Sh22

[AD345]

I've been re-reading the chronicles of Thomas Covenant and it talks of white gold. White gold is a paradox which unmakes peace.

SH22 is white gold riding. It is a paradox of a road which unmakes the peace of my mind. It's close, it has low traffic volumes and follows the contours of the land in very promising ways. It should be nirvana.

Several times over the last few months I have gone adventuring along it looking for the road that it should be.

I have yet to find it.

In the summer there were tarsnakes and roadworks that just managed to foil perfection. In the autumn it was damp and greasy.

Today was to be the day, fine cool, clear and dry. I set off from the Drury end looking to get into the groove and enjoy week day riding. It started off pretty well, the last of the traffic disappeared behind me at Buckland and I had the whole road to myself.

A good run to Pukekawa promised a rare day to come, only one close encounter with a hawk to cast a slight blemish but I was feeling good and the 'pin was rumblin. Coming out of Pukekawa and heading up to the ridgeline there were a couple of driveways where dickhead cockies had spread several hundred metres of clay and cow shit along this public thoroughfare (no doubt muttering to themselves about the depredations of boi racers and diesel-spilled burnout as they did so - ah irony...).

So far so not terr......whoop! jeez! that hawk was clooose. Deep breath and onwards. Dear God - more clay and cowshit, are all bloody accessways at the apex of sweepers or what? Ignorant pillocks.

SHIT! I swear I felt that hawk brush my helmet........ahhhh no............more bloody clay.

And so it went, for kilometre after kilometre. Cowshit, clay, 7 goddamned hawks, several magpie and who knows how many suicidal quail. Its bad enough that the road is suffering from an extreme lack of maintenance - one uneven road surface sign speaks of bumps for the next kilometre - but the wildlife and rural ignorance towards other taxpayers using a public road conspired to once again deprive me of the best of SH22.


I shall return.

[Motu]

I think good roads will forever elude you.

[AD345]

When I die of fustration I shall hunt you down and haunt you

[PirateJafa]

SH16 is better tbh.

SH22 is a fucking goat-track. Rubbish road to be honest.

[AD345]

SH16 is better tbh.

SH22 is a fucking goat-track. Rubbish road to be honest.

yeah 16 is not bad, especially once past Helensville. 12 is better still and 14 is bloody perfection - its just too far away for a quick blat up and down.

[Spazm]

SH22 is the unbeliever and the "unclean one"

I still like it though.. i took it for a late ride a couple of nights ago on the daytona..

[beyond]

Thpmas Covenant Chronicles... the whole six volumes a top read :)

SH22 one of the top rides :)

[Squiggles]

SH16 is better tbh.

SH22 is a fucking goat-track. Rubbish road to be honest.

Im the opposite, i reckon SH16 is crap and enjoyed 22 last time i did it, then again i was pootling along enjoying the scenery. Noticed a couple of patches and shoddy bits but nothing special

[Big Dave]

Thpmas Covenant Chronicles... the whole six volumes a top read :)

SH22 one of the top rides :)

Last three were a bit long winded. We already knew he was a cooont.

[Big Dave]

State hwy 22 is a peach if - You have the right vehicle and the tar isn't melting.

Preferable one with long travel suspension and an upright ergonomic suitable for the condition of the road.

MR Jaffer's F3 bike ain't it, nor is the Kingpin - loverlay as it is.

Mine bike is. A motard is. Horses - courses (or deteriorating roads in this case).

[igor]

clearly need to ride to the conditions and the road dictates the conditions. It is you who has the problem not the road.

Q. do you turn around and go home when you come across road works. ??

[AD345]

State hwy 22 is a peach if - You have the right vehicle and the tar isn't melting.

Preferable one with long travel suspension and an upright ergonomic suitable for the condition of the road.

MR Jaffer's F3 bike ain't it, nor is the Kingpin - loverlay as it is.

Mine bike is. A motard is. Horses - courses (or deteriorating roads in this case).


Yess. It does bottom out a tad.

[AD345]

clearly need to ride to the conditions and the road dictates the conditions. It is you who has the problem not the road.

Q. do you turn around and go home when you come across road works. ??

wibble. :shutup:

[R6_kid]

I think Mr (not as big as he used to be) Big Dave is on the money. I remember doing it on my R6 a few years back, when it was still in pretty good nic. Back then the only thing SH16 had over SH22 was that it was 'down the road'.

These days if you want to attack SH22 you need something that will get the best of what the road has become, especially if you travel further afield down towards Raglan. I'm guessing the worthy steed he speaks of is the Buell XB12X? It certainly looked 'at home' the last time I saw a pic of it, chilling out on the side of SH22.

[erik]

SH22 :love:

[Motoracer]

I'm with you Erik,

After Coro loop + Wangamata turn off, SH22 is the next best thing in my opinion.

[Big Dave]

Yep R6 - that is it - it's not the engine or the aesthetics of the XB12X that I find most endearing.

I'm currently tabulating my list of five favourite road bike engines for a blog post. My own bike isn't in the top three so far.

But why I like it so much is about the 3-way adjustable showa suspenders that come standard with the XB12X. And the way that the mass centralisation works well enough to compensate for its pogo-stickedness if the conditions are of a more sports oriented nature - that I find most appealing.

I also favour a sit upright ergonomic for the chances of levering the handlebars or throwing a foot down to stay upright - motocross style - if the condions do bite you on the bum.

That's a lot harder to do in a F3 crouch.

[kave]

Thpmas Covenant Chronicles... the whole six volumes a top read :)

Nine volumes, and two more to come.

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever

1. Lord Foul's Bane – (1977)
2. The Illearth War – (1978) (Gilden-Fire - First Published 1981)[1]
3. The Power that Preserves – (1979)

The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant

1. The Wounded Land – (1980)
2. The One Tree – (1982)
3. White Gold Wielder – (1983)

The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant

1. The Runes of the Earth – (2004)
2. Fatal Revenant – (2007)
3. Against All Things Ending – (expected 2010)
4. The Last Dark – (expected 2013)

[MaxB]

OTOH you could have done the Kaiaua loop like I did yesterday.

It was a total blast. Great use of a day off, better than any medicine.

[Ragingrob]

Yep sh22 has such nice flowing curves throughout, as long as you have that extra bit of lean/braking in reserve in case of animals/road works it's all good.

SH16 is has way too many straights to be worth me getting up there half the time.

[Pixie]

yeah 16 is not bad, especially once past Helensville. 12 is better still and 14 is bloody perfection - its just too far away for a quick blat up and down.

The secret is not to go from Kumeu to Helensville on SH16.
Take Old North Rd to Helensville or turn off onto Peak Rd to Kaukapakapa.

[Crisis management]

SH22 is ok as an easy route back up the west coast when you're tired at the end of the day and can't be bothered concentrating much.....but the gravel is far more fun.:woohoo:

Seriously, SH22 is ok if you treat it as a back road and expect stock, traffic and crap all over it, because that is what it is. Expect that and you'll have a great ride.

[Firefight]

SH22 :love:


http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=13801



always been my fav bit of road, was on it two weeks ago have not changed my view on this great ride, including rotowaro, Glen massey and the other back roads off 22...


F/F

[Firefight]

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?p=293384#post293384


sumtimes 22 gets a bit narrow



F/F

[Marmoot]

In the summer there were tarsnakes and roadworks that just managed to foil perfection. In the autumn it was damp and greasy.
If those don't appeal to you then try sticking to catwalks instead, Bruno.



Today was to be the day, fine cool, clear and dry. I set off from the Drury end looking to get into the groove and enjoy week day riding. It started off pretty well, the last of the traffic disappeared behind me at Buckland and I had the whole road to myself.
The real SH22 doesn't start before Pukekawa.



And so it went, for kilometre after kilometre. Cowshit, clay, 7 goddamned hawks, several magpie and who knows how many suicidal quail. Its bad enough that the road is suffering from an extreme lack of maintenance - one uneven road surface sign speaks of bumps for the next kilometre - but the wildlife and rural ignorance towards other taxpayers using a public road conspired to once again deprive me of the best of SH22.
Sounds like you got the best of SH22. Maybe it's just not the best for you?

[AD345]

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=13801



always been my fav bit of road, was on it two weeks ago have not changed my view on this great ride, including rotowaro, Glen massey and the other back roads off 22...


F/F

Great write up F/F and maybe I need to approach 22 as an adventure rather than a constant.

TBH one of the best single day rides I've had recently was along 22.

For those of you wanting a ride that offers pretty much everything I offer this:

Take the Drury exit off the motorway and the start of 22. Follow 22 all the way past Waingaro.
Past Waingaro turn off onto Rotowaro to Huntly.
From Huntly head north along SH 1 for a few k's and turn off at Ohinewai to Tahuna - this is a special piece of road.

From Tahuna head onto 27 and then 2 towards AKL.

Just past Mangatawhiri turn off on the new section to Mercer along Koheroa Rd.

This will dump you out at the Mercer service centre to finish off a fine day's riding.

[stify]

I'm with you Erik,

After Coro loop + Wangamata turn off, SH22 is the next best thing in my opinion.

+1......22 was my fav road for a long time, hours spent riding the road solo and with the F/C was one of the highlights of living in franklin...

[AD345]

If those don't appeal to you then try sticking to catwalks instead, Bruno.


The real SH22 doesn't start before Pukekawa.


Sounds like you got the best of SH22. Maybe it's just not the best for you?

Are you SH22's mummy?

[Marmoot]

Are you SH22's mummy?

If I were, all KBers are banned from there.

[pritch]

I did SH22 on the Hornet a few years ago - the sun was shining, it were a good ride.

On the way I had stopped at Raglan for a coffee and asked a Harley rider and his lady eaxctly where the turn off was. They both looked at me in horror, "You can't go that way!"

I wonder what other rides they're missing...

[gijoe1313]

SH22 :love: Treat it with the same care and respect as the rest of NZ roads and its a pearler of a ride :yes: Always listen to that spider sense and enjoy the fact that you have the time to ride it! :woohoo:

[Hitcher]

I have ridden SH22 once. It was the latter stages of a Grand Challenge two years ago. At that stage I had been riding for 16 hours, was very much "in the zone" and not mucking around. I concur fully with those who describe it as a goat track, indeed one wonders how a road of this "standard" is afforded SH status.

I plan to ride it in a south to northerly direction some day, but am in no tearing hurry so to do.

[igor]

you JAFFA 's really need to get out a bit more

[mouldy]

22 rocks but you do have to watch for subsidence etc , 16 and environs has too much police attention these days , the best roads in the country always turn into gravel which keeps blouses and posers away , Blade goes everywhere .

[slofox]

IMHO, SH22 rides more easily from south to north than from north to south...don't ask my why but it feels easier to me and I have done both directions a couple of times.
And yes, there are lots of bloody great hawks there...they get real close at times. Early morning riders need to beware of rabbits as well..have seen gazillions of these out there. Brainless little buggers who don't see enough traffic to know to get out of the way.

[xwhatsit]

IMHO, SH22 rides more easily from south to north than from north to south...don't ask my why but it feels easier to me and I have done both directions a couple of times.
And yes, there are lots of bloody great hawks there...they get real close at times. Early morning riders need to beware of rabbits as well..have seen gazillions of these out there. Brainless little buggers who don't see enough traffic to know to get out of the way.
I agree with you there. I don't know why. Maybe more corners one way... camber... who knows. Going south there's that blind crest right-hander -- you think you're going straight but the road peels away to the right.

I've been down there many, many times, on group rides and by myself. I don't feel it's a `group ride' road. It takes me too long to settle in and find its rhythm and get used to the peculiar hazards it presents. Solo it's much better.

It's a back road. A wonderful way to spend a tank of gas, winding your way through the little hills. It's not a `sport road' though, like bits of the Coromandel are and perhaps certain sections of the west coast route heading north from Auckland. If you treat it like a quick blast you'll get caught out; blind crests, roads that drop away from you in the middle of a corner corner and bottom your suspension (and pegs/stand/exhaust) out, downhill decreasing-radius off-camber right handers :bye: Never mention the livestock, eh, GiJoe1313?

Have to agree the gravel route to Raglan is very appealing and scenic. Now that I've met Klondyke Rd just recently it's an even better way to get there.

[Marmoot]

It's not a `sport road' though

Well your bike is not a 'sport bike' though.

If you want sport, go to Ponsonby. I heard the homosexuals there likes to pushbikes.

[Starky307]

SH16 is better tbh.

SH22 is a fucking goat-track. Rubbish road to be honest.

They can't be compared, apart from both roads having state highway and then a number in their names they are two completely different beasts.

I really enjoy riding SH22, it keeps you on your toes as you never know what will be around the corner, maybe a herd or cattle or a hawk ready to peck your eyes out, and there are some hot pools along it two!

Great riding to be had, but in winter some of the hills can be real mossy in the shade.

[jrandom]

I plan to ride it in a south to northerly direction some day, but am in no tearing hurry so to do.

Like the others have said, it's a better road riding from south to north. Seriously. Northbound, there's one particular decreasing-radius downhill lefthander which has an entry obscured by trees and tends to be covered in gravel, though, which is pretty awesome.

And, either way, it is what it is. Just gotta not ride to what you can't see. Same as with any road.

One suspects that those who get 'caught out' by SH22 aren't bearing that principle in mind.

SH16's too fast and open to have fun on these days unless you're happy to accept a 50% chance of having to do a runner every time you head up it. Ridden at the 'correct pace for the road' of 160-200 all the way, though, it's quality motorcycling. Pity about the illegality etc.

[Big Dave]

I prefer North to South - and the section 10kms before the Raglan turnoff best of all.

[Big Dave]

There are sections of it (22) at the moment where 80kph is excessive. Surface condition-wise.

[jrandom]

I prefer North to South

Yes, but you're wrong.

[Patch]

Take the Drury exit off the motorway and the start of 22. Follow 22 all the way past Waingaro.
Past Waingaro turn off onto Rotowaro to Huntly.
From Huntly head north along SH 1 for a few k's and turn off at Ohinewai to Tahuna - this is a special piece of road.
fark all special about that - you need to get out more

[Motu]

I seldom do the full length of SH22 these days,just sections as I go from side road to side road,where even more fun can be had.In the last 10 years I have been riding it (since I came back to the mainland,and got a bike that could go more than 10km from home) it has got better and better,but has not been neutered like SH16.I used to love the bit from Tauhoa north,across the ridge - it was very narrow and twisty,with drop offs and dips and slips,a real challenge.That's gone now.Off course SH16 was much better when it was all gravel.When SH22 was gravel it wasn't SH22,just a collection of roads that may,or may not,take you as far as Te Uku.

A classic example is the corner before Glen Murray - it sweeps right (heading south),but you can head straight up to Glen Murray Rd,it's a bit of a funny intersection.That's because it was once a T intersection,what we think of as SH22 was a minor road that joined the main Rangirri/Glen Murray Rd.That's how roads change over time - 30 years ago,you went in there....you might not come out.

[Patch]

I remember sh43 when it was like that :shit:

[gijoe1313]

... blah blah rhubarb custard yakkity ... :bye: Never mention the livestock, eh, GiJoe1313?



Well the other posters have covered those details and appellations of SH22 in detail ... :msn-wink: Riding SH22 many times in my formative halcyon days of pootling gave me the courage to head out further and afar ... and as I have said to those in earshot, if you can ride SH22 carefully and well, it'll prepare you for many of the atypical lanes of freedom, which grace our fair lands!

Blah blah, ride your own ride, yak yak, watch the conditions, rhubarb custard, ensure your bike is maintained, harumph needle nardle noo, maintain concentration, coo coo coo coo, don't push past your ability, etc. etc. ad infinitum ...

So, X-Whatsit-formerly-known-as-Xerxesdaphat ... when we going to ride SH22 together again? :scooter:

[Motu]

I remember sh43 when it was like that :shit:

Me too - it really was the forgotten highway back then...and if you got stuck in there you very well may be forgotten too.That's what I was thinking as I went through there in the mid '70's.

[Big Dave]

Yes, but you're wrong.

Would you rather ascend or descend? That's the nub.

[Morcs]

The beauty of sh22 is that it is simply awesome road with awesome scenery - but you never know whats around the next corner - fallen trees, slippery pine needles, road works etc.. makes for a challenging ride.

[Marmoot]

The beauty of sh22 is that it is simply awesome road with awesome scenery - but you never know whats around the next corner - fallen trees, slippery pine needles, road works etc.. makes for a challenging ride.

You're wrong sir. The beauty of SH22 is that a lot of KBers find it repulsive. That keeps it quiet, exclusive, and pristine.
Trust a few nubs to go down there and we'll have so many radars so quick that our skin gets suntan in the middle of the night from the radiation.

The beauty of Megan Fox, however....hmmm....I heard she has toe thumb (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.inquisitr.com%2F25885%2Fmegan-fox-has-freaky-thumbs%2F&ei=psg6SrTDCZPCsQPO14XaCg&rct=j&q=megan+fox+toe+thumb&usg=AFQjCNHSAr2Y70UQsnMu6PMJPhn2fwR5Tg).

[Morcs]

You're wrong sir. The beauty of SH22 is that a lot of KBers find it repulsive. That keeps it quiet, exclusive, and pristine.
Trust a few nubs to go down there and we'll have so many radars so quick that our skin gets suntan in the middle of the night from the radiation.

The beauty of Megan Fox, however....hmmm....I heard she has toe thumb (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.inquisitr.com%2F25885%2Fmegan-fox-has-freaky-thumbs%2F&ei=psg6SrTDCZPCsQPO14XaCg&rct=j&q=megan+fox+toe+thumb&usg=AFQjCNHSAr2Y70UQsnMu6PMJPhn2fwR5Tg).

You are right. I forgot to mention the quietness - Last time I did it was when B.O.T.S was on, so naturally all the police and other bikes were around the paeroa area hehe

[2_SL0]

Damn fine piece of road. :2thumbsup

[Ragingrob]

We just came up sh22 from huntly on sat after doing the Kaiaua roads too and it was a damn wicked way to finish the ride.