1st Southern Cross Road Rally - Lee Rusty

Lee Rusty's new experiament The Southern Cross Road Rally in 1991, it was a gamble to see if anyone would even take part in a 10 day 6300km ride. It is now one of the most popular runs in the RNMC calendar. Lee made it harder by doing it on a GN250 to prove it could be done on any sort of motorcycle. He won a $5.00 bet for his trouble. Southern Cross Road Rally's are now run over 6 or 7 days.

Cape Egmont, Cape Reinga, East Cape and Bluff are all the farthermost extremities of New Zealand.

Few of us have been to all of them but for 50 Kiwi riders the goal was to visit all of these landmarks inside a 10-day period.

The Rusty Nuts M/C, the people who organise the 24-hour, 1000-mile run dreamed up the idea.

Beginning on Anzac day the riders gathered at Cape Egmont for the first checkpoint. Some went back to work for the rest of the week but a good number headed north for an extensive tour to Cape Reinga the back way.

The last two riders leave Cape Egmont on the first leg - lighthouse on left was built in 1864 in London.

So far the rally had been trouble free with one crook battery and a puncture the only problems. Incredible how reliable modern bikes are.

A great day at Cape Reinga - the Top of NZ.

East Cape welcomed the riders with torrential rain and slips. A BMW buckled a wheel here on road debris, but finished the run, wobble and all.

Fuel was a problem on the coast with little enthusiasm shown to extend services to 50+ starving, short of fuel motorcyclists- downturn and all.

Most entrants, who took in large bits of the South Island as well, treated the long haul to Bluff as a holiday.

After 5,000kms plus in10 days, 41 riders picked up their Southern Cross Rally badges at Bluff.

Not all the bikes were as large or glamorous as you might imagine either. Organiser Lee Hurley rode al the way on a heavily laden GN250.

The Mighty GN250 - $5.00 in my pocket.

Lee's no lightweight either but he reported the GN cruised at 100kph and returned 22km per litre.

The Non-lightweight Lee Rusty well wrapped against  the weather.

Another rider (Fred Carter) from Christchurch rode an MZ250, so virtually any bike can tackle these adventures.

Because of the costs involved in running this rally it will only be held every second year, so start planning now for 1993.