longwayfromhome
2nd September 2013, 12:07
Hi there
Want to take the wife to the Cape soon, so took the opportunity of a free weekend to do a scouting trip. I have previously only been to Russell on the main drag when I had the LT. Since I have had the GT I have only been south. Overall, it was a terrific weekend and shows what great riding we have so close. To me the North Island is a weekend riding dream.
The question I have is, as a first cut at the north, what else do I need to see? I'm not trying just to tick a list, but it does behove me to have made an attempt at seeing the most obvious stuff. The things I know I have missed are:
. the Oakura loop out from Russell,
. the Tutakaka loop out from Whangarei.
Fri arvo: Auckland to Rawene
1N to Whangarei
14W to Maungatapere
North on Mangakahia Rd to Kaikohe
12W to Rawene
Comments:
. By seeing a car that I had passed on the 1 ahead of me again on the Mangakahia Rd, I realised that there is a short cut that takes out Whangarei. I think it must be at Otaika, thru Otaika Valley to Maungatapere. Does anyone know if it is sealed all/most of the way? The 2nd ed. NZ Motorcycling Atlas I have shows it as largely unsealed.
. I thought the Mangakahia Rd was terrific. Not winding so much as very clean (the whole weekend the roads were amazingly clean), empty (same thing, the whole weekend), good place to blow out the cobwebs after Auckland and the drag on the 1 north.
. Had a splurge and stayed at The Postmaster's Hotel in Rawene. Very flash, best B&B I've stayed in, probably anywhere. The Waterside Café is open Friday nights as well now, so some treats there.
. Poor old Kaikohe, she's looking pretty run-down these days.
. Timing: Left at 3pm, finished just before 6pm.
Saturday: Rawene to Kerikeri via the Cape
N to Ahipara/Kaitaia
1N to Cape Reinga
1S to 10E to Kerikeri...extra loops on the way were...
Taupo Bay
Whangaroa and out to see the Cavalli Islands
Comments:
. Timing...caught the 8.45 ferry, got a coffee in Kohukohu, at the Cape at 11:45, a nice long lunch in Taipa and then finished the day about 5pm in Kerikeri.
. The western road through Broadwood to Ahipara and Kaitaia was a classic NZ road, again surprising clean (by clean I mean gravel mainly, but also cowshit).
. I had expected the run up to the Cape to be flat and ordinary (like south of Dargaville), but was surprised at a really nice run, plenty of variety, some memorable views.
. I'll have to bring a wheelchair for the wife as the walk from the carpark to the lighthouse is too far, but that view and the sense of distance... really special and worth a trip any day of the week. Up and back in a day from Auckland if desperate for a nice long ride is very realistic.
. Curry for dinner in Kerikeri... heaven!
Sunday: Kerikeri to Auckland via west coast
W to 1 near Okaihau
1N to Kaitaia
S through Ahipara and Broadwood to Kohukohu
12S to Dargaville
14E to Snooks Rd
S thru Maungakaramea to Paparoa
12E to 1S to Wellsford
16S to Kaukapakapa
Dairy Flat to Takapuna
Comments:
. Heard a lot about the Mangamuka Gorge, it didn't disappoint - lovely to get the bike revving out in 2nd, though I am a bit rusty and a bit jerky through lack of practice like that. There was one car on the wrong side on the way up, avoided OK, but glad I missed the 3x boy racers just entering on the northern end as I exited towards Kaitaia.
. I try and avoid running the same road on a trip, but the Broadwood road was even better coming from the north for some reason, perhaps because it was completely deserted, everyone being at Father's Day events.
. And talking of Father's Day, I was surprised at the # of small towns where there seemed to be Father's Day events in local halls with lots of attendees. Haven't seen that before (there again, not often out riding by myself on Father's Day!).
. Wanted to avoid the flat country south of Dargaville, so 14E and decided to try the road south to Paparoa. That was pretty good as well. I was really getting into it by now, the Gorge and Broadwood roads had done that, so gave it a caning (well, for me anyway).
. Finished off with a run down the old 16, a great road to have so close to home.
. Timing: not sure what time I started, I know it was pretty late, like 10 am. Had a long lunch at Kohukohu (the pub there has an excellent café), and with a lost 45 minutes around the top of the Paparoa road where I refused to read the signs and did some gravel travel, I was back in Taka at 6pm. If I had been gone at 8am I would have had a go at the Oakura loop as well.
Bike: K1200GT went very well, pretty easy going for it, sitting on 1/2 revs most of the weekend in 4th mainly but 3 & 5 as well and 2nd in the Gorge for fun. Grunt is so good you can sit in 4th (or 5th or even 6th) for hours if you don't watch it. On a bike like this with plenty of torque, I tend to sometimes find myself slightly over-geared, it smooths out my riding. The P3 tyres... jury out on those, jumped sideways a few times I didn't appreciate, the slippery shiney tar in the wet (it did rain a bit, particularly Sat arvo) got the handling a bit side-to-side once or twice and somehow I thought the P3's would do better, but I may be asking too much of them.
I have had some great rides recently, the Gentle Annie and the Forgotten World highway, as well as my favourite East Cape, but Northland was something special.
Want to take the wife to the Cape soon, so took the opportunity of a free weekend to do a scouting trip. I have previously only been to Russell on the main drag when I had the LT. Since I have had the GT I have only been south. Overall, it was a terrific weekend and shows what great riding we have so close. To me the North Island is a weekend riding dream.
The question I have is, as a first cut at the north, what else do I need to see? I'm not trying just to tick a list, but it does behove me to have made an attempt at seeing the most obvious stuff. The things I know I have missed are:
. the Oakura loop out from Russell,
. the Tutakaka loop out from Whangarei.
Fri arvo: Auckland to Rawene
1N to Whangarei
14W to Maungatapere
North on Mangakahia Rd to Kaikohe
12W to Rawene
Comments:
. By seeing a car that I had passed on the 1 ahead of me again on the Mangakahia Rd, I realised that there is a short cut that takes out Whangarei. I think it must be at Otaika, thru Otaika Valley to Maungatapere. Does anyone know if it is sealed all/most of the way? The 2nd ed. NZ Motorcycling Atlas I have shows it as largely unsealed.
. I thought the Mangakahia Rd was terrific. Not winding so much as very clean (the whole weekend the roads were amazingly clean), empty (same thing, the whole weekend), good place to blow out the cobwebs after Auckland and the drag on the 1 north.
. Had a splurge and stayed at The Postmaster's Hotel in Rawene. Very flash, best B&B I've stayed in, probably anywhere. The Waterside Café is open Friday nights as well now, so some treats there.
. Poor old Kaikohe, she's looking pretty run-down these days.
. Timing: Left at 3pm, finished just before 6pm.
Saturday: Rawene to Kerikeri via the Cape
N to Ahipara/Kaitaia
1N to Cape Reinga
1S to 10E to Kerikeri...extra loops on the way were...
Taupo Bay
Whangaroa and out to see the Cavalli Islands
Comments:
. Timing...caught the 8.45 ferry, got a coffee in Kohukohu, at the Cape at 11:45, a nice long lunch in Taipa and then finished the day about 5pm in Kerikeri.
. The western road through Broadwood to Ahipara and Kaitaia was a classic NZ road, again surprising clean (by clean I mean gravel mainly, but also cowshit).
. I had expected the run up to the Cape to be flat and ordinary (like south of Dargaville), but was surprised at a really nice run, plenty of variety, some memorable views.
. I'll have to bring a wheelchair for the wife as the walk from the carpark to the lighthouse is too far, but that view and the sense of distance... really special and worth a trip any day of the week. Up and back in a day from Auckland if desperate for a nice long ride is very realistic.
. Curry for dinner in Kerikeri... heaven!
Sunday: Kerikeri to Auckland via west coast
W to 1 near Okaihau
1N to Kaitaia
S through Ahipara and Broadwood to Kohukohu
12S to Dargaville
14E to Snooks Rd
S thru Maungakaramea to Paparoa
12E to 1S to Wellsford
16S to Kaukapakapa
Dairy Flat to Takapuna
Comments:
. Heard a lot about the Mangamuka Gorge, it didn't disappoint - lovely to get the bike revving out in 2nd, though I am a bit rusty and a bit jerky through lack of practice like that. There was one car on the wrong side on the way up, avoided OK, but glad I missed the 3x boy racers just entering on the northern end as I exited towards Kaitaia.
. I try and avoid running the same road on a trip, but the Broadwood road was even better coming from the north for some reason, perhaps because it was completely deserted, everyone being at Father's Day events.
. And talking of Father's Day, I was surprised at the # of small towns where there seemed to be Father's Day events in local halls with lots of attendees. Haven't seen that before (there again, not often out riding by myself on Father's Day!).
. Wanted to avoid the flat country south of Dargaville, so 14E and decided to try the road south to Paparoa. That was pretty good as well. I was really getting into it by now, the Gorge and Broadwood roads had done that, so gave it a caning (well, for me anyway).
. Finished off with a run down the old 16, a great road to have so close to home.
. Timing: not sure what time I started, I know it was pretty late, like 10 am. Had a long lunch at Kohukohu (the pub there has an excellent café), and with a lost 45 minutes around the top of the Paparoa road where I refused to read the signs and did some gravel travel, I was back in Taka at 6pm. If I had been gone at 8am I would have had a go at the Oakura loop as well.
Bike: K1200GT went very well, pretty easy going for it, sitting on 1/2 revs most of the weekend in 4th mainly but 3 & 5 as well and 2nd in the Gorge for fun. Grunt is so good you can sit in 4th (or 5th or even 6th) for hours if you don't watch it. On a bike like this with plenty of torque, I tend to sometimes find myself slightly over-geared, it smooths out my riding. The P3 tyres... jury out on those, jumped sideways a few times I didn't appreciate, the slippery shiney tar in the wet (it did rain a bit, particularly Sat arvo) got the handling a bit side-to-side once or twice and somehow I thought the P3's would do better, but I may be asking too much of them.
I have had some great rides recently, the Gentle Annie and the Forgotten World highway, as well as my favourite East Cape, but Northland was something special.