along to capture it all on camera.
From the get go we knew that the BMW Safari concept was going to work. You know by the hum of excitement after a ride that it has been successful but in the case of that first Safari even the rider's breakfast before the start of the ride in Picton was humming.
As the ride unfolded we discovered the elements that worked and those that did not and we learned lessons about course design and the logististics. Above all we learned that organising a ride that covered over a thousand kilometres of remote country and feeding and accommodating over 100 people in several locations required more than just an organiser and a sponsor but relied on a dedicated team of largely unpaid enthusiasts to bring it off. In almost all respects the 1998 BMW Safari was a boomer and created the template for an incredible ten years of adventuring the like of which we may never experience again.
Click here to read more on how organised Adventure rides became established in NZ.
Superb photos from this ride were taken by bike riding photographer Geoff Osborne. Any less than superb photos are mine.
I felt certain that with help from local enthusiasts we could easily string together the terrain, but how would enthusiasts react to a multi-day ride that involved not only the expense of setting up and running, but relatively expensive accommodation, meals and logistic support?
As it turned out the riders did come and they did love the BMW Safari to bits, despite the increased costs.
As I hoped local enthusiasts provided valuable help and contacts, Paul Swift and John Sinclair and Brett Hipkins came up with some great new terrain and accurate route sheeting and Greg Power volunteered not only himself but his ute for sweep duties and photographer Geoff Osborne came along to capture it all on camera.
From the get go we knew that the BMW Safari concept was going to work. You know by the hum of excitement after a ride that it has been successful but in the case of that first Safari even the rider's breakfast before the start of the ride in Picton was humming.
As the ride unfolded we discovered the elements that worked and those that did not and we learned lessons about course design and the logististics. Above all we learned that organising a ride that covered over a thousand kilometres of remote country and feeding and accommodating over 100 people in several locations required more than just an organiser and a sponsor but relied on a dedicated team of largely unpaid enthusiasts to bring it off. In almost all respects the 1998 BMW Safari was a boomer and created the template for an incredible ten years of adventuring the like of which we may never experience again.
Click here to read more on how organised Adventure rides became established in NZ.
Superb photos from this ride were taken by bike riding photographer Geoff Osborne. Any less than superb photos are mine.