Coming to New Zealand for a 6 week tour (Jan-Feb 2011)

[olegeezer]

I will be coming to your fine country in less than a week to do a motorcycle/camping tour of (as much as I can) both islands. I will be riding on a swapped Honda ST1300 that I arranged with a fellow who plans to tour the US this summer (July) on my own ST1300. I currently live in West Virginia (almost heaven) which is south of the Mason Dixon line nearer to the east coast of the US. I am getting quite anxious about leaving and getting started (a good kind of anxious I might add). I will pick up the bike in Taumarunui and don't really have a fixed plan for the tour. I do want to ride the "Forgotten World Highway" to Stafford? Any suggestions on events to attend, roads to ride, etc would be appreciated.
Cheers,
Joe

[Edbear]

Well, where do we start? Any road you take is going to be a great ride to anywhere! I'm sure many members here will advise on the best biking roads around. If heading North, the Waipaua Forest is a "must"! It loops left from the Brynderwyn's through Dargaville, through the forest to Opononi with a fabulous view and down the East Coast to Whanagrei. The Coromandel loop is also a "must do" and fantastic biking! From Thames, going back to Sth Auckland via Kaiaua up the West side of the Firth Of Thames is a nice ride too. The East coast has fabulous scenery and biking roads all the way down and on the West side, a trip down through the King Country, or up if leaving from Stratford, (not Stafford, but that's okay) is beautiful as well.

The South Island is Nirvana and all I can say is that no matter where you go, you'll leave NZ with your return trip already planned! Or you may decide never to leave at all, it's that kind of a country!

If you do come up this way and want a bed for the night, PM me. Orewa is 2miles of nice beach with a country town atmosphere, very close to Auckland!

[Quasi]

Ther are some great rides through the Hawkes baya nd Wairarapa that will take you on your way to Wellington. I have spare beds if you need to rest your weary head for the night on route

[Paul in NZ]

No spare beds at our shack but happy to meet up or shout you a feed.

[olegeezer]

Well, where do we start? Any road you take is going to be a great ride to anywhere! I'm sure many members here will advise on the best biking roads around. If heading North, the Waipaua Forest is a "must"! It loops left from the Brynderwyn's through Dargaville, through the forest to Opononi with a fabulous view and down the East Coast to Whanagrei. The Coromandel loop is also a "must do" and fantastic biking! From Thames, going back to Sth Auckland via Kaiaua up the West side of the Firth Of Thames is a nice ride too. The East coast has fabulous scenery and biking roads all the way down and on the West side, a trip down through the King Country, or up if leaving from Stratford, (not Stafford, but that's okay) is beautiful as well.

The South Island is Nirvana and all I can say is that no matter where you go, you'll leave NZ with your return trip already planned! Or you may decide never to leave at all, it's that kind of a country!

If you do come up this way and want a bed for the night, PM me. Orewa is 2miles of nice beach with a country town atmosphere, very close to Auckland!

Edbear, thanks for the consideration for a bed. I may come by to see you and meet a few Kiwi riders. My first bike (after a long time of not riding) was a 2001 Suzuki Volusia. I put 50,000 miles on her and she treated me very well. Took it all over the US and to Alaska. I still have the bike. My garage is getting cramped with the addition of the ST. I tried to PM you but the site said I was "forbidden"? Oh well, such is life..... ride safe.....

[olegeezer]

Ther are some great rides through the Hawkes baya nd Wairarapa that will take you on your way to Wellington. I have spare beds if you need to rest your weary head for the night on route
thanks Quasi, I do think I will be near, as I assume one catches the ferry to Picton at Wellington. I do love those ferry rides on a "parked" motorcycle.
Cheers,
Joe

[Edbear]

Edbear, thanks for the consideration for a bed. I may come by to see you and meet a few Kiwi riders. My first bike (after a long time of not riding) was a 2001 Suzuki Volusia. I put 50,000 miles on her and she treated me very well. Took it all over the US and to Alaska. I still have the bike. My garage is getting cramped with the addition of the ST. I tried to PM you but the site said I was "forbidden"? Oh well, such is life..... ride safe.....

You can email me on ed@yhp.co.nz if you like. :niceone: I "returned" to biking in '03 with a GSX600F, (Katana), and had that for three years but the Missus wanted more pillion comfort so we got the Boulevard. Unfortunately I couldn't have two bikes so reluctantly sold the 600.

[pete376403]

We have spare beds and are located about 30kms from Wellington ferry terminals. Quasi's accomodation is a little further north, (but with one of NZs best hill roads to compensate).

Depending on what time your ferry sails might determine where you stay. ie if you're on the 0830 boat reporting time is supposed to be 0700, so it could make for a pretty early morning start. There are mid and late afternoon boats as well
http://www.interislander.co.nz/Timetable.aspx

(The forbidden PM thing is probably becuase your post count isn't high enough)

[dogsnbikes]

I will be coming to your fine country in less than a week to do a motorcycle/camping tour of (as much as I can) both islands. I will be riding on a swapped Honda ST1300 that I arranged with a fellow who plans to tour the US this summer (July) on my own ST1300. I currently live in West Virginia (almost heaven) which is south of the Mason Dixon line nearer to the east coast of the US. I am getting quite anxious about leaving and getting started (a good kind of anxious I might add). I will pick up the bike in Taumarunui and don't really have a fixed plan for the tour. I do want to ride the "Forgotten World Highway" to Stafford? Any suggestions on events to attend, roads to ride, etc would be appreciated.
Cheers,
Joe

Depends on where you will be and when,

There is the woodstock rally at the end of the month http://www.special-solutions.net/bikes/html/rally__2011.html or the national Triumph rally the 2nd weekend of Feb http://www.tomcc.co.nz/rallys.htm,

We are heading too http://www.wings.org.nz/ next weekend on the bike so your welcome to join us and we can show you some of the back roads,

The doors always open if you need a bed

[Smifffy]

have sent you a PM

The Moll is from that part of the world too, except further south, and possibly further east.

[olegeezer]

Thanks to all for your suggestions and offers. I have been out shoveling snow this morning, which makes New Zealand sound even better!! Still can't PM till I get my post count up..... so I'll try to keep posting.

[olegeezer]

Just curious, what does L-Plate Rider mean??

[Edbear]

Just curious, what does L-Plate Rider mean??

It means you are a newbie here. Your label changes over time and post count. An L-plate here is a yellow and black label affixed to a car or bike that tells everyone they are a learner driver/rider and hopefully the other road users will give them a bit of consideration.

[Highlander]

When heading to the Eastern side of the North Island, I would suggest doing the Waioeka Gorge (SH2 between Opotiki and Gisborne) and the alternate route between the two points via the East Cape (Highway 35). Fuel can be a bit scarce depending on time of day and day of week around there but Mr Shafty's ST should do that on a tank without issue.
Gisborne to Napier is well worth doing while you are in the neighbourhood.

In General If it were me I'd be looking to spend as much time as I can off State Highway 1.

[Smifffy]

When heading to the Eastern side of the North Island, I would suggest doing the Waioeka Gorge (SH2 between Opotiki and Gisborne) and the alternate route between the two points via the East Cape (Highway 35). Fuel can be a bit scarce depending on time of day and day of week around there but Mr Shafty's ST should do that on a tank without issue.
Gisborne to Napier is well worth doing while you are in the neighbourhood.

In General If it were me I'd be looking to spend as much time as I can off State Highway 1.

Completely agree, although State Highway 2 has some lovely sections.

[olegeezer]

Thanks to all for the advice and hospitality! I had heard some time ago that New Zealanders were a friendly and inviting bunch and I agree. Looking forward to meeting as many of you as I can and exploring your country. I hope to do some kind of ride report for those that might be interested.
Cheers,
Joe

[Edbear]

Thanks to all for the advice and hospitality! I had heard some time ago that New Zealanders were a friendly and inviting bunch and I agree. Looking forward to meeting as many of you as I can and exploring your country. I hope to do some kind of ride report for those that might be interested.
Cheers,
Joe

We do enjoy it when a tourist goes back and runs a thread with pics about their trip! We're a diverse bunch here so you'll meet all types! :msn-wink:

[Highlander]

Thanks to all for the advice and hospitality! I had heard some time ago that New Zealanders were a friendly and inviting bunch and I agree. Looking forward to meeting as many of you as I can and exploring your country. I hope to do some kind of ride report for those that might be interested.
Cheers,
Joe

If you have interweb access and update this thread with your likely travel plan every few days some of us might keep an eye out for you and ride for a bit / point you in the right direction.

[shafty]

When heading to the Eastern side of the North Island, I would suggest doing the Waioeka Gorge (SH2 between Opotiki and Gisborne) and the alternate route between the two points via the East Cape (Highway 35). Fuel can be a bit scarce depending on time of day and day of week around there but Mr Shafty's ST should do that on a tank without issue.
Gisborne to Napier is well worth doing while you are in the neighbourhood.

In General If it were me I'd be looking to spend as much time as I can off State Highway 1.

Highlander, tut tut.... Joe will be punting my Orient Express packing 29 litres of Go Juice, Mate, it IS a mobile gas station!

Good road recommendations Guys, keep 'em coming, Joe is a good Bloke.

Keep an eye out for a red ST1300 with a KB sticker on the screen.......:scooter:

[Highlander]

Highlander, tut tut.... Joe will be punting my Orient Express packing 29 litres of Go Juice, Mate, it IS a mobile gas station!



That is the one thing I don't like about my Beemer, listed as a 17 litre tank. Fuel warning lights up at about 230km. Have managed to sneak 300km two up, but it took 17.2 litres to fill it.

The rest of the package still gives me a buzz every time I ride it so having to think a bit more about fuel stops is a small price to pay.

[olegeezer]

Since I plan on burning quite a few hydro-carbons, what is the current price, NZD/liter?? And what grades (octane) are normally found at the pump. Here in the US I burn premium fuel in the ST13.

[nadroj]

98 is available at some towns however the norm is 95 @ around $2.04 / litre, or 91 at $1.98ish. The best mix is 50/50.

[olegeezer]

Nadroj, that is about double what we pay here. But still less than the Europeans are paying. But if you are going to ride, you're gonna have to pay.....eh?
At least we are getting pretty good economy on the scooter.

[Highlander]

Check this out....
http://www.pricewatch.co.nz/default.aspx enter their code thingy on the front page and then you can mouse over the area of the country you are in and see the range of prices in that region.

Most Petrol Stations will have a selection of fuel grades (91, 95/96 and some have 98), some of the more remote General Store type places will have only 91 and charge a bit more than the average for it - beats the heck out of pushing though!!

[pete376403]

Highlander, tut tut.... Joe will be punting my Orient Express packing 29 litres of Go Juice, Mate, it IS a mobile gas station!

Good road recommendations Guys, keep 'em coming, Joe is a good Bloke.

Keep an eye out for a red ST1300 with a KB sticker on the screen.......:scooter:
What sort of range does a full tank get you when riding at more or less legal speeds?

[shafty]

What sort of range does a full tank get you when riding at more or less legal speeds?

The Pan Euro has a computer which calculates your average consumption, plus gives you a countdown to empty etc etc

I have ridden from Tauranga to Kawakawa before topping up, giving a range to empty of 520kms. I know other riders have exceeded that by a bit. Depends on the right wrist etc etc

Very reassuring on long distance Rusty Nuts type rides (www.rustynuts.co.nz )

[Highlander]

Hey Joe,
I guess you have been looikng through this site for suggestions but have you seen this thread: http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/133366-Looking-for-comments-on-this-route mapping out a suggested route for 8 days in the South.

[olegeezer]

Highlander, thanks for that referral. I read the Canadians' thread, good info there.
I am feeling mighty fortunate to have 6 weeks to tour with!! 2 days till departure!!

[Quasi]

Hey Joe,
Looking forward to meeting soon. Safe travels

[STJim]

Highlander, thanks for that referral. I read the Canadians' thread, good info there.
I am feeling mighty fortunate to have 6 weeks to tour with!! 2 days till departure!!

Pete whose bike you will be riding is well known to us in Hamilton. If you are through Hamilton you are welcom to give me a call. Happy to accomodate you for a night or two as well Phone 021 901557 or 07 8473700 business hours or 07 8433119 after hours.
Cheers and enjoy
Jim

[nadroj]

98 is available at some towns however the norm is 95 @ around $2.04 / litre, or 91 at $1.98ish. The best mix is 50/50.

Update 17-01-2011: 91 = $1-99.9
95 = $1-06.9

[olegeezer]

Pete whose bike you will be riding is well known to us in Hamilton. If you are through Hamilton you are welcom to give me a call. Happy to accomodate you for a night or two as well Phone 021 901557 or 07 8473700 business hours or 07 8433119 after hours.
Cheers and enjoy
Jim

Thanks Jim, I should be thru Hamilton, either coming or going? Plan is to head south first and try to cover the north Island on the return. Hope to meet you. I may have to pick up a cheap phone for use in NZ if I can find one. Otherwize, i will be communicating via my laptop. Wrapping up the last packing and house maintenance stuff today. Headed your way tomorrow. Got just a tad of butterfly in my stomach, like just before kicking off a football for the start of the game.........
wondering what your world is like........ good from all I've read.

[Hawkeye]

If you do come up this way and want a bed for the night, PM me. Orewa is 2miles of nice beach with a country town atmosphere, very close to Auckland!

Bugger Edbear, I was sitting on the foreshore at Orewa just 2 day's ago. We could have caught up and had a cold one. Nice place :niceone:

[Edbear]

Bugger Edbear, I was sitting on the foreshore at Orewa just 2 day's ago. We could have caught up and had a cold one. Nice place :niceone:

I often chat to biker's at the beach. But naturally, anyone is welcome if coming to or through Orewa, just let me know. :niceone:

[pete376403]

wondering what your world is like........ good from all I've read.

Very warm and raining a wee bit in Wellington right now (but nothing at all like they've had / are getting in Australia)

Please repeat this to yourself as often as you can - "ride on the LEFT side of the road"
Sometimes tourists forget this. The results are very unpleasant.

[olegeezer]

Very warm and raining a wee bit in Wellington right now (but nothing at all like they've had / are getting in Australia)

Please repeat this to yourself as often as you can - "ride on the LEFT side of the road"
Sometimes tourists forget this. The results are very unpleasant.
Great advice!! I am planning on taking it very slowly until I get acclimated to the new rules of the road. Heading for the airport in about an hour, just hoping everything there goes smoothly.
Thanks, Joe

[shafty]

Pete whose bike you will be riding is well known to us in Hamilton. If you are through Hamilton you are welcom to give me a call. Happy to accomodate you for a night or two as well Phone 021 901557 or 07 8473700 business hours or 07 8433119 after hours.
Cheers and enjoy
Jim


That's very kind of you Jim, Thanks Dude!:wings:

[Hawkeye]

thanks Quasi, I do think I will be near, as I assume one catches the ferry to Picton at Wellington. I do love those ferry rides on a "parked" motorcycle.
Cheers,
Joe


Hi Joe,

Place to get your head down here as well. I'm only 20mins from the Wellington Ferry Terminal. So just give a ring if you want to take up the offer. 04 4607042 office hours or 027 4457551. Plenty of space in the garage for the bike

Kenny

[Quasi]

Hi Joe,

Place to get your head down here as well. I'm only 20mins from the Wellington Ferry Terminal. So just give a ring if you want to take up the offer. 04 4607042 office hours or 027 4457551. Plenty of space in the garage for the bike

Kenny

hey Kenny - Joe is going to stay a night with me on way through this weekend. I will ride up and meet him somewhere. You welcome to come and join us and stay for a meal or whatever

[nadroj]

Make sure to take him to the airshow!

[Blackbird]

Joe,

As far as I could see, no-one has mentioned this book: http://www.aucklandmapcentre.co.nz/default,324,new-zealand-motorcycle-atlas.sm. It's a brilliant guide to motorcycle routes in NZ and worth getting asap. You'll find it in Auckland at major bookshops.

Also take a look at this blog which was written by an American touring NZ. Great narrative and even greater photos:http://kiwibound.livejournal.com/2009/03/17/.

Best wishes,

Geoff

[olegeezer]

Thanks all. I made it into Auckland tired but unscathed!! Fixin to catch the Overlander to fetch Shaftys' scooter. I'm a happy dude right now! I picked up a phone in the airport 0210632093 and I have free incoming. So if you wanna give it a test? I may have to take a class to learn how to use it.......:weird:

[olegeezer]

Took train from Auckland to Taumarunui, nice ride. Nice scenary, picked up Shaftys bike, loaded my stuff and headed south. Only rode 80km to Okahune. Tired, looked like rain, found a room. All is swell and I like it! Big smiles today, thanks.

[shafty]

Good stuff Joe - that was the hard bit!

[Movistar]

Good stuff Joe - that was the hard bit!

And the fun's about to begin! :msn-wink:

[Quasi]

I rode up to Taihape way and met Joe and guided him back to Martinborough.He looks quite at home on our roads. we did Vinegar Hill, through the Gorge (cos it is quite scenic), down through Ballance to Mangamaire. Then the usual way to Martinborough. We were lucky - got 5 spots of rain the whole way:niceone: He got a whole lot of country to see and lots of time to see it

[olegeezer]

/Users/larrysimpkins/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Masters/2011/01/23/20110123-141833/100_3003.JPG
I was stopped to visit with some off my new sheep friends and waiting on Carla to arrive when I took this picture. (this is a test, to see if I can upload a pic or two).

[Gone Burger]

Hey Joe - was great to meet you at the Party in Grey Town Last night. Hope you enjoyed your night and have a safe and wonderful ride down south.

- Katie, the chicky with the M50 Boulevard :)

[BMWST?]

weather not so nice today for ya joe...whats the plan?

[olegeezer]

Good meeting you Katie, enjoyed the party! Carla is a sweetie for taking care of me for the day. I'm waiting on the ferry to Picton at the moment. Nice wet ride from Carlas to Wellington. And......that ride over the twisty one to get here almost had it all...... rain, traffic, fog, wind, narrow, twisty, construction and did I mention steep?? But I was warned at the party of all this. Anyway it went well except I could not look at the scenery as the road required my undivided attention.
Still trying to figure out the upload option.....

[BMWST?]

Good meeting you Katie, enjoyed the party! Carla is a sweetie for taking care of me for the day. I'm waiting on the ferry to Picton at the moment. Nice wet ride from Carlas to Wellington. And......that ride over the twisty one to get here almost had it all...... rain, traffic, fog, wind, narrow, twisty, construction and did I mention steep?? But I was warned at the party of all this. Anyway it went well except I could not look at the scenery as the road required my undivided attention.
Still trying to figure out the upload option.....

ok...upload if you scroll down from the new thread screen you will see a manage attachments button,you can add pictures to the actual post limitede to 4 i think,otherwise you can link to a pic hosted elsewhere on the www vis the [img] tags

are you at the ferry terminal now????

[olegeezer]

weather not so nice today for ya joe...whats the plan?

Take the 6pm boat to Picton, find a room, try to ride some of the west coast if the weather holds out for a couple of days. Glad I brought some rain gear. I was going to leave the pants off but Carla advised me to wear them..... she was so right...... my gloves are not very water proof either and they dyed my hands a "lighter shade of black". But I ain't lettin a little rain stop the tour!!

[olegeezer]

ok...upload if you scroll down from the new thread screen you will see a manage attachments button,you can add pictures to the actual post limitede to 4 i think,otherwise you can link to a pic hosted elsewhere on the www vis the [img] tags

are you at the ferry terminal now???? Thanks, i'll try something again. I'm in McDonalds across from the railway station taking advantage of the free Wi-Fi and greasy french fries!!

[olegeezer]

another upload trial.........

[Hawkeye]

Good meeting you Katie, enjoyed the party! Carla is a sweetie for taking care of me for the day. I'm waiting on the ferry to Picton at the moment. Nice wet ride from Carlas to Wellington. And......that ride over the twisty one to get here almost had it all...... rain, traffic, fog, wind, narrow, twisty, construction and did I mention steep?? But I was warned at the party of all this. Anyway it went well except I could not look at the scenery as the road required my undivided attention.
Still trying to figure out the upload option.....

Bloody Hell Joe. Only been in NZ one day and you have already met the gorgeous Carla, Katie, and Bianca. Your being spoilt mate. Hope you had a good time last night. Sorry I didn't get to meet you but maybe on your way back up. Offer of a bed still stands. 20 mins from Welly Ferry terminal so just ring even if short notice. Alway's welcome.

[shafty]

another upload trial.........

NOICEBike! lol

Good to hear you are having fun Joe.

The Rimutakas are a good testing ground alright, I saw a yound Fella over the fence one windy day, standing next to his MVX250, also over the fence on the sidestand and stopped to see if he was OK - he said he was blown there!

Hoping you have a stunning crossing Mate

Shafty


ps that Givi key was bent a couple of years ago (by a Dealer) but seemed to work fine, I was too scared to straighten it in case i snapped! lol

[Hawkeye]

NOICEBike! lol


Shafty




Biased opinion there Shafty (even if I do agree) - lol

[BMWST?]

Joe,hotmail doesnt seem to be down for me try this (https://login.live.com/) link

[olegeezer]

Very wet ride yesterday to get to Picton. Today was much better. I was getting spoiled with the motel luxuries so I am camping 100m from the beach here and the waves will be good sleep music for sure. Beautiful ride down the coast so far and I will stay on the the west side as long as possible. I think I could spend two or more nites here it's so nice. There is a very high bluff? about 200 meters from the beach and if you walk down the road you can hear the echo of the waves off this massive wall of rock, very strange but kuel. Camping $20, dinner $44, SLOW speed internet $10, sound of the waves....priceless.....

[Ocean1]

Beautiful ride down the coast so far and I will stay on the the west side as long as possible....

Luck with the weather, dude.

And the ride inland from the coast gets better.

[Gone Burger]

Very wet ride yesterday to get to Picton. Today was much better. I was getting spoiled with the motel luxuries so I am camping 100m from the beach here and the waves will be good sleep music for sure. Beautiful ride down the coast so far and I will stay on the the west side as long as possible. I think I could spend two or more nites here it's so nice. There is a very high bluff? about 200 meters from the beach and if you walk down the road you can hear the echo of the waves off this massive wall of rock, very strange but kuel. Camping $20, dinner $44, SLOW speed internet $10, sound of the waves....priceless.....

Sounds like a GREAT start to the South Island so far Joe. Weather looking a little kinder to you for the rest of the week so far. Have a great time down there on those magic roads. Oh how I long for them again.

[olegeezer]

Tuesday Jan 18 to Thursday Jan 20, the long ride over. I don't think I've ever spent so much money to have so little fun. Camped in the Holiday Inn in Auckland.
When I went through security in Auckland I had to send my tent to the bio-hazard agents for inspection. This was incase I inadvertently packed any unwanted critters in the tent. I heard one of the agents hummin this song.....I don't like spiders and snakes, and that ain't what it takes to love me, like I wanna be loved by you.

Friday (day one?). I took the train from Middlemore station to Taumarunui (in 100 attempts, I have yet to learn how to pronounce this). I did enjoy the train ride of about 4 hours. I walked with two suitcases and one backpack full of goodies for the long trip to the Honda shop. Mr. Paul was there as planned and commenced to installing the rear tip-over bars (Bydawgs of L A Bama). It was easy and all that stuff packed well into the side cases and the Givi box. The "biologically approved" camping gear went in a bag strapped on the pillion seat plus odds and ends in a small tank bag. The shop sent me to a key maker to fix the Givi box key which was bent and here is where I had my first lapse of memory as to which side of the road to ride on. That sure didn't take long but the street was slow moving with little traffic. It also didn't take long to get my arse back on the left side either. I sure don't want to die over here because it will take an act of congress to get my ashes back to the US I suppose. I got the key straightened and headed south for where ever I found a bed. I rode about 80km to a ski town called Ohakune. Got a real Hostel deal with a dorm room to myself. Sah-wheet.....the place was like new and I had plenty of room. A couple from Brazil invited me to help them eat their oven baked chicken so I brought a bottle of wine and picked up desert for the big feast. They had quit their jobs, sold their cars and took sabbatical?. They were hitch-hiking their way around New Zealand and in a few months are going to sign on to an environmental research vessel and sail around some of the lesser know islands of the S Pacific. They said they had reduced their carbon footprint from 34 tons (tonnes?) to 2 tons. I'm probably burning enough gas on this trip to cancel out their gains.......of which I do feel terrible about.

Saturday (day two). I met Carla (of Martinborough) near a place called Vinegar Hill and she led the way toward her place on her Ducati Monster...... that gal can ride and I tried hard not to fall behind. We cruised by an airshow and decided it was too wet to risk and rode to her place. Carla fixed a rack of lamb dinner for 5 of us and then she had her daughter take us to a party with some other riders. A few of the riders gave me some good tips for the trip. We turned in after the party, I was still trying to catch up on the jet lag thing.

Sunday (day 3) Carla was kind enough to lead me out of town and point me in the general direction of Wellington. It rained the whole way and I had hoped to get on the 2pm ferry to Picton but it was full so I had to wait until the 6pm ride. I parked at a McDonalds to use their wi-fi and get something to eat. While I was there I heard from a Kiwi biker Paul (BMWST) and he came down and kept me company until I left for the ferry. I sure do appreciate all the warm welcoming and such. The people here will help you most any way they can. When the ferry arrived in Picton, it was still raining and I took the first motel I saw.

Monday (day 4), After breakfast, I packed and headed for Nelson (north-west coast of the south island) It was a pretty ride through the mountains and only stopped briefly in Westport before I ended up in Punakaiki. I put the helmet cam on and shot a little video before the battery died. I took my throttle glove off to operate the shutter button. Not two minutes after I took it off, a bee stung me on my naked hand.........sh*t that hurt. (I know, all the gear, all the time). I rode toward a place called Golden Downs and an old fart on a Kawasaki Versys and a young fart on a BMW passed me. I wanted to ride with them and attempted to keep up for about 15km but it was few-tile I say. The guy on the Versys was really good in the curves, it looked so smooth, I was enjoying watching him ride. I could catch up in the straight sections but the curves, I could/would not. And then I remembered what the great cowboy enforcer, Clint Eastwood, once said. "A mans got to know his limitations". So I had to let em go. I ended up in Punakaiki, camping on the beach. Very nice and very soothing to sleep here.

[BMWST?]

nice to meet you the other day Joe,you had any luck with your email?
Punikaiki has many vent holes in the rocks take a walk there tomorrow.

[sinfull]

of which I do feel terrible about.

. Get over it Joe, climate change has happened a thousand times before we started making footprints in the sand and will thousands more after we're all gone !


Nice reading ! Enjoy NZ

[Quasi]

Hi Joe,
Was lovely to meet you and hopefully we will met again. Still keen to do the forgotten highway when you back up this way. And if you need a bed for the night, there is one here for you.
All the best for the rest of your travels - its a gorgeous land out there that we live on and wonderful to read your thoughts and see it through anothers eyes.
Q

[olegeezer]

Bloody Hell Joe. Only been in NZ one day and you have already met the gorgeous Carla, Katie, and Bianca. Your being spoilt mate. Hope you had a good time last night. Sorry I didn't get to meet you but maybe on your way back up. Offer of a bed still stands. 20 mins from Welly Ferry terminal so just ring even if short notice. Alway's welcome.
Spoilt I am Hawkeye! Sleepovers, party invites, good food and drink, you'll have to get the Bio-Police to run me out your country! Hope to get to meet you b 4 I leave.
One question......is that your photo in your avatar??? Or is that the actor Hawkeye??

[Quasi]

Spoilt I am Hawkeye! Sleepovers, party invites, good food and drink, you'll have to get the Bio-Police to run me out your country! Hope to get to meet you b 4 I leave.
One question......is that your photo in your avatar??? Or is that the actor Hawkeye??

lol - our Hawkeye is FAR better looking then his avatar, and with an accent to die for for

[olegeezer]

lol - our Hawkeye is FAR better looking then his avatar, and with an accent to die for for
Maybe if I get to meet him, some of that accent will rub off on me..........
Yes, I hope we can do that road on the way north. I'm sure enjoying the roads down this way. Headed for Queenstown tomorrow and then Milford Sound!!
Ride safe on that "monster".

[BMWST?]

Maybe if I get to meet him, some of that accent will rub off on me..........
Yes, I hope we can do that road on the way north. I'm sure enjoying the roads down this way. Headed for Queenstown tomorrow and then Milford Sound!!
Ride safe on that "monster".

queenstown,dont forget,shotover jet is a blast!

[shafty]

queenstown,dont forget,shotover jet is a blast!

I'll second that! :eek:

[Smifffy]

I'll second that! :eek:

Having done both, I prefer the Huka Jet at Taupo.

You could try doing both too :msn-wink:

[olegeezer]

I spent two nights in Milford Sound, took the boat tour of the Sound, very nice, very cool, very windy and then it rained..... I learned the second night how inadequate my cheapo tent is, but I still slept well. Did the underground power plant tour in Manapouri next, great for an engineer type. Got to see the edge of Doubtful Sound.
I seemed to be having a lot of trouble accessing my mail at hotmail?? They may just lose another user??? I had some nice beach views coming down 99 to Invercargill. Catlins next, may go to the Bluff. Still movin, still having fun in your beautiful country.

[BMWST?]

I spent two nights in Milford Sound, took the boat tour of the Sound, very nice, very cool, very windy and then it rained..... I learned the second night how inadequate my cheapo tent is, but I still slept well. Did the underground power plant tour in Manapouri next, great for an engineer type. Got to see the edge of Doubtful Sound.
I seemed to be having a lot of trouble accessing my mail at hotmail?? They may just lose another user??? I had some nice beach views coming down 99 to Invercargill. Catlins next, may go to the Bluff. Still movin, still having fun in your beautiful country.
re hotmail try this link (https://login.live.com/)

[FJRider]

Most parts of this country, measure their rainfall in millimetre's ... in Milford they measure it in metres ... :lol:

Legend has it ... the runway in Milford was not built by human hand ... it was a mossie built one. Just extended to take the planes ... :innocent:

[olegeezer]

I can believe meters of rainfall..:weep:

Thanks for the link Paul, I was almost there, typed in me password and says it can't find the server. I depend on hotmail a lot when I travel, but I may have to move on with another server........

[BMWST?]

I can believe meters of rainfall..:weep:

Thanks for the link Paul, I was almost there, typed in me password and says it can't find the server. I depend on hotmail a lot when I travel, but I may have to move on with another server........

let me know if i can help in any way,gonna try something here

[FJRider]

I can believe meters of rainfall.. :weep:

Believe 6.8 metres ...

And for those that haven't been there ...

http://www.queenstown.net.nz/index.php?title=Milford_Sound

[olegeezer]

Tuesday, January 25, 2011.. I had a good nights sleep listening to the Tasman sea lapping up onto the shore. I'll be hard pressed to find a better camping place than this. Leaving Punakaiki I had a thought in the back of my mind that I could come back this way on my return. I stopped at Pancake Rocks and really enjoyed the place. The short hike did not take long and I continued south down the coast at a comfortable pace. I don't think I've seen a police officer since I cleared Nelson? The weather was great and it made me feel good just to be riding to someplace I've never seen before. I stopped at Franz Josef glacier and walked a short way with a nice couple from Australia. They were here for a few more days and we had a good chat before they took off in their rented "Hippe Camper". It did seem strange walking though a tropical forest? to the edge of a glacier. Wonder where else you can do that? The scenery down the coast was great and I'm still looking forward to going over the passes going to the east. Just as I got into Haast it started to rain so I slid in sideways (just kidding Shafty) to another backpacker place. There are several families here eating dinner in the lobby. I have two beds in my room and no roommate. All is swell here in the south.

Wednesday, January 26
Whilst looking for breakfast I stopped to look a wad of motorcycles at a motel. A lady was preparing to pack her bike and invited me to ride down to Queenstown with her group. I accepted her offer and rushed off for some coffee and food. The small cafe had a sign up advertising "whitebait" for sale. I inquired as to what this was and the owner told me it was a delicacy and said she would fix a sandwich for me with egg and whitebait fish (small minnows I was told, and not used for bait). I had to try it and said yes. It was good but tasted mostly like a fried egg sandwich to me. It was also a little pricey. I choked it down as fast as possible so I could meet up with the Boulevard group for the ride south, once again, in the rain. I did not want to delay them. We had a wet, foggy ride about half the way to Queenstown. I took a cheap room a couple of blocks from the city centre and a nice veal cutlet dinner near the lake (Wakatipu).

Thursday, January 27
I got lost riding out of Queenstown, taking total disregard of the maps in my possession. I was unknowingly headed for Glenorchy? I stopped at a wide spot in the road for a photo op and began a brief conversation with a family from up state New York? One man in the group asked me where I was going and I told him Milford Sound. He kinda grinned and said this is not the way. He kindly offered me a look at his map after he concluded I was lost. I didn't really care if I was lost and got my bearings and proceeded on toward Glenorchy (since I was so close). One lady with the New Yorkers asked me if I knew that the "Lord of the Flies" was filmed there? I said no, but I think I read the book in high school. She was quickly corrected that it was "Lord of the Rings". I patted her on the back and told her I had Oldtimers too...... and it's not that big of a deal.
Glenorchy is not a big place and I did the quick tour to within 12km of Paradise and set forth for Milford Sound (the long and more realistic way)
I retraced my steps to Queenstown, gassed up and headed for route 6 south. I had just got out of town and was stopped for construction when a fellow on a R1150GS pulled up behind me. He looked to be a professional touring type on his older BMW. I asked where he was going and I was not surprised he was going to the Sound. He passed me and several other cars and I thought he might just be in a hurry (relative to myself). In a few kilometers he was parked on the side of the road taking my picture as I rode by. He quickly caught me and we rode together, at a slightly higher speed, toward Five Rivers where a convenient cafe was waiting. I was in front so I pulled into the cafe with the BMW behind. I have probably put 40000 miles on 3 different STs and never had a tip over. Guess what, today was my day. I aimed for some parking space beside about 3 Harleys and a brand new Kawasaki Connie. Whilst attempting to turn right in what appeared to be smooth gravel, the front wheel kicked out and Shaftys' Orient Express began listing to starboard worse than the Titanic on her maiden voyage.
It didn't take long even though it seemed like slow motion. I strained the sheet out of my right leg trying to hold her up. She rested quite gently in the 3 or so inches of soft gravel and I just stepped off to the side. A fellow came over and with the help of the BMW guy she was resurrected in quick fashion. Lucky for us, we had just installed the rear tip-over bars. (another endorsement for the Bydawg bars) No damage to the bike. I went inside and had lunch with Stephan (from Germany).
We rode on to Milford Sound, quite the scenic ride I say, and set up our tents at the local lodge.

Friday, January, 28 I had been told the boat ride around the Sound was a must, so I talked Stephan into booking a tour at 9am. It was clear when we started but began to rain about half way through the ride. It was a good tour and i'm glad I took it. I met a nice English couple on the boat who gave me some travel tips. They suggested I do a tour of Doubtful Sound and I may do that. Stephan was anxious to leave and head for Invercargill so we parted ways. I wanted to stay here one more night (it rained all day) and hopefully the weather will clear tomorrow and I will head for Te Anau. It rained all night and the tent was leaking. The waterfalls nearby sound like hard wind. Somehow the inside of my sleeping bag stayed dry and I stayed warm.

Saturday, January 29 The red Orient Express took me down to Manapouri and I booked the power station tour. Very interesting for us nerdy engineering types. I got to ride a boat and then a bus over a pass for a look at Doubtful Sound. I found a room at a hostel just south of Te Anau.

Sunday, January 30 I left early for Invercargill and found some nice views of the coast. The horseshoe shaped beach at Tautuku Bay was too good to describe.
I rode on east on the south coast looking for a place to stay. I found one of those sweaters made of possum and merino wool and had to have one.
I just can't tell the folks back home I have a sweater made of 35% possum hide......... we just don't use a possum that way in the US and ours don't have the nice hair on their tails like the ones in New Zealand do. The wind was so strong in the afternoon it got scary. I ended up, none too soon, finding a room in Balclutha.

[Quasi]

Wow Joe - this is interesting and sounds as though you are having quite the grand adventure. Keep the words coming. I will be folliwing your tyre marks one day.So getting good ideas.
Cheers - Carla

[shafty]

Quote "Whilst attempting to turn right in what appeared to be smooth gravel, the front wheel kicked out and Shaftys' Orient Express began listing to starboard worse than the Titanic on her maiden voyage."

What can I say? BUGGER!
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The Pan's first tip over, but you are forgiven Joe, sob sob lol
:crybaby:

[Gone Burger]

Loving the updates Joe - sure is turning out to be a great southern adventure down there. It seems that you easily approach and talk to people in each location, and make many friends alog the way. A wonderful way to be, and makes the journey a much more interesting one indeed.

Hope the rain leaves you alone for a wee while. Whilst we don't mind riding in the rain, it is such a relief to find dry roads and soak up the rays of sun.

[olegeezer]

View from the road of Tautuku Bay. Very windy this day but I did see a couple of surfers at Porpoise Bay. They were wearing wetsuites.......

[scumdog]

View from the road of Tautuku Bay. Very windy this day but I did see a couple of surfers at Porpoise Bay. They were wearing wetsuites.......

Sorry man, just latched onto this thread and saw you were looking for a place to stay in Balclutha...you could have stayed here if I'd seen your earlier posts...dang!

And me & the mrs went for a ride to Owaka yesterday too - musta just missed you!

[olegeezer]

Scumdog, woulda been good to meet yuns! No sweat though, I'm pretty comfy today. It was too cool and windy to sweat yesterday........ WOW!! I lowered the windscreen and hugged the tank to keep from "sailing away". Just a little "puckered" I was.:yes:

[Smifffy]

Great trip report Joe Keep em coming.

[Highlander]

Thursday, January 27
...
Glenorchy is not a big place and I did the quick tour to within 12km of Paradise and set forth for Milford Sound (the long and more realistic way)...



Did you make the connection that you had ridden from "Paradise" down through "the Devil's Staircase"?

Liking your reports. Has been said before that it is good to see Our place through soemone elses eyes.
Ride safe. Keep LEFT.

[olegeezer]

Did you make the connection that you had ridden from "Paradise" down through "the Devil's Staircase"?

Keep LEFT.
I don't think I did? I got "chicken" when I saw the gravel. Sounds like I might have missed a good section?
I turned at a rhode sighn that said, Paradise 12km. The ST ain't much of a gravel queen as I have already tested on this ride. However, my next two-wheeled acquisition will be more off-roady!!

Yes, stay LEFT and proceed with caution. Thanks.

[Highlander]

That fun bendy bit between Queenstown and Kingston is known as "The Devil's Staircase".
Sounds like you got to the end of the seal up past Glenorchy. Paradise is just up the road a touch.
You are covering some fantastic riding country and taking time to enjoy the view. Good for you. :clap:

[shafty]

Loving the updates Joe - sure is turning out to be a great southern adventure down there. It seems that you easily approach and talk to people in each location, and make many friends alog the way. A wonderful way to be, and makes the journey a much more interesting one indeed.

Hope the rain leaves you alone for a wee while. Whilst we don't mind riding in the rain, it is such a relief to find dry roads and soak up the rays of sun.

Remember though Katie, the bike IS a Chick magnet..............

[olegeezer]

Monday, January 31. I went for breakfast in downtown Balclutha and before I finished it was raining and the wind was howling. I decided to stay put for the day and try to catch up on my business in the comforts of this room I rented with wi-fi and all the comforts of a simply home. Tomorrow I must ride to parts north.

Tuesday, February 1. The weather was nice and I headed toward Alexandra with clear skies and little wind. I stopped in Roxburgh at a cafe with a motorcycle parked in front. It was a suzuki S50 with some luggage tied to the sissy bar. It didn't take long to strike up a conversation with the fellow on the Suzuki. Gordon was his name and he was from Tazmania. We ate breakfast outside and he began to tell me his story. He was here using his ex girlfriends bike to tour on for a few days. He divluged that she had entered into a new relationship with another man but was kind enough to lend him the bike for his holiday. (Who said breakin up is hard to do??) I sensed just a hint of regret in his voice but who knows? (I don't want to leave out here the significance of this breakfast I ordered. Two eggs on toast, potato cakes, sausage, sliced ham and some cooked onions and tomato. This is exactly what I don't need but it sure was good) So Gordon told me about the bikes he had (3) and his primary ride was a 1973 R75/5? BMW which he purchased in Munich while he lived in the UK. He showed me a picture of it on his phone and it looked very good for its age. On the way over I had a TSA agent tell me the same thing but it felt more like a kick in the shins than a compliment. Gordon also had a K75C, 1986 which he offered me if I ever got to Tasmania for touring his island.
Little did he know that I might very well take him up on his offer. He expressed no interest in coming to America. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to this guy and after choking down the "Big Breakfast" I followed him to Alexandra and then he headed for Queenstown. Later on I stopped in a small town called Ranfurly and pulled in for coffee and parked beside an old (82) Honda 50 that looked like it was hauling more gear than I had on the ST. I went inside for the coffee but did not see the rider and then he came in looking for me. It was fun listening to this guy tell me about his adventures riding around the south island on this very small bike. He seems content, so if he was happy with it, so be it. Bill was a big guy and (fast forward to the next day) I came up behind him and he was moving very slow. We pulled off the road and I was somewhat alarmed at how slow he moved on the highway with other traffic overtaking him all the time. No different than on a bicycle I suppose. I ended up in a nice cabin on the beach in Moeraki and it was so windy, I was glad I was not tenting this night. I took a suggested tour down a dusty gravel road and got to see a "pink eyed penguin". It was a long way off and I had to view it through binoculars.

Wednesday, February 2 (Groundhog Day!) Well in America anyway. I don't think they have groundhogs here in NZ but if they did I bet they would make some kind of usefullness of their hides! The wind really started rocking my cabin about 4 am. I looked out the window and the Orient Express was taking it well. After I checked in, several folks in tents set up for the night and I knew they were having a rough go of it. If I had owned one of the fishing boats in the harbor, I would have worried that the mooring lines would hold. It was blowing hard. By daylight, most of the people who were in tents had packed them in. Chalk up at least on good accomodation decision. By the time I had my stuffed packed on the bike the wind had died down quite a bit and I took off for Mount Cook National Park. The ride went well until I stopped for lunch at Twizel (pad thai chicken, yum). When I got back on the wind was back up and it was an uncomfortable ride for 55km to Mt Cook. I checked into a nice youth hostel (yes they let me stay despite my Olegeezer status) There is at least one more old fart couple here for me to talk to. The mountains are very nice and I even got a pic of Mt Cook without the clouds on it.

Thursday, February 3. At dawn the sky was clear around Mount Cook and as the sun came up the it made the snow on the mountain tops shiny and bright.
I packed up the Orient Express, took a few pictures and headed south for Christchurch. It was 10C when I left. I pulled into Glentanner and found breakfast. Muesli and yogurt and fruit...... I was feelin healthy today. On a spur of the moment I decided I would take a helicopter flight up toward mount cook and check it off my bucket list as I had never been in a helicopter before. I met (briefly) a really good looking Kiwi chick at this heliport but it didn't work out as I was 3 times her age. She was very quiet so we had very little conversation going. She just stood around outside a gift shop as if she were guarding it?? I'll try to attach a pic of her.
Well even if the girl did not work out, the flight went great, it was worth the price. We flew up to a mountain across from Mt Cook and landed on the snow. We got off the copter and took a few pictures and headed back. I took video with the Hero cam and it turned out pretty good considering I was shooting out the window.
I hopped on the ST and we headed for Christchurch, or at least in that direction. I stopped at St. John observatory, nice views from the hill, had a latte and freshly baked muffin and headed further east. I really didn't want to ride as far a Christchurch but I booked a room in advance at a hostel in the city centre. So I rode on and got there late, about 5pmish. What a nice location, 100 meters from the botanical gardens. I took a stroll through the gardens and it was really nice. I came upon, out of the blue or (purple), a strange looking couple and I thought they were hippies (modern). I asked if I could take their picture and they were very friendly and said "yes"! I asked if they were students and they said "no, they were "adventurers". I wasn't sure what those horns on her head were. I decided to stay here one more night and try to tour around tomorrow and ride out to Akaroa on the Banks pennisula. Pic attached of the adventurers.

Friday, February 4. It was good cool 10C and the skies were clear. The hills on the pennisula were nice, the roads good, twisty and narrow. The approach into Akaroa was high with good views of the surrounding farmland and the harbour. There was a cruise ship anchored in the harbour and a good crowd of tourists in the town. I walked around for a couple of hours and then booked a sailing tour of the harbour on a 1962 wooden hull cutter that was designed to race in the Sidney to Hobart race. This design according to the captain won a couple of the races in the late 40s. He was a pretty good source of info and entertainer for his crew of 3. I left Akaroa and returned a different route that took me up on a ridge with a narrow winding road. The view were good on this side of the peninsula also and I stopped in Governors Bay for fish and chips. I was pretty busy all day and would like to find a cricket match to watch possibly tomorrow. If I can't find cricket well then rugby will do!

[olegeezer]

Saturday, February 5 The temps were cool when I left Christchurch and the skies were overcast. I stopped and put on my "possum" sweater. It felt good and I knew I was headed for higher elevations and I would need it. As I started to climb towa
rd Arthurs Pass, the temperatures suddenly got warmer? Not sure why but I had to take the sweater back off. I stopped at some good outlooks and got to see a Kea bird up close. Pesky critters they were, landing on the Givi top box and trying to eat whatever they could. Their behavior reminds me of crows or ravens in the states. Signs were posted saying not to feed them so I didn't. They are alpine parrots, olive green in color with some reddish orange under their wings. I got to do the "cha cha" with one on a fence rail. They were quite inquisitive and not very afraid of humans with high vis jackets and helmets on. By the time I made it to Greymouth it was drizzling rain. Some young men at the hostel I was staying in asked me if I wanted to go to a rugby league game this evening and I said "YES". I bought their extra ticket. The New Zealand Warriors were playing the New Castle Knights (Aussie team) for a charity match in memory of the 29 miners lost in the recent explosion at the Pike River mine. New Zealand won and after the game it began raining.

Sunday, February 6 The weather was wet again on the west coast, so I decided to head east and ride some new roads. I rode toward Reefton and stopped for breakfast where two riders were sitting outside having coffee. I had the muesli again and asked the two men if I could follow them down to Hanmer Springs. They said yes and I followed them down through Lewis Pass and we found a backpackers place and ended up having a Thai dinner together.
The town had hot springs you could soak in but I passed since the weather was hot enough for me anyway. As usual, the ride was nice and scenic all day after the fog cleared. Warren and Richard were riding a gravel road to the northeast for approximately 200km the next day which I had to decline. We met several foreign travelers from Latvia, Holland and Germany. All had interesting tales to tell. Some ride buses, some ride bicycles, some just hitch-hike but they all get around somehow. You meet them everyday and its great to hear and swap stories.

Monday, February 7. I got up early and planned breakfast on the road. It was a good morning to ride, just as the sun was coming up and illuminating the higher peaks around Hanmer Springs. I had a great ride all the way to Kaikoura and I went in to a cafe for the usual. As I was eating, it began to rain and I thought it would be a good day to do laundry and find a bar with the superbowl on. It went according to plan. It's still raining but is supposed to be clear tomorrow and I will head further north toward my ferry trip. I may even have a tear in my eye when I leave the south island.

[Hawkeye]

It's still raining but is supposed to be clear tomorrow and I will head further north toward my ferry trip. I may even have a tear in my eye when I leave the south island.

Great reading Joe! When are you due across the ditch again? Have you got anywhere to stay. You welcome at my place (25k from the Welly ferry). Got a bed and a place in the garage for the bike if you want a bit of comfort before heading North again. Just give me a call.

Hawkeye

[olegeezer]

Thanks Hawkeye, I plan a few more days around Golden Bay and then proceed to the ferry.Leaving Kaikoura now, looks to be better weather today!! Riding up the east coast.
Ride safe, stay left........

[Hawkeye]

Thanks Hawkeye, I plan a few more days around Golden Bay and then proceed to the ferry.Leaving Kaikoura now, looks to be better weather today!! Riding up the east coast.
Ride safe, stay left........

Offer is open for when you do come across.

[olegeezer]

A few pics taken along the way. Kiwi bikers Warren and Richard, botanical garden in Christchurch and Kea bird doing the cha-cha.
The northwest coast here seems to have a lot to offer. Going exploring tomorrow. The hotel host told me he could keep me busy for 5 days just doing the major stuff.
It was beautiful riding into the place for sure.

[Ocean1]

A few pics taken along the way.

I see your camera is still talking 'Murkin. :D

[olegeezer]

Ocean1, I googled that term and still don't understand it!! Maybe it's best not to discuss it here??(according to google). Sorry if misspelled Takata, I'm even worse at pronouncing these names. I'm looking forward to hitting a beach or two here tomorrow.

[pete376403]

'murkin - would be an attempt at US regional (deep south, maybe) pronunciation of "American" . The other word that sounds similar is merkin - and that means something else completely.
Looked at your pictures again - date format month -day- year = American. We tend to use day -month -year

[olegeezer]

thanks for clearing that up Pete!!

[olegeezer]

I see your camera is still talking 'Murkin. :D

OceanicOne..... it took a while and some splainin, but I finally got it. Strange thing is, I have used that term to make fun of fellow Murckins myself but I don't think I ever saw it in print. As to the camera date, yes we do have a way with numbers and measuring systems in Amurika don't we?? :yes:

[BMWST?]

OceanicOne..... it took a while and some splainin, but I finally got it. Strange thing is, I have used that term to make fun of fellow Murckins myself but I don't think I ever saw it in print. As to the camera date, yes we do have a way with numbers and measuring systems in Amurika don't we?? :yes:

you have your own liquid measures,drive on the wrong side of the road and yer light switches are upside down!:facepalm:

[olegeezer]

Saturday, February 5 The temps were cool when I left Christchurch and the skies were overcast. I stopped and put on my "possum" sweater. It felt good and I knew I was headed for higher elevations and I would need it. As I started to climb towa
rd Arthurs Pass, the temperatures suddenly got warmer? Not sure why but I had to take the sweater back off. I stopped at some good outlooks and got to see a Kea bird up close. Pesky critters they were, landing on the Givi top box and trying to eat whatever they could. Their behavior reminds me of crows or ravens in the states. Signs were posted saying not to feed them so I didn't. They are alpine parrots, olive green in color with some reddish orange under their wings. I got to do the "cha cha" with one on a fence rail. They were quite inquisitive and not very afraid of humans with high vis jackets and helmets on. By the time I made it to Greymouth it was drizzling rain. Some young men at the hostel I was staying in asked me if I wanted to go to a rugby league game this evening and I said "YES". I bought their extra ticket. The New Zealand Warriors were playing the New Castle Knights (Aussie team) for a charity match in memory of the 29 miners lost in the recent explosion at the Pike River mine. New Zealand won and after the game it began raining.

Sunday, February 6 The weather was wet again on the west coast, so I decided to head east and ride some new roads. I rode toward Reefton and stopped for breakfast where two riders were sitting outside having coffee. I had the muesli again and asked the two men if I could follow them down to Hanmer Springs. They said yes and I followed them down through Lewis Pass and we found a backpackers place and ended up having a Thai dinner together.
The town had hot springs you could soak in but I passed since the weather was hot enough for me anyway. As usual, the ride was nice and scenic all day after the fog cleared. Warren and Richard were riding a gravel road to the northeast for approximately 200km the next day which I had to decline. We met several foreign travelers from Latvia, Holland and Germany. All had interesting tales to tell. Some ride buses, some ride bicycles, some just hitch-hike but they all get around somehow. You meet them everyday and its great to hear and swap stories.

Monday, February 7. I got up early and planned breakfast on the road. It was a good morning to ride, just as the sun was coming up and illuminating the higher peaks around Hanmer Springs. I had a great ride all the way to Kaikoura and I went in to a cafe for the usual. As I was eating, it began to rain and I thought it would be a good day to do laundry and find a bar with the superbowl on. It went according to plan. It's still raining but is supposed to be clear tomorrow and I will head further north toward my ferry trip. I may even have a tear in my eye when I leave the south island.

Tuesday, February 8. Kaikoura looked really nice this morning as the fog lifted and I got to see the mountains for the first time. It was time to go north so, like the rest of the tourists, I packed up and got on my trusty steed and headed for Blenheim on route 1 which paralled the coast. Nice ride and the temps were comfy and the sun was out. I took route 6 to St Arnoud just to ride a different road and I guess this was the most straight stretch of road I have encountered in the south island. But it was a pretty, wide valley, with high mountains on both sides. Vineyards bordered the road a good portion of the way. It just seems like you can't find a road here with BAD scenery. Which is good! As I neared Tanaka I had to climb (Tanaka Hill) the mountain, and I don't know why they call it a hill but back home it would be a mountain. Great views from the mountain and you could see the ocean in the distance. Curvy and steep the road was and populated with many large trucks. But it was all fun and I found my next hostel with no problem. The guy running it said he could keep me busy for 5 days just looking at the major stuff. We shall see but I have planned to proceed further north in less than five days?

Wednesday, February 9 I got on the road early to a Wainui Bay and had to ride about 1km on gravel to get to the car park. There was a group of people, looked like all retirees gathered in the parking lot as I pulled in. One gentleman took me to a map and instructed me on what I could do there and gave me a few good tips on avoiding getting caught in the tide on the beach. I tagged along with their group of about 15 and got to talk to several of them during the trip. The beach and mountain just behind it were great and it was an easy hike to get to Taupo point where a few of us took a "brief" swim in the Tasman Sea.
The water was cool but refreshing they say here. We were on the trail about 2 hours and I headed back to Takaka and decided to go to Farewell Spit and ended up taking a guided tour in a "made for sand" 4WD bus. It was good and the driver was a pretty good talker and guide. The tour did not end until 915pm and I had to drive back to my room in the dark. I feel more comfortable riding the bike at night here because I have yet to see any large road kill on the side of the roads. There was almost no traffic also.

[BMWST?]

The tour did not end until 915pm and I had to drive back to my room in the dark. I feel more comfortable riding the bike at night here because I have yet to see any large road kill on the side of the roads. There was almost no traffic also.
the biggest wild animal you will find is prolly a hare.The biggest danger re animals at night would be stock which has escaped from a farm

[olegeezer]

Tuesday, February 8. Kaikoura looked really nice this morning as the fog lifted and I got to see the mountains for the first time. It was time to go north so, like the rest of the tourists, I packed up and got on my trusty steed and headed for Blenheim on route 1 which paralled the coast. Nice ride and the temps were comfy and the sun was out. I took route 6 to St Arnoud just to ride a different road and I guess this was the most straight stretch of road I have encountered in the south island. But it was a pretty, wide valley, with high mountains on both sides. Vineyards bordered the road a good portion of the way. It just seems like you can't find a road here with BAD scenery. Which is good! As I neared Tanaka I had to climb (Tanaka Hill) the mountain, and I don't know why they call it a hill but back home it would be a mountain. Great views from the mountain and you could see the ocean in the distance. Curvy and steep the road was and populated with many large trucks. But it was all fun and I found my next hostel with no problem. The guy running it said he could keep me busy for 5 days just looking at the major stuff. We shall see but I have planned to proceed further north in less than five days?

Wednesday, February 9 I got on the road early to a Wainui Bay and had to ride about 1km on gravel to get to the car park. There was a group of people, looked like all retirees gathered in the parking lot as I pulled in. One gentleman took me to a map and instructed me on what I could do there and gave me a few good tips on avoiding getting caught in the tide on the beach. I tagged along with their group of about 15 and got to talk to several of them during the trip. The beach and mountain just behind it were great and it was an easy hike to get to Taupo point where a few of us took a "brief" swim in the Tasman Sea.
The water was cool but refreshing they say here. We were on the trail about 2 hours and I headed back to Takaka and decided to go to Farewell Spit and ended up taking a guided tour in a "made for sand" 4WD bus. It was good and the driver was a pretty good talker and guide. The tour did not end until 915pm and I had to drive back to my room in the dark. I feel more comfortable riding the bike at night here because I have yet to see any large road kill on the side of the roads. There was almost no traffic also.

Thursday, February 10. I was planning on another hike to a different bay but needed to book another night in my room. I was too late and they had rented it , so I headed for Picton to catch the ferry back to the north island the next day.

Friday, February 11. I caught the 10am Interislander ferrry for Wellington. About 30 motorcycles showed up, most were going to a Triumph rally in Whanganui. I got a good tip on a festival in Napier with a car show, concerts, art deco stuff? for Feb 20 but a motorcycle race in the town of Paeroa is on the same day. I think I will focus on the race.
A good Kiwibiker,(Hawkeye) Kenny offered to meet me at the ferry and he was there when I got off. He finished his work day while I took a cable car to the top of the hill in downtown Wellington. Nice ride and then we rode to his place where he met his 11 year old daughter and computer wiz. We freshened up and took the bikes back in town and they showed me a few sights (Mount Victoria) which has a great view of the city, harbor and airport. The airport is built on land that was raised during an earthquake and was previously underwater. We rode up a real nice hill in Paekakariki which had a stunning view of Pukerua Bay and Kapiti Island in the distance. Wouldn't you know the helmet cam battery died before we got there. We had pizza for dinner and went back to Kennys' place.

Saturday, February 12 . I slept in until 7am and Kenny cooked breakfast. We rode back into Wellington with Chloe riding pillion on Kenny's Katana 750. We went looking for a spare battery for the Hero cam but it was not to be found but I did find out where one was at further north. So we took off riding around Wellington (Mirimar Loop, Kiaro to Makara and took in the Te Papa museum in town. A very nice museum that needs plenty of time to enjoy it all. We were standing in a park with windsurfers all around when I noticed a plaque mounted up on a pedestal. I read the plaque which was in memory of US Marines who camped there during World War II and later fought and died on the South Pacific Islands. I told Kenny and Chloe that my dad and brother were both US Marines and my day had served in the South Pacific, my brother in Vietnam. This plaque was on Pauatahanui Inlet. (for all you current and former Marines). I know there will always be a soft spot in my heart for the Marines. Kenny and Chloe have been great hosts and I hope he will come the US someday so I can return his hospitality.

[olegeezer]

Hawkeye and daughter gave the grand tour of the area that I don't believe I would have done without them. Thanks.:yes:

[Highlander]

Enjoying reading your updates sounds like you are having a good look and enjoying what you see.

If you have any interest in street circuit racing Paeroa is the place to be the 3rd Sunday each February.

Do you have a half worked plan for "doing" the north Island?

Top marks to those taking you as a guest in their homes and taking time to show you around. Good effort guys :clap:

[BMWST?]

Hey Joe sorry i missed you but glad that Kenny took you under his wing...anoter accent for you to get used to!!!

[olegeezer]

Enjoying reading your updates sounds like you are having a good look and enjoying what you see.

If you have any interest in street circuit racing Paeroa is the place to be the 3rd Sunday each February.

Do you have a half worked plan for "doing" the north Island?

Top marks to those taking you as a guest in their homes and taking time to show you around. Good effort guys :clap:

Yes, they are to be commended! Very good folks you are.


and a quick update
Thursday, February 10. I was planning on another hike to a different bay but needed to book another night in my room. I was too late and they had rented it , so I headed for Picton to catch the ferry back to the north island the next day.

Friday, February 11. I caught the 10am Interislander ferrry for Wellington. About 30 motorcycles showed up, most were going to a Triumph rally in Whanganui. I got a good tip on a festival in Napier with a car show, concerts, art deco stuff? for Feb 20 but a motorcycle race in the town of Paeroa is on the same day. I think I will focus on the race.
A good Kiwibiker,(Hawkeye) Kenny offered to meet me at the ferry and he was there when I got off. He finished his work day while I took a cable car to the top of the hill in downtown Wellington. Nice ride and then we rode to his place where he met his 11 year old daughter and computer wiz. We freshened up and took the bikes back in town and they showed me a few sights (Mount Victoria) which has a great view of the city, harbor and airport. The airport is built on land that was raised during an earthquake and was previously underwater. We rode up a real nice hill in Paekakariki which had a stunning view of Pukerua Bay and Kapiti Island in the distance. Wouldn't you know the helmet cam battery died before we got there. We had pizza for dinner and went back to Kennys' place.

Saturday, February 12 . I slept in until 7am and Kenny cooked breakfast. We rode back into Wellington with Chloe riding pillion on Kenny's Katana 750. We went looking for a spare battery for the Hero cam but it was not to be found but I did find out where one was at further north. So we took off riding around Wellington (Mirimar Loop, Kiaro to Makara and took in the Te Papa museum in town. A very nice museum that needs plenty of time to enjoy it all. We were standing in a park with windsurfers all around when I noticed a plaque mounted up on a pedestal. I read the plaque which was in memory of US Marines who camped there during World War II and later fought and died on the South Pacific Islands. I told Kenny and Chloe that my dad and brother were both US Marines and my day had served in the South Pacific, my brother in Vietnam. This plaque was on Pauatahanui Inlet. (for all you current and former Marines). I know there will always be a soft spot in my heart for the Marines. Kenny Johnston (a Geordie from Newcastle) and Chloe have been great hosts and I hope he will come the US someday so I can return his hospitality.

Sunday, February 13. Hawkeye took good care of me but you have to be careful not to wear out your welcome. Kenny and Chloe led me out of Whitby and I rode to Palmerston North and found a shop open that had a battery for my helmet cam. Sweet, I grabbed the battery and headed for Whanganui where I checked in to a BBH hostel and it was good. I had a three bunk room and one roommate from Tennessee who was glad to see someone from his neck of the woods. He was hiking, (yes, no wheels) and enjoying it. After I ate dinner that I cooked in their kitchen, I walked across the street to look at the Whanganui rivier. There was a group of young boys jumping off a concrete wall into the river. I ran and got the Hero cam and took some video of the them, diving, flipping and having fun in the water. They must have ranged in age from 10 to 16 years and they made me want to be that age again. One of them asked me if I was a millionaire and I told him, "I was just a poor coal miner traveling on a motorcycle", which is, for the most part, true. I know they were having a good time with my accent........
Whanganui looked like a nice and interesting town but I had a ride on the "Forgotten Highway" on my mind.

[Quasi]

WooHoo Jose - you done it:woohoo::woohoo:. I am so envious but will be on the forgotten highway myself soon:yes:

do you want to meet up in Paeroa. I will leave here late morning on friday, heading towrds Tokoroa. Text me if you are around.

keep up the blogs - they are entertaining and amusing:sunny::sunny:

[olegeezer]

Yes Carla, I do plan to go to the race. I have to go so I can get some of those molded earplugs that Hawkeye recommended!! I am just going to ride a little on the way there? Not sure where? May go to Napier today. Hope to see ya there!

The Forgotten Highways was an easy ride on Shaftys' Orient Expresso. The gravel, (12.2km to be prezact) was good gravel but the road people were resurfacing some of 43 between the natural gravel and Taumarunui, so watch out for that part.
I think I even saw a few sport bikes on the road. The Whangamomona Hotel was booked when I had lunch there. I really wanted to spend the night , such is life. I bought the tee shirt and rode on to Turangi and then did the dreaded march to see the volcanoes (19.45 km as I counted all my steps). God was I tired when I got back to the bus but it was worth all the pain. My right knee felt like it had a bearing down in it by the time I finished. It was a tad crowded but I didn't care. One lady fell and broke her arm and finished her walk in a sling.

[Quasi]

oke doke - think we will be going via Napier/Taupo.

[olegeezer]

Monday, February 14. I rode toward Strattford and got on the Forgotten Highway. It was a nice day and a great ride. I stopped at the Whangamomona? hotel for lunch and asked for a room. They were booked so I had to settle for the tee shirt so I could tell the world I had been there. The ride to Taumarunui was good and there are 12.2 km of gravel, good gravel and not a big deal for the Orient Express (ST1300). When I got to Taumarunui I stopped at the shop where I picked up the bike and made arrangements to drop it off before I leave the country. I rode to Turangi and found a room. As soon as I checked in the operator asked if I wanted to hike up to the volcanoes. I said yes and it was booked.

Tuesday, February 15. I got up at 6am had breakfast and got ready for the bus ride. The hike was called the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and measured at 19.4 km. I kinda figured it would be a tough one for myself anyway. It was worth the effort. We (not sure how many, but many) had to climb about 800 meters to get to the easiest summit. The die hard hikers had to climb to the top of a tall volcanic pile of barren rubble for the best view (if the clouds lifted). I knew I would do good to finish the easy track. The views were great and we hiked thru a couple of volcanoes, the dry ones anyway. One crater was a deep burgundy color, still smoldering in places and you could smell the sulfur compounds as they rose up over the top. Below the big red crater was a couple of emerald green pools that no one cared to get into. Descending the red crater was steep and the footing was not good. I saw two women sliding down on their bottoms to avoid the risk of falling. One woman fell and broke her arm and finished the track in an arm sling. I was exhausted by the time I got back to the pickup area for the bus. My right knee had me whining and felt like a bearing was going down. ......But I'm glad I made the trip. It seems like every time I take a long ride I manage to get myself into some kind of self-imposed physical torture.

Wednesday, February 16. I left Turangi headed for Taupo on the lake and then decided to ride to Napier on the east cost. The ride down was beautiful and it seems there are no bad roads to ride here in Kiwiland. Napier seemed like a nice enough place but it was busy and there were a lot of people coming in for a festival this weekend. I wanted to get more out in the country to spend the night so I took in a few lookout sites and made my way north toward Gisborne along the coast. I had a blinking fuel gauge so I stopped before leaving town to fill up. I put the Orient Express up on the center stand to check the oil. The oil was OK and I just started looking at the front tire for wear issues. I then moved to the back of the bike to look at the rear. Now I don't do this as a habit, it's really not a routine with me every time I fill up. So I start rotating the wheel and find a nice shiny rivet sticking out of the middle of the tire. A little spit on the rivet and sure enough, it was leaking, slowly. I must have just picked it up!! Holy Mother of Honda, now is that some good luck or not?? (finding it before it found me) I was directed to (another stroke of luck) a Honda shop less than a kilometer away. They were not cheap but they were fast and had it off the bike and TWO patches in about an hour. I got the lecture about not using the slimy worm plugs (the kind I use on my bike at home) and I nodded my head in agreement (ashamed to mention my own sins). The tire already had one plug in it before I managed the rivet. The motorcycle gods were looking after me today and I was feeling very good.
After the delay, I decided it was too late to proceed north and found a nice campground beside the beach. I broke out the tent for only the fourth time. It was damp and musty smelling from some old Milford Sound rain.

[olegeezer]

Hey Joe sorry i missed you but glad that Kenny took you under his wing...anoter accent for you to get used to!!!

No problem , thanks for greeting me on my way south, that was maybe my wettest day. Hawkeye took good care of me and I do like his accent much better than my own.

Highlander, I have no real plan for the nord island, other than see the race at Paeora and see some beaches. I have about 2 week to go so if you have suggestions that would be great.

[Highlander]

You appear to be having a good look around.

From Napier, I'd go to Gisborne, and a walk on the beach. The dilemma then is Highway 2 through the Waioeka Gorge or 35 around the East cape - Both if at all possible.

The macadamia nut farm at Whanarua bay on the East cape road do a tasty Macadamia nut and Manuka Honey ice cream that is worth stopping for on your way past.

About 15 km from Whakatane is Awakeri Hot Springs (http://www.awakerisprings.co.nz/) a nice spot to stop pitch your tent for the night, and soak in their hot pools into the evening. We take the family camping there at least once a year.

When you get up around the Coromandel, take a stop at Hot Water Beach (near Whitianga) if you get there about an hour either side of low tide, there is HOT water bubbling up through the sand, scratch yourself a hole where it mixes with cold from the sea and you can have yourself a bath. All sign posted, easy enough to find.

Paeroa on Sunday will be awesome. Shame I'll be at work.

[olegeezer]

Good on ya Highlander! Ima takin notes..........
Rain here in Napier after the sun came up so I delay leaving to wash me clothes.
My legs are still sore from the "hike to hell".

[BMWST?]

Good on ya Highlander! Ima takin notes..........
Rain here in Napier after the sun came up so I delay leaving to wash me clothes.
My legs are still sore from the "hike to hell".

sounds like a couple of hot water soaks is just the ticket then :yes:

[olegeezer]

sounds like a couple of hot water soaks is just the ticket then :yes:
I think it may be what I need and some soaking in the ocean too!!

Highlander toured me around Tauranga today and left in Tokoroa to meet Carla and her group for a meeting and date with a race on Sunday. Nice ride we had on a beautiful day. The main problem with riding with you guys is that I find myself lusting for your bikes. Hawkeye has me wanting to ride a Triumph Tiger and now Highlander has me thinking maybe a sporty beemer like his??? And Carlas' Monster looked like fun too.

[olegeezer]

Here they are, I understand I must type something in here.........:facepalm:

[Hawkeye]

Sounds like your having fun Joe. Great that you got to do the Highway. I told you that gravel wouldn't be an issue on the ST !! And I'm sure that Carla and the gang will look after you up at the races.
Just make sure you hunt out 'Plugz 4 Lugz' when you get to the races.
The're sure to be there and you won't regret it.

[Hawkeye]

Hawkeye took good care of me and I do like his accent much better than my own.

Your welcome Joe. It was my pleasure.
Come back any time and there will always be a bed for you.


I have about 2 week to go so if you have suggestions that would be great.

Come back for 3 month next time....:yes:

[Highlander]

Whole heartedly agree with what hawk eye said about Plugz for Lugz, I rate them as my best bit of biking kit.

Good to meet up with you and show you some of what our patch has to offer. Plenty more if you have time to come back for another go.

[olegeezer]

Thursday, February 17. I took the Orient Express into Napier to do some banking. People were walking around in 1920s' dress and riding around in vintage cars from the era. I was enjoying the view of the Napier festival about to take place over the weekend but I want to head north and see the street motorcycle race in Paeroa. I rode toward Gisborne and then up Route 2 to Opotiki which took me through a really nice (and long) gorge. I found a room in the Whakatane Hotel. There were some nice views of the Bay of Plenty as I rode into Whakatane with White Island and Motuhora Island in the distance.

Friday, February 18. A Kiwibiker (Highlander) met me at the hotel and had volunteered to tour me around the area for the day. We had a nice ride and I enjoyed his company as we stopped to rest and chat along the way. We ended up in Rotorua by the lake. Highlander lead me to Tokoroa to meet up with the next group of riders to go to the mc race in Paeroa. These riders, Glen, Carla, Rhys and Bianca fed me well and I had a bed at Rhys' place.

Saturday, February 19. Breakfast was on Rhys and we gathered with the other riders to go up and ride the Coromandel loop which had been recommended by other riders. Now I am riding with 4 friends on Ducati Monsters and my ride was affectionately termed the "Sherman Tank". So, how was I to keep up with these guys and gals, I did know but I would try. I have to keep referring back to what "Clint" said in one of his Dirty Harry movies. They had to wait on me a few times but never more than an hour. Now bear in mind, I've already tested the tip over bars on Shafty's Orient Express and I damn sure didn't want to see the front forks touching the radiator. So, I tried to "take it easy and not let the sound of my own wheels drive me crazy".

Sunday, February 20. We made it to Paeroa and the race was great. I really enjoyed it but was fiddling with my camera when a crash occurred right in front of me. There were no fatalities and I got a good appreciation for how real (crazy) men ride fast motorcycles. Do we have street motorcycle races in the US?? I don't really know but I would like to go to the next one. I failed to find the vendor who made the molded ear plugs and plan to try to find them before I leave. I parted ways with the group and headed north to see what the top end looked like. Once again, it was good to have some fellow riders to hang out with and have their touring advice. I'm starting to get low on time now. I found a neat little cabin only 100m from the beach in Kaiaua. The owner was a very friendly bloke who offered me milk for my breakfast if I needed it. He left me to my own means with free access to his house if I wanted.

Monday, February 21. I headed north on the north island (sounds redundant) trying to stay as close to the water as I could. I got a little rain and hid in a gas station until the sun came out. I got back on the rhode and when I got to Orewa, I liked what I saw and found a room after another ST owner lead me to the address.

[Highlander]

We made it to Paeroa and the race was great. I really enjoyed it but was fiddling with my camera when a crash occurred right in front of me. There were no fatalities and I got a good appreciation for how real (crazy) men ride fast motorcycles. Do we have street motorcycle races in the US??

Can you imagine the law suits if anything went wrong?


... I failed to find the vendor who made the molded ear plugs and plan to try to find them before I leave.


Plugz 4 Lugz are based in Rotorua.
Contact details here (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/132720-Plugz-4-Lugz-2011?p=1129943665#post1129943665) I'm sure they will be happy to sort you out before you leave the country. Pretty sure I read that one guy here arranged for them to meet him at the Rotorua Airport when he was passing through and had the plugs made while waiting for his flight.

[Hawkeye]

I failed to find the vendor who made the molded ear plugs and plan to try to find them before I leave.

Oh Bugger Joe!! Plugz 4 Lugz are Rotorua based. You could have got in touch with Sue while you were there. I never thought to give you her contact details. :facepalm:

[olegeezer]

Oh Bugger Joe!! Plugz 4 Lugz are Rotorua based. You could have got in touch with Sue while you were there. I never thought to give you her contact details. :facepalm:

I hope to meet up with her on the way to drop off the bike. She sent here address and phone.

[olegeezer]

Tuesday, February 22. Looks (of the hostel) can be deceiving I've heard. When I woke up this morning, I had a lot of bites on my hands and a few on my forehead. I counted 50+ bites on my hands. I wasn't sure what to make of it, maybe sand flies or something. I loaded up and took off. I meet a nice NZ couple at Snell's beach and we ended up having coffee on the beach together. The lady noticed my hands and asked what was wrong and I said I wasn't sure. She suggested it could be bed bugs? I was already guessing that myself. She said "as in the US, they are becoming more common in New Zealand". Since then I have concluded that it is in fact bed bugs. I googled them and sure enough the red blister like bumps are exactly like the pictures I saw on the internet and it all started to make sense. I slept in my sleeping bag and I only had 3 bites on my legs but they had a field day with my hands which were outside the bag all night. I didn't feel anything while they were biting and I read that they inject a little anesthetic into you plus an anti-clotting agent and then just enjoy while you dream. Pretty crafty critters if you ask me. Thank God they didn't get on the boys!! They probably figured the blood supply there would be limited and hunted elsewhere. Its been about three days now and I have no new bites so I am hopeful that none of them got in my bag and luggage to start another colony. I emailed the home office of the hostel and have got no response so far. I am not angry, I would just like for them to address it for future customers as I hear they can be very hard to get rid of . So, when you travel, beware, but I don't know how you avoid them when you sleep in a different bed every night for 6 weeks?
I think I had a few bites on me once before on another trip but can't remember where it was and I did not know what caused the blisters. A good excuse to camp more I guess. They hide during the days and come out at night so how are you going to know? I previously also thought they were not visible to the naked eye but apparently they are big enough to be seen, if you can catch them out. The bites itch a little but mostly just look gross and disgusting. I'm not exactly excited about telling this part of the story but it is good to know for travelers.

Now the good news is.......... I had a nice ride, crossing over to the west side of the island and got to see the Kauri tree museum at Mamaranui. It gave me a good appreciation of the importance of the tree, its gum and the history of its use. I rode further north and got to see the "Big Kahuna" of the remaining Kauri trees (named Hane Mahuta. It was 13.8 meters in circumference and impressive to see. It is estimated to be over 2000 years old. The trunk is tall with branches and leaves only at the top. I imagine most of the remaining Kauri trees are protected. The tree was harvested (it seems) in a quick fashion in the early 20th century. I thought about how quickly America has used some of its best resources. Thousands of years to grow and only a few hours to cut it down.
I continued north to a place called Omapere. You pop up over a hill and a beautiful harbor (Hokianga) is below with a huge, bare sand dune on the opposite side of the harbor. I found another hostel room on an old farm and the owner cooked a dinner of lamb roast for myself, a young German doctor and his wife. The German couple were traveling with their 5 month old daughter. It was good and we had no TV, internet or bed bugs as far as I know. The owners grew there own veggies, fruit and their own sheep.

[ducatigirl]

Hi Jo, I enjoy reading your posts and am pleased you seem to enjoy the rest of NZ.
It was an absolute pleasure to have met you and I really enjoyed your company whilst riding/traveling North and around the Coromandel. Safe travels my friend and so long. Bianca x:bye:

[olegeezer]

Hi Jo, I enjoy reading your posts and am pleased you seem to enjoy the rest of NZ.
It was an absolute pleasure to have met you and I really enjoyed your company whilst riding/traveling North and around the Coromandel. Safe travels my friend and so long. Bianca x:bye:
Thanks B and good on ya!
It has been a great ride for the Olegeezer.....

[Hawkeye]

It has been a great ride for the Olegeezer.....


I think you will find that all of the KBers that have met you have really enjoyed your company and it's been our pleasure to show you around. I take my hat off to you!!:yes:
And I will take you up on that offer someday Joe. And then you can show me around your neck of the woods!
When do you head back to the US?

PS. If you manage to catch up with Sue to get some plugs.... They are great for killing the noise on the plane:yes:

[Old Steve]

My wife and I were just returning to our car in the parking lot at the Snells Beach shops when this guy rides up on a burguindy ST1300 and asks if there's anywhere around where he can get a cup of coffee down at a beach. We didn't think so, but directed him down to Snells Beach, lovely beach with pohutukawas to sit under right on the edge of the beach.

After he'd headed off down the hill my wife, ever the considerate one, said, "Why don't we take him a cup of coffee and you can have a chat with him."

So we went down, found out what coffee he drank, and the three of us spent an hour or so chatting right on the edge of the sand at Snells beach. Then I found out he was Joe, known as Olegeezer from KB, so introduced myself, and we spent some time plotting places for him to see on his map of Auckland. Gave him some solarcaine for his bites.

If you get this in time Joe, try to get to Matai Bay on the way down the eastern side from Cape Rienga. You go up this peninsular before you get to Cable Bay, Coopers Beach and Manganui, to the Department of Conservation land at the top, and there is this beautiful bay, almost no-one around. You can camp there for $8/day - honesty box on the side of the ranger's hut. We'd forgotten our swimming gear so had a skinny dip half way round the bay, no-one for kilometres. It's one of those places you'll remember for the rest of your life.

Ride safe Joe, and come back and see us one day. Always a spare bed at our place.

[olegeezer]

Hawkeye, I do hope you make it to my neck of the woods, but I'll have to beat the women off you with a stick when they hear that accent. (no joke)
I plan to try to get up to see Sue for the Plugz

Ole Steve, thanks for the coffee and "good on you and Jeanne"!!


February 23, Wednesday. I headed further north to find the "bitter end" of the north island. They had recently sealed the road all the way to Cape Reinga which was good for me and the Orient Express. I was surprised at the beauty of the place when I finally got there. (but why would I be surprised in New Zealand??) I took a bunch of pics and headed back south to find a room and food.
I stopped at Mangonui after having it recommended by two guys on bikes that I had a beverage with on the way up. One fellow was riding a Triumph Tiger which I currently have on the radar screen for my dual sporting acquisition. I ran into two gentlemen who were apparently on a quick trip up the cape that had turned into an annual tradition. I had dinner with Graham and John (Bluenose fish and chips and two bottles of whine). We all had rooms at the Mangonui hotel and the nice owner let me lock the bike inside the compound. The town was still a fishing village and we contemplated going out on a 1 day charter but the weather was forecast for "nasty".

February 24, Thirstday. Graham, John and I had breakfast together and I headed south, riding around the coastline where I could. I did not get very far this day and ended up in Whangaroa. I found a great room to myself with a large window looking down on Whangaroa Harbor. I went down to the harbor for dinner and someone had a striped marlin hanging on the dock that weighed 104 kg. It was huge and I had never seen a fish this big (other than one mounted). I asked a fellow there if it was a large one and he said no. It was not uncommon for them to weigh 240 kg. They smoke the fish and its illegal to sell it. I was wanting some to sample but apparently you must have connections to get it.

February 25, TGIF? Not. I went down for breakfast and ran into Graham and John to my surprise. We chatted for a bit but no place was open for breakfast. Graham told me call him and he would host me for a night if I was in his neck of the woods. I took off looking for more bays and beaches and of course, food. I rode around Takou Bay and found a nice cafe in Kerikeri and the very tasty breakfast (including black pudding, which is some kind of blood sausage?) I left and wanted to go to Russell, which was an old whaling town with quite a reputation for bad men and brothels back in the day? It seemed quite benign now and I had to take a short ferry ride to get there. I rode on south and found a campground at Ruakaka beach on Bream Bay.

Saturday, February 26. I headed south to Wellsford and turned west to Helensville just to avoid the same track I made going north. I stopped at a MacDonalds to try to use their (useless) WI-FI and a fellow there told me I should ride up into the Waitakere Range and to a beach at Karekare and Piha. I was glad I met this guy because the beach and ride there was pretty nice. I had to walk a ways to the beach but when I got there I ran into a friendly officer of the local surf club. They happened to be cooking sausages on the grill and I asked if they were for sale. The man called Phil said no but we will give you one. I insisted on paying and he suggested I could donate to the cause of building a new surf club building. I made a donation and ate two sausages. Phil was informative about the area and in the end he offered to let me camp on his "paddock".
Which I did, and after setting up the tent, I hiked back down to the beach to watch the sunset.....very nice. I sleep well on the paddock with the wind blowing all night and I could still hear the waves crashing on the beach.

Sunday, February 27. I woke up shortly after sunrise and Phil came down and offered me breakfast in his house, which I could not refuse. His wife made bacon and breakfast fritters and it was all good. Phil let me use his computer and when I checked my mail I had a message from Graham telling me his address and with an invitation to come and visit his home. I tried to compensate with another donation for the surf club and rode back up to top of the Waitakere Range. As I was coming back into a town I was stopped by the police. They were doing a safety survey on motorcyclist and I pulled over and surrendered my license. The officer quickly got on his radio and began checking out the bike registration. This prompted questions about whose bike I was riding. I simply told the truth and they were very polite. They liked my safety gear and I passed their inspection with a perfect score of 21 of 21!! The officer gave me good directions to Graham's address and I was on my way. I had no difficulty finding Graham's house and he was pulling into his driveway when I called him. He had a very nice place on ten acres and we toured the grounds, sampled his fresh, off the tree, figs and headed out for a tour of Auckland in his car. I really enjoyed my stay with him, we seemed to have a lot in common on how we thought the world should be, and as an added bonus, he was an excellent cook!! Graham had lost his wife about 16 years ago and I could tell that she was sorely missed.

Monday, February 28. I left Graham's place and had to fight a little traffic coming into Auckland but it was not really bad. I had decided to head toward Ragland on the west coast for the night where I ended up in farm hostel with at least 5 Americans and one Canadian, one couple was from Idaho. The owners were friendly and they had wi-fi. I decided to cook in and made a quick trip to store. All is well and the bike drop off point is within a good days ride.

[Quasi]

hey Joe,
Another interesting write up.Good to hear about the continuation of your travels.
Finally - the road kill picture:eek:

[olegeezer]

hey Joe,
Another interesting write up.Good to hear about the continuation of your travels.
Finally - the road kill picture:eek:
Yea, its like the fun never stops!! May have to change my user name to "olebugger" :rolleyes:

[2wheeldrifter]

Hey Joe... that road kill is in good nick, you could of gotten a meal and made a hat from that one :)

Glad your still having a good time and you are feeding our night life while you sleep lol

Take care

[olegeezer]

2wheeler, you and Nutjob are the best cooks I know in Tokoroa!! (I won't tell anyone back home that Tokoroa is not a big place). I dont care where you got the chicken, it was good..........

[2wheeldrifter]

Yes.. yes was a good chicken,
Just tell em at home we have the best 4 legged chickens around!!

thats way we ate outside in the dark :)

[ducatigirl]

I still enjoy reading all about your adventures Joe. Keep safe ok.
Bi :msn-wink:

[olegeezer]

I still enjoy reading all about your adventures Joe. Keep safe ok.
Bi :msn-wink:
It's been a good ride. I enjoyed the company of all the riders I met. Fly home Sunday. New Zealand truly is a great travel destination! I got my molded ear plugs made here in Rotoroa and my possum wool sweater is about all the goods I will be exporting.
Ride Safe and thanks for waiting on the "Tank".

[Quasi]

Hey Joe,
it was lovely to meet with you and be able to share some of our gorgeous roads and country with you. The "Tank" held its on, and more importantly saw you safely on your travels
You are an inspiration to us all and a reminder that life is about living and giving:niceone:
There are many roads to travel and you are doing an outstanding job of travelling them and making new friends.
See you on your roads next time
Take care - Q
xx

[BMWST?]

seems like you been more places in my country than i have myself!Like your straightforward way of telling your story Joe.I hope we may meet again

[Hawkeye]

It's been a good ride. I enjoyed the company of all the riders I met. Fly home Sunday. New Zealand truly is a great travel destination! I got my molded ear plugs made here in Rotoroa and my possum wool sweater is about all the goods I will be exporting.
Ride Safe and thanks for waiting on the "Tank".

Glad you managed to get the plugs Joe. Stick them in your pocket for the flight home. You have inspired so many people on here. I hope we meet again. And next time, it's your turn to be the guide.
And remember.... Keep the rubber side down and the shiney side up. Safe journey and take care.

Kenny

[Highlander]

I'm sure you'll go home with good things to say about Kiwis and our little spot in the South Pacific, you relly sound like you have had a ball. Please be selective about who you tell, we don't want just anyone coming here and stuffing it up for us.

I was telling a friend about the bike swap thing, how did you and Shafty hook up? - Is there a bike swap type web site or was it a ST forum or something?

[olegeezer]

I'm sure you'll go home with good things to say about Kiwis and our little spot in the South Pacific, you relly sound like you have had a ball. Please be selective about who you tell, we don't want just anyone coming here and stuffing it up for us.

I was telling a friend about the bike swap thing, how did you and Shafty hook up? - Is there a bike swap type web site or was it a ST forum or something?

Jym, I know what you mean about keeping NZ a secret! But I know you don't want me to lie....... Shafty and I met after I posted my desire to swap. I posted on several rider forums, not sure which he responded to? You gotta figure anyone in the market for a rental would be interested if they don't mind pimping their bike......... I also know there are a lot of "garage queens" out there that need to be ridden and some people have them just sitting there and don't ride them for one reason or another. It boils down to a big trust issue and you can usually buy enough insurance to help with the event of an accident. I have done this twice (last year toured Europe on a similar thing). I want to make sure it works well so I can keep doing it, at least until some of the bucket list is satisfied.

Hawkeye, I would be honored to guide you around my neck of the woods, you just have to catch me at home. Thanks, again.

BMWST, really it's the same way back home. Sometimes we travel half way around the globe seeking something without fully exploring our own backyard.
You folks sure do have a beautiful backyard though.

Carla, thanks again for sharing your friends and home. It twas a pleasure.

I'm back in Taumarunui after a couple of good days coming from Rotoroa. More nice roads and good vibrations from the Orient Express/Sherman Tank.....
I camped last evening near Te Kuiti. The sky was clear and and I rolled the rain fly back on the tent so I could look up at the southern sky. It was nice to be able to see the stars with little back light. Who knows when or if ever, I will see it again? I did have the presence of mind to put the fly back on and at 3:18 am I woke up to a hard rain. It wasn't raining when I got up, so I packed the camp stuff and rode to breakfast in Te Kuiti. The ride down to Taumarunui was pleasant, good road, little traffic and you could ride with whatever amount of throttle you so chose. Then 5 km from town it started to rain again. I found a roof to park under and stepped inside a motorcycle dealership and began to lust over a new Yamaha Super Tenere they were preparing for some lucky owner. It makes you want to build a big garage and start a collection... The trip is done but will provide a lot of good memories until "oletimerz" sets in. How's that saying, "adventure before dementure"?

[nadroj]

I bet that new Yamaha Super Tenere was for Geoff, the owner of the Whangamomona pub. We met him test riding one in the Tangarakau gorge a couple of weeks ago.

[2wheeldrifter]

Oh well Joe... near home time, be good to get home where you can say the place names with ease... lol you did very well though.
All the best for your return home trip, keep us posted with your you tube vids.. boy you must have some hours worth there :)


wont give you a x like the girls did, but a hand shake dude

Take care Olegeezr :msn-wink:

Glen

[carver]

Ther are some great rides through the Hawkes baya nd Wairarapa that will take you on your way to Wellington. I have spare beds if you need to rest your weary head for the night on route

got a bed for me??

[Quasi]

got a bed for me??

hey mate - if you passing through, then theres a bed for you. Its even got an electirc blanket for you soft Orks

[carver]

hey mate - if you passing through, then theres a bed for you. Its even got an electirc blanket for you soft Orks

sweet, is that you in your profile pic?cant wait!

[Quasi]

lol - no - thats me daughter!!!!

[carver]

lol - no - thats me daughter!!!!

sweet, see you in the next few daze!

[Quasi]

i am sure i will be dazed after a visit from the preacher boy

[shafty]

I finally met Joe in person yesterday after flying to West Virginia - after a year of so arranging things online.

243315

After yesterday sorting out luggage, setting the GPS up and with Joe's help planning a nice route to BikeFest in Pennsylvania, I spent the first day riding his bike today, and will post a thread elsewhere once I am organised. Thanks Joe for your country hospitality - and it was fab seeing the brill photo's of your NZ trip - I could see your grin getting bigger and bigger while recalling your adventure!

Shafty

[Highlander]

You should tell him to come back and cover some of the roads he missed the first time round...

[Quasi]

I finally met Joe in person yesterday after flying to West Virginia - after a year of so arranging things online.

243315

After yesterday sorting out luggage, setting the GPS up and with Joe's help planning a nice route to BikeFest in Pennsylvania, I spent the first day riding his bike today, and will post a thread elsewhere once I am organised. Thanks Joe for your country hospitality - and it was fab seeing the brill photo's of your NZ trip - I could see your grin getting bigger and bigger while recalling your adventure!

Shafty

what a delight to see Joes happy face again.

[olegeezer]

what a delight to see Joes happy face again.
Yes, every time I think of the NZ tour I do smile. Even though I could not keep up with the Ducatis. Payback is hell though, Pete will have me ST for 6 weeks!!
I hope he enjoys mine as much as I enjoyed the Orient Express. I'm shopping hard for dual sport.

Highlander, if I return I will call you for another guided tour.

[Highlander]

Highlander, if I return I will call you for another guided tour.

Would be glad to.