About 1500 motorcyclists were yesterday on their way to the rally venue, a farm paddock at Oturehua, where they will camp overnight tonight, swap stories around a giant bonfire, and then get back on the road tomorrow morning.
A few rally-goers arrived at the site to set up camp yesterday but the majority would arrive this afternoon, organising committee chairman Brendon McMahon, of Dunedin, said yesterday.
''The forecast is for a beautiful day, another clear sunny day with a good frost overnight and there's already a wee sprinkle of snow on the hills so it should be ideal.
''Weather-wise, the colder it is, the more of a challenge it is. They come along, freeze, survive, and then go back home.''
The event is organised by the Otago Motorcycle Club, which makes sure there is lots of firewood at the rally.
The bonfire will use 40cu m of wood and a further 40cu m has been set aside to fuel the burning drums dotted around the camp site. Mr McMahon said the safety of riders was of paramount importance.
Breathalysers were available on site for anyone wanting a breath-alcohol reading, details were given about road conditions before riders set off home, and a vehicle would accompany trailbike riders for several kilometres where the Dunstan Trail met the state highway near the rally site, from noon to 5pm today.
''The police used to act as escorts but we've decided to do that role ourselves now,'' Mr McMahon said. He also warned riders about the possibility of stock effluent making the roads near the rally slippery.
''There's a fair bit of green muck on the road, so they should be careful.''
Rally-goers came from all walks of life and a vast array of bikes would be on display, from new model Ducatis and BMWs through to ''some classics and some pretty rough old bikes, and everything in between'', Mr McMahon said.
