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Motu
12th April 2004, 22:05
Being self employed I don't have many holidays,and those I do I don't get paid for - but we all gotta have time off sometime eh? I've been under a lot of stress lately and am bone tired....and being only human,the best way to solve that is to do something stressful,and wear myself out.....here's how I did it....

For the past few years we've been spending Easter at a friends place in Opunake,my kids thinks it's just what we do,so that's what we do....the 7 of us desend on her house for 4 days - she's as layed back as me,apart from making sleeping arangments,no other consesions are made for visitors,if you don't like her ways you can just fuck off,but hey...we just fit right in.Close friends are like that...family.

The weather forcast didn't look too good thurs night,that satelite map was nasty,but friday morning was sunny with a few clouds and showers around,the satelite map showed nearly clear over the North Island - lookin good! So I pulled the liner out of my trou,but left it in my jacket along with most of the cold/wet gear I was going to wear...but,I had got some Spidi over boots to go over my leaky boots,they just fill with water in the rain.Clear skys to the south,a rain squall to the north,but I'm going south,so left them off.Two km down the road and the squall runs me down - sitting in pouring rain in Avondale my boots fill with water...shit!,I'm pissed off! the rest of the day with wet feet,oh wizz oh joy.Down the motorway to Bombay - I should type 4 pages of boring drivel just to set the mood,but most Auckland riders have done it - sucks!!!!!

Off at Bombay and down to Tuakau,I stop at the bridge and put on my overboots - a good move,because that means it doesn't rain for the rest of the day! Onto SH22 - a lot of you do this road often,but not like I do it...I'm riding a 1992 XT400,with Kenda K760s,these are one of the most aggressive street legal knobs you can get,I have more air under me than rubber! the side knobs are 15mm square and over 50mm apart,not a hell of there when it's leaned over.This requires different skills to ride - and the roads are wet,I'm going to be on edge the whole way.No dramas down 22,a few turkeys on the road,split a flock and wonder where they will go.Turn off to Te Uku and do my first gravel - the virgin overboots are lookin a mess,covered in mud...oh well,they're doing the job at least,just not what the designer had in mind!

Turn right at Te Uku and head towards Raglan,then turn off to Bridal Veil Falls,this turns into the Kawhia road and when I come to the gravel I see a sign - road closed 18 April for WRC!!! WOO HOOO!!! I'm gunna do a section of the WRC all by myself! This has never been a good road,it's always in a mess,and today is no exception.My main concern is meeting someone doing a rekky for the rally,this is supposed to be on the 15th,but someone might be doing a sneaky preveiw - lucky DebK is in Queenstown for Easter,I'd like to meet her,just not today! My biggest worry is meeting a rally wannabe...and I see the road cut up on my corner entries,this means someone has been booting a car out of corners,but mid corner and corner entry are clean...definatly a wannabe,I hope they don't come down the road again.I meet a pilot vehicle and as I'm looking for a place to pull over the transporter with an overwide digger comes around a corner,lucky I'm on a bike,I just squeeze by without going off road.You don't want to do that around here - so many slips,they are everywhere,huge ones - my whole trip down I see slips,the result of our ''summer''.The lowloader has made a mess of the road,it's just turned to mud,but we are a good team...no worries.

We come out on the road to Kawhia and turn left,past Oparau we turn right again and go around the south of Kawhia Harbour,carry on to Te Anga where I turn left towards Waitomo - normaly I go to Marakopa and come out at Awakino,but today is a new plan.I next turn towards PioPio and onto some more gravel.At PioPio it's a refuel for body and bike - I'm liking my 20litre Acerbis tank,that's 300km on 13 liters,I can go forever.

I cross SH3 and head to Aria and then Ohura,another nice gravel road for me,finaly onto SH43,through the Tangarakau Gorge,the Moki tunnel and the rest of the Forgotten Highway - Whangamomona Pub is closed,but get the compulsory photo of the bike outside the pub.This is such a great road,the XLV750 loves it,just lunges up those saddles,but the XT is kinda hampered by those tyres in the wet.I cross SH3 again at Statford and run down to Opunake,the mountain to my right - I can feel him breathing cold air down my back.Down the ring plain the bike feels like it's running home - so do I,I like it here and enjoy coming ''home''

In the gate 9.5 hrs and 500km later,the bike looks like it's been around the world,my wife and two boys are already there,they came down on thurs,my elder daughter and her boyfriend with the younger daughter driving turn up half an hour later - but they left home 3 hrs after me!

The return home.....I take a slightly different route home,up to Stratford and SH43,but at Ohura I turn left and head to Ahititi.I went from Tahora to Ahititi with Vege and Stu last year and have done the Moki road too,but never Ohura/Ahititi,so today is the day.A nice gravel road,but some major road works had me standing on the pegs - the slips are huge in here,some I reckon caused by new road works to do sealing,the new cuttings just fell away.Kinda scary in parts,the top of the slips are overhung,trees and soil just waiting for a noisy bike to start an avalanche.Every river I see has massive bank damage,they were so high they just fell apart,old mature trees are now just a few metres from the river,a good wind will blow them over.Yes,our summer storms were truly a disaster,this is the first time this city boy has seen the extent of the damage,in the back country where no one goes.

Onto SH3 at Ahititi....oh no! cars!!! I haven't had to deal with these things for days,what a hassle,wish I had the XLV750 to just clean them up,but the XT400 requires more pactience.At Awakino I turn left onto the Marakopa road,but again I'm not going there - I want to try a new road to me...I never even knew it existed.This is a road that is on the other side of the Awakino Gorge - a big warning sign says narrow twisty not recomened - oh yeah! bring it on! Not a road traveled much alright,we get up real high,absolutly stunning views,the road just a single lane,but in pretty good nick.One must be careful and keep the eyes open....fresh cow poo,I can still smell it,gunna be some cows around,sure enough I find them.....more fresh poo,big sheep poo,kinda odd - yeah I find them too,maybe 8 rams - full horns,the works,never come across these things before,but they are just sheep.This road brings me back onto SH3 at Mahoenui and I join the cars again for the trip to PioPio,where I refuel body and bike again...then retrace my route back to Auckland.

We won't go into the trials and tribulations of the rest of my ride - gravel,wet roads,tired,sore,enjoying myself.600 km and 10hrs home.

Sorry for the long story,but I wanted to show you what other people do - I feel I am doing this all by myself,but I know there are others who also like to travel roads less known,see other parts of our country that are not seen from the main roads.To me a trip like this is using and adding to my skills as a rider,I am constantly learning,extending myself,applying my skills to the utmost - riding a dirt bike on knobby tyres 1100km on rough sometimes wet and mostly unknown roads is a real test of my ability,stamina,surface reading skills,you name it - I did it.I didn't crash,had no heart stopping moments,in complete control of bike and all situations....a very satisfactory trip.

A special thanks to my bike...hey,I kinda like you y'know,I think we'll get along just fine,you n me.

k14
12th April 2004, 22:25
Good stuff motu, sounds like a bit of fun. Glad you had a good weekend.

Yamahamaman
12th April 2004, 22:27
the 7 of us desend on her house for 4 days -
I took a more direct route to Okato (as I would, not being sufficiently equipped for your alternative route), but what about the other 6?

Motu
13th April 2004, 17:09
Some pics - road closed for rally,compulsory Moki Tunnel and Fonga pub pics.

Didn't see many bikes - a bunch of cruisers went north as I was feeding my face in PioPio,a couple of sports bikes on the Taumaranui/Ohura road and about half a doz spread out on SH43 - I waved to the first 4 with no result,the 5th gave a ''oh well,you waved at me,so I guess I better acknowledge your existance'' the rest I didn't wave at,got none either....WTF is it with you sports bike riders? You bleat and moan that nobody waves to you...oh,but we don't wave at Harleys,or BMWs,or Classics,or scooters,or dirt bikes - come on guys,get real....so you've lost me,no more waves from that stuck up prick on the dirt bike.On the way home a red Daytona and a red Harley parked next to me in PioPio,the Harley rider had a talk,but I don't think he cottened on to where I had been.

Saw heaps of road side wildlife - harriers,pheasants,cows sheep,goats,turkeys,all fairly normal gravel road fare,but a few stand out...saw some black goats leaping about on the side of the road,so I was watching them,as I went past in the corner of my eye I saw one getting ready to jump down the bank on my left - lucky they are smart.The rams with the full headgear were something new.Went down the road with a parekeet flying in front of me,nice.Could of plucked harriers and pheasants out of the air they were so close,could of kicked sheep fair up the arse they were so close.

Kids,gotta love em - at Tahora one on a tree wheeler with extra outrigger wheels,somewhere a kid on a step through - we gave each other big arm pumping waves,he's hooked,we're gonna see him on a bike I bet.

Negatives? nah,none that I noticed....oh,the seat - the bikes or mine,one of them is not made for long hauls.

claire
13th April 2004, 17:55
Sounds like you had a great ride to the 'naki. Being from down there I usually take a more direct route but you needed to de-stress - hope it worked. Hope the weather wasn't too cold down there

Claire

Hitcher
13th April 2004, 18:40
Ah, nostalgia... I love those King Country and Taranaki roads! I never thought that the Whanga pub ever closed -- that photo may prove to be a collector's item!

As a former Taranaki boy I have become somewhat homesick after reading this. Maybe I should get an adventure bike so that I can ride the gravel... (Hmmm, Cagiva Navigator, comfy seat...)

750Y
13th April 2004, 18:50
good write up. went to Taranaki for easter also, haven't seen that tunnel for a while.

Motu
13th April 2004, 23:22
The best part of the trip?....coming home and finding that my daughter had stopped off at the Urenui Brewry and picked me up a case of Mikes Mild Ale - good on ya girl!

Oscar
14th April 2004, 09:29
Hey Motu...are you up fer Lost Weekend II?
Coming soon...

vifferman
14th April 2004, 09:47
Great write-up, Motu! Thanx for sharing the experience. :2thumbsup

Looking at the picture of the mud on the bike, your boots and legs must've been quite a sight!

Motu
14th April 2004, 13:26
Hey Motu...are you up fer Lost Weekend II?
Coming soon...

Sign me up!

You doing WRC this year? I was hoping to go this year,but we have the Franklin Cup on sunday and so many other things to do they are going to spill onto saturday,the price of going away for Easter.

LB
15th April 2004, 05:21
Great write-up Motu. I can see that one day before I die I am going to have to get an on/off road bike so I can easily do some of these roads. Have done SH43 several times on my road bikes, but not sure I'd tackle some of the others you did on my Monster.

Catch you on the 23rd.

Hitcher
15th April 2004, 08:44
Great write-up Motu. I can see that one day before I die I am going to have to get an on/off road bike so I can easily do some of these roads. Have done SH43 several times on my road bikes, but not sure I'd tackle some of the others you did on my Monster.

Catch you on the 23rd.

Lynda, does that really say 5:21am at the top of your message??? What sort of inhumane hour of the day is that? Do sparrows really fart? I was still carving corners on my dream bike at that time!

Oscar
15th April 2004, 10:30
Sign me up!

You doing WRC this year? I was hoping to go this year,but we have the Franklin Cup on sunday and so many other things to do they are going to spill onto saturday,the price of going away for Easter.


Yeah I'm gonna go out to the WRC on Sunday.
LWII will prolly be the last one in reverse - so you get to go down those hills...

LB
16th April 2004, 05:33
Lynda, does that really say 5:21am at the top of your message??? What sort of inhumane hour of the day is that? Do sparrows really fart? I was still carving corners on my dream bike at that time!
Yeah, 'fraid so. It's my dairy farming upbringing.......
(besides, Hamish is still asleep and doesn't know what I post on this site so I can flirt with all you guys before I go to work!!)

Hitcher
16th April 2004, 08:43
Yeah, 'fraid so. It's my dairy farming upbringing.......
(besides, Hamish is still asleep and doesn't know what I post on this site so I can flirt with all you guys before I go to work!!)

5:33am -- did you have a wee sleep in this morning??

LB
17th April 2004, 04:20
Does this make up for it? And no, it's not a pee stop - up early so we can head away to Manfeild by 6am

(with abject apologies to Motu for hijacking this thread: Motu - it's all Hitcher's fault!!)