October 21, 2024
For the return trip north from Timaru, we again decided to give SH1 a miss, and instead chose Route 72, the inland scenic route. Good choice. Much of SH1 between Timaru and Christchurch is straight, boring, and traffic-filled. Route 72 is far less busy, at least at this time of the year, and it made for a pleasant and unrushed drive. We did a side trip up to Peel Forest for old times sake–it’s a place, way back when I was a kid, our family used to go for picnics. Then back on to 72 to Rakaia Gorge, another place I remember as a kid, not all that fondly. Back in the day it was a narrow, twisty, dusty, car-sick making shingle road, and I wasn’t a happy traveller. Today, smooth tarmac, a breeze. Once we reached Dunsandel, we opted to stay off SH1 by cutting across country back roads to Irwell and on to Lincoln, our destination for a couple of nights for a catchup with family.
Off Highway One 