Mr X & Miss X's Excellent Adventure

[xwhatsit]

Miss X grew up as a child in Hong Kong. Went on holiday to Sydney. Moved to Auckland. Goes on holiday to Hong Kong and Macau and Sydney again every so often. A few place-names there; what do they have in common? They're all big cities. In fact, Miss X had never been out of Auckland whilst living here, so it was time to change that.

About 30 minutes south-west of Dargaville, my family has a bach alongside perhaps a dozen other houses; they call the community Glinks Gully. I believe my family built the bach there some time around 1900.
<img src="http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/photopost/data/500/thumbs/sp1P1030889.JPG"></img> (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/photopost/data/500/sp1P1030889.JPG)
I pinched a luggage rack from Magua's CB400N -- had some CB250RS brackets, and his rack magically fit them. Fashioned some backpacks into a tank bag and panniers (about a million bungee cords, $10 in a tube from The Warehouse). Pumped up tyres a bit, jacked up rear preload, ready to go! Headed off on Monday.
<img src="http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/photopost/data/500/thumbs/sp2P1040005.JPG"></img> (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/photopost/data/500/sp2P1040005.JPG)
Got to the bach, came down Glinks Rd (the single-lane access road to the settlement), the first sliver of blue ocean -- magic! Hadn't been back since I was a wee fellow.
<img src="http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/photopost/data/500/thumbs/sp3P1030896.JPG"></img> (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/photopost/data/500/sp3P1030896.JPG)
First night there, dear Miss X was a bit scared. No streetlights! The sound of the waves crashing every second, inescapable. No TV, no phone, not even cellphone coverage. Gradually adjusted, and after a day or two she was enjoying the peace and quiet. Was wonderful to watch her work out the beauty of the countryside, and feel the discovery of such things vicariously through her.
<img src="http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/photopost/data/500/thumbs/sp4P1030858.JPG"></img> (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/photopost/data/500/sp4P1030858.JPG)
The beach goes on forever. Before coming I was a little worried about taking the bike, as this is the place where poor wee Daisy Fernandez was killed by the imbecilic trailbike rider. Small community -- everybody's family knows everybody back through a few generations. However when we got there, there were a couple of farmbikes and quads on the beach fishing, so it seemed OK. However when we did venture down onto the beach with the bike, we headed south, rather than north, where Daisy's memorial is. The CB250RS handled the sand well; road tyres are shit in the soft stuff, but due to the lightness and excess ground clearance, there was nothing a bit of throttle and momentum couldn't solve.
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Every morning and evening I'd drive Miss X up Glinks Rd to the top of the hill so she could ring her mother (cellphone coverage) and assure her that we hadn't been molested by smugglers (both parents were convinced that smugglers and pirates would be the only people who'd want to live in such a remote place).
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The nearest town is Te Kopuru. My grandmother remembers it as a living and breathing place; today all that exists is a bare-shelved general store and a tiny church. From Te Kopuru it's 15-20 minutes to Dargaville to get proper groceries. To get to Te Kopuru from Glinks, one has a choice at the top of the access road; either head left, through some long, fast sweepers in the hills, or turn right, and head down a picturesque winding gravel road. What a decision to have to make!
<img src="http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/photopost/data/500/thumbs/sp6P1030894.JPG"></img> (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/photopost/data/500/sp6P1030894.JPG)<img src="http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/photopost/data/500/thumbs/sp6P1030899.JPG"></img> (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/photopost/data/500/sp6P1030899.JPG)
Miss X grew to understand why people want to live so far from civilisation. Boiling water in a Zip and wiping the salt spray off your kitchen windows every morning is a small price to pay for the beauty and peace a place like this offers.

Very pleased with the little bike. Took two people and shitloads of luggage in not entire discomfort along some very rough country roads. Up hill, down dale -- still managed to wring 80kph going up the steepest hills. Climbed a 45-degree slippery grass track every morning to get out of the back yard. Took us kilometres along the beach, through hard sand, soft sand, dirt tracks and shallow inlets. Still started first kick, or at most three kicks, and settled down into a pleasant little burble, hot or cold. All whilst doing 70mpg.

[Jantar]

A really good report. Makes me want to go there.

[Rosie]

Awesome!
Air cooled singles can do anything! :D

[deanohit]

Sounds like a mint trip mate, good onya for getting her out there to the best of NZ. :niceone:

[xwhatsit]

It's a gorgeous place, great for the type of traditional NZ holiday; you can just sit around all day and read books and forget about university and money and angry words. Fishing, too -- surfcasting, or wiggle your feet down into the sand for tuatua, cockles or pipi. Toheroa used to be very common there too, but a couple of decades ago they made it illegal to take them, as they became pretty rare around NZ. That restriction may have changed now, the big wooden signs at the entrance to the village have faded and peeled and fallen over into the flax bushes.

It brought up interesting questions between Miss X and I; why do people congregate to the cities? Why do others choose to live in the middle of nowhere? The idea had never occurred to her that people might choose to live in such a location, rather being stuck there due to economic reasons or family ties.

[Jantar]

...The idea had never occurred to her that people might choose to live in such a location, rather being stuck there due to economic reasons or family ties.

And I have trouble trying to understand why people might choose to live in cities rather being stuck there due to economic reasons or family ties. :laugh:

[tri boy]

Nice one Xer.:sunny:
I like the shot of the RS loaded.

[Edbear]

Awesome!
Air cooled singles can do anything! :D


So can their bikes, obviously...:whistle:

[xwhatsit]

Nice one Xer.:sunny:
I like the shot of the RS loaded.

Who needs bloody BMW-logoed hard panniers :laugh:

I wouldn't do the backpack/tank thing normally, but as the tank's paint is shagged out thanks to BMW X5 driver backing into it I wasn't too fussed.

Interestingly, performance didn't differ much with pillion and luggage or just with pillion. This could be due to the fact Miss X is a quite light and compact little unit; or perhaps aerodynamics could be the other reason. Having the pillion there fills in the gap between me and the pack-rack -- which is an appalling sail when countering a head-wind. Cornering at reasonable speeds was still possible once you got used to the slightly light and remote front-end. I wouldn't want to try that set-up with a more standard 250RS -- clip-ons and forks lowered through the yokes put more weight over the front end.

[Zuki Bandit]

Awesome write up!:2thumbsup

[Sharry]

Exelent post there, thats an awesome place to visit.

Dont Honda's work like pack horses when they need to.

[xwhatsit]

Girlfriend thought it looked like a camel with the `tank bag' :laugh:

[jrandom]

I love the beach at Glinks. Have spent many happy days camped down along the Pouto peninsula. There are a few little freshwater lakes hidden in there just in front of the forestry that are great to pitch a tent beside.

My ex-wife's family live in TK; I still visit there reasonably regularly. I have an electric fishing torpedo I keep up there; great for heading down the beach and reeling in a dozen snapper on the longline.

Plenty of memories of racing 4WDs back to TK and getting moderately sideways along, what is it, Redhills Road I think? (The gravel one.) Plenty of good possum shooting to be done if one goes for a cruise around there of an evening, too.

xerxesdaphat, would your family be amenable to the occasional renting-out of the bach, do you think?

[xwhatsit]

Plenty of memories of racing 4WDs back to TK and getting moderately sideways along, what is it, Redhills Road I think? (The gravel one.) Plenty of good possum shooting to be done if one goes for a cruise around there of an evening, too.

xerxesdaphat, would your family be amenable to the occasional renting-out of the bach, do you think?

Ah! Small country. Redhill Rd, yes, that's the one in the photo. Heaps of fun -- but watch for 4WDs getting moderately sideways ;)

I really don't have any idea, to be honest. Not really my immediate family, more like a branch over. I'll ask them when I drop the key off. Was planning to get it again for Easter long weekend, but it's already booked of course <_<