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View Full Version : My Easter Sunday Ramble.



Motu
17th April 2006, 15:51
I went for a ride Easter Sunday,glorious weather,and a time to do just what I want,go where my nose takes me...I actualy had to stop at an intersection for a few mintutes to decide where to head - north to ride roads I know well,or south to explore new roads.South it was.

I wasn't too sure what my riding mood was going to be,was it going to be a nana day,or would I push the boundries of sensable behaviour? As I hit the gravel on the trig road over to SH22 it's had a work over and is covered in fine loose gravel - at a touch of throttle the DT230 is wheelspining and sideways....uh huh,it's going to be one of those days eh,I'm going to enjoy this.

At the first patch of gravel on the lower 22 heading to Te Uku I come across a mob of new shorn sheep going down the road.I stop by the farmer with his quad and he says ''Just go down the outside'',so I do,but I don't know if he's too pleased with the way I break them up.A bit further and a WWII army Jeep comes the other way - heaps of them! Jeep after Jeep,with the odd army Landrover,International,GMC and Dodge,a Chev Quad,ambulances,a whole army minus guns.I wonder where they are going,it's tempting to follow them...on the way back I found they were on a farm near by,a great Easter for the army buffs.

As I go from Te Uku and head of to Te Mata I see dirt bikes on trailers and utes,and at the turn off to Bridal Veil Falls where I was going to go straight ahead and around the Aotea Harbour coast,I see a couple of fluro arrows.I know what that means,I've been following those signs for years...so ok,I'll follow them too.I pass a couple of trailers with bikes on the gravel,and when I'm behind another they turn down Shea Rd...I've always wondered where Shea Rd goes,so ok,let's have a look.Down in the valley a trail ride is going on,and I spend some time watching what goes on,seeing them gearing up and heading into the trails,coming back after a ride.It'd be nice to join them,but I'm not set up for that,both me and the bike that is,so head back up to the road again.

At Shea Rd there is a ''road closed'' sign stopping you going further south.Yeah well,I know about that,it's just a slip and the bike can get around easy,so keep going south.I'm on a closed road with no possibilty of another car coming the other way....except for a farmer who knows he won't meet another vehicle,so I better play it safe anyway.Next I come across Makomako Rd on my left,another No Exit,but also another road I've never been up.This turns into a farm track,narrow as it follows a stream into the hills,finaly stopping at a gate after 10km.I don't know if it's just a road gate or if it goes onto private property,so turn around and head out.Later on a map I see it goes into dotted lines,and joins up with the dotted lines leading on from Shea Rd.Back on the Kawhia Rd I keep heading south...stopped for a rest checking out a burnt out car I hear a bike coming and am just getting on helmet and gloves as a CRF Honda comes past,no way to catch him,but I set out after him anyway.

Then I'm on the main Kawhia Rd and head to Oparau...these are the roads I'm coming to explore.I've been up and down to Kawhia many times,but the Oparau roads don't go anywhere,so there has never been a reason for me to go on them....we change that today.I think I'll have enough fuel to do a loop back to the main road.The road is sealed for 9km,another nice road the sprotbike riders will miss,tough luck for them.The next section is ready for seal and real thick,no worries for the DT,just an excuse to shred my back tyre some more.The road climbs up into the foothills of Pirongia,and I'm getting worried about my fuel - being a 2 stroke fuel use is very dependant on the throttle hand,I think I've been taking it easy,but a pesamistic calculation sees me not getting back to Oparau,so turn back 15km into the road.

I refuel bike and body at Oparau,a great stop for those who like to travel the lonely road,who don't like the bussle of a cafe or pub,those who don't want to be noticed as they park their bikes outside a cafe and sit at the table in their leathers.No,not for me...at Oparau I can have a plate of chips and a beer outside or inside,just watching life go by.There is a huge map on the wall and I can trace my route and see the roads I want to ride.So I head back up again,as the Oparau Rd climbs to it's top there is a crossroad,right goes down to the Kawhia road,straight ahead to SH39,and left goes onto Pirongia West Rd,and loops up into the National Park and back to Oparau...staying on the gravel appeals to me,so Pirongia West it is.

Wow,what a neat road,it climbs right up into the borders of Pirongia Forest Park,slipping in and out of the forrest onto farm land.The views are absolutly incredible,from up high we look down on Kawhia Harbour,Raglan's Mt Kario to the right,and Mt Pirongia at my back.I have my camera,but it's useless on these big scenes.The road is very narrow and twisty,with big cambers,like a roller coaster as I straighten them out,sometimes a bit of air,sometimes brake slides down the otherside as I go sideways the wrong way into turns,a good bit of fun.The road comes back down to Oparau and I make my way home.There is a lot of traffic on the Kawhia Rd going home,like I passed 3 cars and met one coming the other way,that's pretty unusual as I'm lucky to see one normaly - bloody tourists.Also saw a couple of trail bikes too,and later a couple of adventure bikes at Te Uku.

So that's what I do on a day off,get away from where the people are,explore some new roads at my own pace,some peace and quiet,some rip snortin' action and a cold beer.I've left some roads in Oparau for a later visit - I'll be back!''

Bonez
17th April 2006, 16:07
And an awesome rambling it was too Motu.

Motu
17th April 2006, 19:04
Well,it's not another sprotsbike ride over the same old,same old roads with accompaning crash report.Don't they ever see a side road and wonder ''I wonder where that goes?''? Maybe I'm a nosey old bugger,but I've always gone up side roads,even if they say no exit....you just never know....

Bonez
17th April 2006, 19:24
Well,it's not another sprotsbike ride over the same old,same old roads with accompaning crash report.Don't they ever see a side road and wonder ''I wonder where that goes?''? Maybe I'm a nosey old bugger,but I've always gone up side roads,even if they say no exit....you just never know....

I gave ya a green rep. Good effort. Know what ya mean about
exploring side roads. Best part of the country and best roads :). Far more interesting. So what if there's a smidgen of gravel or half the road has disappeared.

Guess they're too busy getting a knee down and finding the perfect line to appreciate the finer points of motorcycling.:bleh:

Motu
17th April 2006, 19:32
Well I'm guilty of it myself as I said.I had a place at Aotea Harbour in the late '70's and went to Kawhia every other weekend,but I never checked out Oparau,and never even went on the Kawhia/Raglan road that I often ride on now,there just wasn't time.And anyway,back then these lesser travelled roads were interesting enough by themselves.I just have to go further afield these days.There are some other roads out that way I need to explore,but I need the bigger tank and better seat of the XT for them.

Ixion
17th April 2006, 20:02
The only problem with "I wonder where that goes" is fuel. Bikes have such damnably stupid little tanks. And like as not "where that goes" leads to "that looks interesting" which in turns leads to "doesn't look like that gets much traffic" - all irresistable reasons to go down said road of course. So eventually you end up up at NoIdeaWhere , surrounded by miles of bush and no idea where the nearest gas station is. And nowdays general stores seldom have working pumps.

But I have carefully filed those names . Though of course, if I do set out to go there it is almost certain that I shall end up somewhere completely different. Mrs Ixion's constant plaint - "Why can you never just go to wherever it is that you are supposed to go to. You are never where you are supposed to be because you keep going somewhere else". She does not understnad these matters.

Motu
17th April 2006, 20:52
Been in Noideawhere many a time,it's a scary place with no way out.But these days with all the pumps plucked from everywhere but main centres it's even worse.My XT has a big tank,does over 400kms no worries,so I use that to get to Wherethehellami.

Bonez
18th April 2006, 04:49
Been in Noideawhere many a time,it's a scary place with no way out.But these days with all the pumps plucked from everywhere but main centres it's even worse. My XT has a big tank,does over 400kms no worries,so I use that to get to Wherethehellami.

Still a few back country pumps down our way. Wimbleton, no general store just the pub, for example open weekdays and Saturday from 10am through to about 6pm I believe. Use to carry a spare 1 gallon petrol container on the 550 for just such occasions though, piddly 240km range. There's a panelbeater down our way, who just recently bought a GB400, that can professional increase the capacity of most m/c fuel tanks, which is handy. If I can get a spare tank for the CX I'll get him to expanded it similar to this- http://users.monash.edu.au/~jhovel/tank-part1.shtml

Mind you we don't have to travel a godzillion ks to be out in the wops :). Plenty of back country stuff, including a sprinkling of unsealed road, within 20-40kms of Palmy ah Cowboyz?:eek:

cowboyz
18th April 2006, 06:17
more than enough sealed roads too. I took the bike out last night for a play being as I havent ridden it all weekend. I should have come ridign cause I lost my golf 2-3 anyway. Stupid golf courses are not wide enough.....
went over the saddle and there is a heap of fine gravel on it at the moment. I was only out half hour but all good all the same.

getting back on topic, the ride I did with meanie a couple of weeks back I switched to reserve in Apiti. I was sweating about making it home but managed the 86k along pongogania valley to pull up at the ashhurst gas station with SFA in the tank. At least my baby got me home.