Gremlin's Tall Stories

An alarm at 0730… man I could have slept another couple of hours but it’s not an option if I want to do more adventure riding. This time I packed everything up, chucked the panniers back on the bike, returned the key and headed into Taupo to re-fill the tank and have a quick breakfast. There was no cute chickie smashing her car into the pole this time (I reckon the 2 pumps are perfect for bikers) but an older guy in his nice shiny Merc was keen to give it a go.

I guided him ...

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The ride had technically begun shortly after 9pm the previous evening, after finishing work and heading home to pack. A quick dinner, packing (really should have done it the previous night, to give me some extra time) and I was heading out of Auckland shortly after 9pm with an ETA of 0015. I got a real surprise while still passing through suburbia to see a guy in a camera van hunched over his equipment, with my lights showing every little detail.

The usual route south was reasonably ...

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It’s been a while in the making but after making this blog: http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/en...829-09-2011%29 I found out about IAM (http://www.nz-iam.org.nz/) and started on a campaign to improve my riding.

With the mileage I do I’m sure my riding isn’t completely hopeless, but I do believe in being the best you can be. I did a lot of visiting YouTube, searching for IAM and the British bikers in action, especially the ...

The alarm rings at 6am. Urgh, why did I set it this early again? I have to be out at Southhead by 9am, and it will take a little over an hour to get there. Mind you, I haven’t yet packed the gear I would take.

It’s pouring with rain outside. Hardly an incentive to get out of bed I muse. I ride enough in all weather conditions that deliberately heading out for a fun ride in pouring rain holds no appeal whatsoever. Still, the system is meant to have passed over during the night and ...

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5.30am… the alarm is ringing… urgh, don’t want to get up but I have to. Not for the first time, I find myself wondering why I sign up to all these early ride things. KoroJ is already up, so I pack and gear up, and we’re out the door shortly after 6am.

Gas is the first task (I had most of a tank left, but filling meant I wouldn’t need gas before Napier), but there is a Z near the Cenotaph meeting point, so easily done. Hard to believe how many normal people are at the station ...

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Friday

Two days of blogs in one, as neither was particularly busy, and mostly about getting myself in position for escorting a cancer baton to Auckland.

Toto’s alarm disturbed my peaceful slumber at 5am but he was on his feet far faster than I. I offered to return his key and he left via the ranch slider to catch his ferry. I never heard him leave as I was already back in bed fast asleep.

My alarm went at 8.30am and I seriously thought about turning ...

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We wanted to be up later, but the free breakfast finishes at 9am so we set our alarms for 8.30am. A nice big bowl of cornflakes and a scone or two was a most excellent start to the day. There was no rush either, so we slacked off in our room, browsing the internet and blogging for the entire morning. I got a couple of days done, with the word count rapidly passing 9000 words for the trip. It’s clear I must lay the blame for so many words squarely at the feet of GiJoe, for without him I’d still be ...

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Wednesday morning and up at 9am, except I think Toto was awake earlier. Breakfast will be grabbed when we’ve left the accommodation (allowing more sleeping of course) at the usual bakery. We pack up, or at least I pack up while Toto repairs the mechanism on his helmet that is protesting at the amount of dust. We’re slightly over-time again, receiving a reminder, but we’re already well on the way to getting out of the room.

Toto’s (race) helmet is protesting at this gravel stuff, so ...

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