Ride Report Pukemanu Adventure Ride 2014

[merv]

Well the ride has been and gone and unlike last time it did not rain hard the night before or during the event, so this year we had to contend with dust. That just required regular stops to clean our visors and all the route was rideable with no need to use any wet weather short cuts.

Thanks to Bill Biber, Iona and the rest of the crew for once again putting on a great event.

I took my nice little 2004 Yamaha WR250F which I first bought before the 2004 Pukemanu so the bike is now 10 years old and still enjoys these rides. I rode with Aslan (DR650SE) and Pampera (DR350SE). The DR350SE is my brother's old bike still going strong after my brother's passing 5 years ago. Pampera has added a few goodies to it since like a big tank.

Here's a few photos for you, you might recognise some people.

First pic I'm about to leave the motel. I've been a trailer faggot and not a tent camping kind of guy since the beginning and proud of it lol. The next few pics are at the Martinborough Rugby Club facility where the ride was based this year.

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[merv]

The next set of pics are when we are about to leave and then out on the trail.


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[merv]

The sun was low early on and the dust was already up - no dew on the ground.


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[merv]

We went to Tuturumuri School for morning tea and ran into other fellow adventurers like Oscar and 4skins. Then it was off out to the coast at Tora.


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[pete376403]

Indeed a great ride and thanks to all who made it happen. fekin windy though - the bike was blown off the sidestand twice as many times as I fell off.

did you get confused at instruction 23 and go up the hill to a water tank? Looking at the route sheet now perhaps the "turn to the right" graphic could have been more toward 90 degrees. As it is now it looks like a gentle 20 -30 degree turn . Never mind, the sweep riders sorted that out.

[merv]

Yes pete early on riders had tried going two different ways and when they turn around and come back towards you, you figure they must know what they are doing, but that's not always the case and the way we went first was the right one but we wasted about half an hour or more before that got sorted and on we went.

From Tora we did a nice steep climb section and then met up with a few more people at a checkpoint including Brenda Keogh and friends and 4skins again.


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[merv]

Then it was off round the White Rock coast. We met Re-cycled helping as an organiser and then it was onto the farm and up that nice little steep hill and out onto the shingle fan. All good fun and not a place we go often these days since the owner closed it off.


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[merv]

More pics as we traversed the coast towards Cape Palliser.


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[merv]

Yeah talk about wind, especially as we left Cape Palliser and headed towards Ngawi - the wind blew the gravel off the road on a rise clean into our faces and I had fine gravel all over and in my helmet - it went through the vents and into what's left of my hair even.

The pics show my buddies arriving at Cape Palliser, and then we went on to do a little loop up the hill where some advice was given at the gate even if the spelling wasn't great. Then it was onto the lunch break at the Putangirua Pinnacles carpark.


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[merv]

After lunch we went through a farm over the back way to Pirinoa and then I was able to fuel up at Pirinoa Store. Up until that point we had done about 150kms which had put my bike on reserve and I'd used 9 litres of my 11 litre tank. Some guys had run out of fuel before this and we saw a bike being towed.

We then went into Pirinoa Station and ended up doing quite a bit of riding along the Ruamahanga River stopbank. Then it was back to Martinborough after going up Dry River Road, Blue Rock Road and Ruakokoputuna Rd, Whiterock Road and Te Muna Road.

I took one party photo at the end as well. Part of the deal is to have a buffet dinner at the finish and then a few prizes are given out. Some of the walking wounded got a mention and I never won anything so luckily this means I didn't do anything too memorable on the day.

Thanks again to the organising team.


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[Aslan]

you're a champion! great write up - top pics and great company

I hope to be able to do the next Pukemanu ADV - a top ride

Cheers Aslan :Punk:

[pete376403]

Does anyone else recall that the Puke, the CCA and THAT (The Horowhenua Adventure tour) were going to be a series, one per year (ie three years between each Puke, for example)?

I did THAT ride (got the badge, so not imagining it) Started from way out the back of Levin, went up as far as Ekatuhuna. Would be nice to see it resurrected.


For those of you who didn't take the wrong turn at instruction 23, this is the view you missed...:laugh:

[oneblackflag]

Nice report :niceone:

Must get out on one of these rides.

[Grizzo]

Looks like all had a blast:niceone:

Would love to give this dirty adventure thing a go one of these days!

[merv]

Does anyone else recall that the Puke, the CCA and THAT (The Horowhenua Adventure tour) were going to be a series, one per year (ie three years between each Puke, for example)?

I did THAT ride (got the badge, so not imagining it) Started from way out the back of Levin, went up as far as Ekatuhuna. Would be nice to see it resurrected. :laugh:

Hi Pete, the Pukemanu started in 1991 and I missed it I'm guessing through lack of advertising when they were new.

I read about it afterwards in KiwiRider so made sure I was there for the 1992 ride. I have it as follows for adventure rides here in the lower North Island and someone can correct me if I've got them wrong but these are the ones I attended:

1992 Pukemanu - Martinborough
1994 Pukemanu - Martinborough.
1995 The Horowhenua Adventure Tour (THAT Ride) - based outside of Levin.
1996 Takahe Ride - Gladstone.
1998 (March) THAT II - based outside Levin.
1998 (April) Next Ride - Gladstone.
2001 (February) Kerosene Ridge Ride - Masterton.
2001 (April) Capital Coast - Porirua (Police College).
2003 Capital Coast - Porirua (Police College).
2004 Pukemanu - Martinborough
2006 Capital Coast - Plimmerton.
2008 Capital Coast - Plimmerton.
2010 Capital Coast - Plimmerton.
2011 Pukemanu - Martinborough.
2014 Pukemanu - Martinborough (this time at the Rugby Club and not at Pukemanu pub.

Not really a regular pattern but I am thankful for those that did organise them to give me the opportunity to ride over the properties they secured.

[pampa]

nice write and pics :yes: thanks for sharing

[merv]

Oscar, are you okay if I add the link to your photos?

http://oscar.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Pukemanu-2014/i-QMgQ9VL

[Oscar]

Oscar, are you okay if I add the link to your photos?

http://oscar.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Pukemanu-2014/i-QMgQ9VL

No problem.
Those pics are all from 4skins.

[merv]

OK thanks to 4skins for that set of photos.

[shafty]

Cheers for the write up and pics Merv, well done

I've recently added a DR400 to the garage, just need to master it now

Interesting to note from your pics that the average age of riders seems late 40s/ early 50s ?

Shafty

[c00ps]

Thanks for your report and photos, especially the scenic panorama's .. moi was so busy keeping the PD under control there wasn't a thought given to stopping, let alone scenery. Altogether a great ADV ride, fitting for the 'Legendary' status of Pukemanu!

c00ps
BMWR100GSPD

Puke 91, 92, 11, 14 (I think ... well that's all the badges I can find anyway) :woohoo:

[merv]

Interesting to note from your pics that the average age of riders seems late 40s/ early 50s ?
Shafty

Sadly that is motorcycling these days. The youth of today just aren't into them like we are - all they need is their phone.

Its probably all the same guys that were there for the rides from 1991 on, now 20+ years older.

If you haven't seen them yet there is a whole lot of photos up on the Pukemanu Facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/PukemanuAdventureRide you might spot yourself there somewhere.

[pete376403]

Cheers for the write up and pics Merv, well done

I've recently added a DR400 to the garage, just need to master it now

Interesting to note from your pics that the average age of riders seems late 40s/ early 50s ?

Shafty
I'd guess the average is even older than that. First thing my wife said on seeing the photos of the rider briefing - "look at all the grey hairs / no hairs"

[merv]

If you are interested here is my GPS track from the ride. We had that interesting delay in the morning which for me, Aslan and Pampera had us going the right way until we met the mob coming back at a gate heading off back and then the other way. We assumed they knew what they were doing so went back with them - should have just stayed on our own track and not assumed anything eh. We took the other little detour here and there to stop of for the view but the basic track is obvious from this in Google Earth view.

[Oscar]

The ride report is in Kiwi Rider this month.
Despite the Magazine's credit, none of the pics are mine, they are either 4skins or from the organisers.

[merv]

The ride report is in Kiwi Rider this month.
Despite the Magazine's credit, none of the pics are mine, they are either 4skins or from the organisers. Thanks and yes it is always good to see other people's photos and stories. I appeared partly obscured in one pic in the mag but that's cool.