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View Full Version : Good Friday Cruise - Whangamomona - National Park - Wanganui - Taranaki



DemonWolf
15th April 2006, 14:48
Got up in the morning, the darling missus will be out most of the day for a dance competition :2thumbsup so I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to go for a ride... but being a useless male, hadn't organised anything beforehand.. so I sent a couple txt's wondering if anyone wanted to go on a ride... no joy. Yep I'd left it too late and was on my own. ah well I thought surely there would already be people on the road riding so I might tag along with 'em.. no problems.

So kiss goodbye to the darling girl as she leaves.. with the list of jobs I have to do before I go! haha lucky me. I get the trusty TL out and polish up the pipes because they were looking mighty shabby from commuting 120k's a day in the wet last week.

So while polishing the can's up I'm thinking of possible routes to take.. Do I stick to the Northern Taranaki inland or the coast.. or do I go down Southern Taranaki inland or coast.. I was thinking Tarata - Purangi..

I quickly deal with the chore, making certain that I dont do anything else, because she will need to rant and rave when we get back home later that night.

Suit up and jump on the TL, noting I need fuel.. I think a quick blat on Egmont Rd to Egmont Village fuel up and decide where to from there. Passing 3 mile junction I see a biker get onto HW3a (Mountain Rd).. so I'm thinking.. should I follow? anyway I turn around at Big Jims (1Km or so past the turnoff) and nearly inglewood catch up to the biker, but they turn off in inglewood, and I decide to fuel up.

See a SV1000 roar past as I was about to leave, and the day brightens, thinking that they wont mind a taggler.. the SV1000 heads out on HW3 towards stratford, and we'll cruising nicely along... a very beautiful day to be out on a bike... unfortunately he pulls onto Monmouth Rd and since I take that road everyday to goto work, I'm in a split mind of playing down there.. anyway haven't made up my mine fully but head into stratford thinking I'll decide then.

Well looking towards Mt Ruapehu and that’s that.. beautiful vista, just breath taking. Taking the Forgotten Highway (HW43? Ohura Rd), a very good ride, two patches of new seal about 2-4k’s long each. Trying to get my lines smoother (which having less surging at 3-3.200 rpm I had more confidence in the bike) especially in the very tight and twisty stuff. The ride to the pub was great, 1 stuff up in a corner, riding slightly too hard and hot, slight lockup on the back (not too good on uneven surface but wasn’t a oh-shit moment) put me over centre line for a moment. Thought I handled it well enough but still think I can improve a fare amount on estimating and correcting corner speed (which brings up a question for the faster more confident guys out there.. When\if you have stuffed up and know your speed is too high for the corner, what goes through your minds to correct the mistake?

Anyway.. I get to the pub.. and no bikes, thought.. what a bummer.. now what. So I’m looking across the bridge and decide why the hell not.. Even with the knowledge that’s there’s 12-14k’s unseal road.. how bad could it be..! hah

Set off again, admiring the views… get up a ridge and there’s a café (though not open) with a beautiful view of Mt Ruapehu and the surrounding landscape.. absolutely breath-taking (now I was really cursing myself for not taking along the camera!) down the valley and along abit the gravel starts.. not too bad, hard packed and without any really loose metal. 10k’s later and I’m starting to regret the decision, very loose gravel with a few judder-bar type potholes and the bikes telling me its not liking it either.. Two front wheel slip outs and I’m nerviously going along in first gear @ 30-40k’s whereas I was happy puttering along in 2nd gear @ 50-60k’s; the last 5k’s or so and my wrists, butt and legs aren’t happy… but are glad that the seal is back. Ripping up the road I start to enjoy the scenery again.. careful to watch out for the odd car that likes to travel down the middle of the road.

I take a pit stop at the rest stop opposite Otunui South Rd.. and stretch the very cramped legs\hips and wrists. After about 5-10mins jump on the bike and rip-roar to Taumarunui (approx 12 litres later) pull up to the service station because theres a Yamaha YZF Supersport fueling up. Get off and have a chin-wag - Jase(I think) from New Plymouth (just came around the coast route) heading towards Ohakune; asked if I could tag along.. and its all go! Fuel up and then a HP pulls into the service station. Though that had nothing to do why my bike wouldn’t start.. and I’m sitting there like a right royal twat trying to get the bike going.. check the stand.. yep that’s in.. not in gear anyway.. display has check on it.. and the oil light is on.. so I switch it off and try again.. nope.. same thing.. get off bike and tilt and yep there’s oil. Grrr.. get on try turn ignition off and on.. 20seconds from jumping on and trying to start the bike, I FINALLY noticed the kill switch is on… What felt like a good minute of embarrassing twattism, flick the kill switch, start the bike.. and we’ll OFF! Phew was panicking. Left home @ 11ish, fueled up at Ingelwood @ 11:03 with 14.82 Litres of pure (with additives) 09 Ultra @ 1.599 $/L, fueled up again with 12.22 Litres of P07 Unleaded @ 1.61 $/L 1:29pm (2 ½ hours).

Heading to National park, and the YZF is putting on a good pace, enough to chew through the kilometers, traffic isn’t too bad… See some bikers at a rest area before Pokaka (where the 35k corner is in the gully… can’t recall the place name, where the rail bridge spans the gully) anyway, give them a wave.. Some friendly bikers notify that there’s a few police about, found them with a car pulled over at the Ohakune turn-off, and give jace a wave and continue on my way, the group of bikers are behind us and continue along after me, though they pull up at Raetihi and I’m all geared up to tackle the para’s ? (SHW 4) only a couple rough patches, resealing etc, so I’m practicing my lines and cornering and I catch up to a line of 4 cars, I can see that the two at the back are edgy to pass but the person up front is blissfully ignoring ? the queue behind them.. it kinda irks me that people can’t be considerate and pull over to let others pass safely; well anyway I roar past without another thought haha and continue to practice corning speed, which is sometimes really off-putting when there’s ruts, ridges and gullies mid-corner.. pull into wanganui and stall the bike at the round-about.. doh! Witnesses, another biker on a GSF Bandit (I think) and a scooter.. pull into a service station 10.75 Litres @ 1.619 $/L a steak chees pie $1.99 and 250ml Ribena $1.49 .. check the cellphone and have 3 txts from my sweetie, 3 of them are where are you, so I tell her I’m at wanga and she text’s back “O.M.G. I was panicing! Wil u cum 2 dancing?” leave at 3:22pm (Taumarunui to Wanganui in under 2 hours) get into New Plymouth @ 5:05pm and collapse at the TSB centre aching.

Overal a great 6 hour ride, though the TL isn’t suited for those distance’s in the real tight and twisty stuff, quite enjoyable (except for the body!)

soundbeltfarm
16th April 2006, 12:10
soundslike a good ride man.

Racey Rider
16th April 2006, 12:40
Had to get the map out to follow that one. :2thumbsup
I can imagine 6 hours of ride time is surly a good test of Man and machine on those roads. Good effort.
Thanks for the text, sorry I couldn't join you.

I'm hoping for good weather next Saturday (23rd) for a ride to Wanganui, then back on the round the Mountain (HW45) route. Will stick a thread up closer to the day if weather is good.

Cheers.
Racey

nadroj
16th April 2006, 17:49
Went with Pritch, Tim & wife on the same roads to the cafe at Tahora saddle today. Most of the loose metal has disappeared & the only forced stop was a passenger train that stopped across the main road at Whanga for passengers to have a stroll up to the pub. Ten minutes waiting & we headed to the cafe in time to see the train heading into the tunnel beneath us. A bite for lunch with the crew featured in the latest Kiwi Rider mag then cruised into Tahora 'township' before heading back home.

DemonWolf
17th April 2006, 10:11
Nadroj, Sorry I missed that ride guys... was tied up... Great views eh. Hows the food at the cafe?

Hitcher
17th April 2006, 15:50
How to make a Taranaki boy jealous. Well done.