LB
5th January 2005, 05:05
Christmas Day: left Wgtn around 9am - me on the M1000, Hamish on the R1100S. Got to Wanganui round lunchtime and booked into our motel. Weather was a bit grim leaving Wgtn but it was fine and sunny by the time we got to Wangas. Changed into shorts and t-shirts and headed to the track. Caught up with some mates over the course of the afternoon at scruitineering. Found an Indian for a meal that night. Bruce, a mate from Wgtn on a Daytona joined us late evening.
Boxing Day: Up early and down to the track by 7.15am. Weather wasn't as warm as yesterday, some nasty looking clouds though as it turned out they didn't eventuate to anything. A good day's racing though some fairly serious injuries, eventuating with (as I understand it) five people hospitalised at least overnight, some longer. Some great photos on the other threads guys! Caught up with heaps of KBers there. We spent all day on the start/finish straight - by staying in the same place you catch up with heaps of people as everyone else walks the track.
27th Dec: Departed Wanganui in perfect weather, which was to last all day. Up the Paraparas (Bruce left us at the beginning and waited for us at Raetihi!). From there to National Park there was wonderful views of the mountains - blue sky and so much snow still on them. Dry roads, warm weather, and not much traffic. Magic stuff. Up to Taumaraunui for lunch. Left there and went SH41 (what a great road!) then up SH32 to the Kinloch turnoff, then to Taupo. Booked into the motel there and two mates with race bikes on trailers arrived in due course. Bruce was racing his FZR1000, Simon his GSX1100 (Simon brought Bruce's bike up on the trailer) and Craig racing his 748 and Sparky Bill's 900SS.
28th Dec: A good day at the track, some good racing and the weather stayed dry. A excellent field of entries. Once again quite a few KBer's there too. Simon headed home with the two P/C race bikes after the racing. The rest of us found a great cafe on the waterfront to have dinner - a great view watching the sun go down over Lake Taupo.
29th Dec: We all met up for breakfast at the McCafe in Taupo. Another mate, Jo on a Speedmaster, came from her holiday home at Kinloch. Bruce and Craig headed back to Wellington. Hamish, Jo and I headed to Rotorua/Whakatane/Waioeka Gorge/Gisborne. We'd managed to fluke ringing a motel in Gizzy that had just had a cancellation! The weather was a bit dicey - drizzle and wet road round Rotorua and the Rotomas - a shame as the Rotomas is a lovely piece of road. Stopped for lunch in Opotiki at The Diner next to Caltex on Bridge Street. Then on through the Gorge - it was a bit wet to start with but it soon dried out. By the time we got to Gizzy it was lovely and warm. A nice motel in Gladstone Road and a nice Indian delivered for tea - what more could a girl want?
30th Dec: We wanted to do the 360-degree Gisborne-East Cape-Gisborne ride today but the weather forecast was crap. So we spent the day doing the shops in Gizzy and eating/drinking/eating. Saw Slingshot and Mrs S coming through the main street - they had just come through the gorge and were VERY wet - Mrs S demonstrated just how much rain there'd been by wringing out her gloves....yuk! KFC for tea.
31st Dec: The gorge had been closed o/night with slips and flooding so we flagged the 360 degree idea. Instead we left in drizzly weather and headed towards East Cape. We had drizzle and/or wet roads till Te Araroa, where we stopped for morning tea. We then carried on in reasonable weather to Te Kaha (meeting up with a friend of Jo's who was camping there). I needed gas by this stage - I'd filled up at Tolaga Bay but knew there was gas at Te Kaha. Well, change to to "there used to be gas at Te Kaha". There was now a closed shop with a new rectangle of concrete where the pumps used to be. Shit. A friendly local advised us that there was gas at Omaio, about 12 kms further towards Opotiki. So on we went - only 91, and $1.29/ltr, but much better than the alternative! Back to Te Kaha, met up with Jo's friends at the cafe at the camping ground - really lovely food, well worth a stop. By this time it was getting quite hot. We had a good ride back to Gizzy by the same route - didn't want to spend ages in a queue in the gorge - it was down to one lane in place where they were clearing the slips. Indian for dinner again.
1st Jan: Left Gizzy in fine weather but the dark clouds very soon turned to rain.
Opps - just seen the time....better get ready for (groan!) work.....to be continued.......
Boxing Day: Up early and down to the track by 7.15am. Weather wasn't as warm as yesterday, some nasty looking clouds though as it turned out they didn't eventuate to anything. A good day's racing though some fairly serious injuries, eventuating with (as I understand it) five people hospitalised at least overnight, some longer. Some great photos on the other threads guys! Caught up with heaps of KBers there. We spent all day on the start/finish straight - by staying in the same place you catch up with heaps of people as everyone else walks the track.
27th Dec: Departed Wanganui in perfect weather, which was to last all day. Up the Paraparas (Bruce left us at the beginning and waited for us at Raetihi!). From there to National Park there was wonderful views of the mountains - blue sky and so much snow still on them. Dry roads, warm weather, and not much traffic. Magic stuff. Up to Taumaraunui for lunch. Left there and went SH41 (what a great road!) then up SH32 to the Kinloch turnoff, then to Taupo. Booked into the motel there and two mates with race bikes on trailers arrived in due course. Bruce was racing his FZR1000, Simon his GSX1100 (Simon brought Bruce's bike up on the trailer) and Craig racing his 748 and Sparky Bill's 900SS.
28th Dec: A good day at the track, some good racing and the weather stayed dry. A excellent field of entries. Once again quite a few KBer's there too. Simon headed home with the two P/C race bikes after the racing. The rest of us found a great cafe on the waterfront to have dinner - a great view watching the sun go down over Lake Taupo.
29th Dec: We all met up for breakfast at the McCafe in Taupo. Another mate, Jo on a Speedmaster, came from her holiday home at Kinloch. Bruce and Craig headed back to Wellington. Hamish, Jo and I headed to Rotorua/Whakatane/Waioeka Gorge/Gisborne. We'd managed to fluke ringing a motel in Gizzy that had just had a cancellation! The weather was a bit dicey - drizzle and wet road round Rotorua and the Rotomas - a shame as the Rotomas is a lovely piece of road. Stopped for lunch in Opotiki at The Diner next to Caltex on Bridge Street. Then on through the Gorge - it was a bit wet to start with but it soon dried out. By the time we got to Gizzy it was lovely and warm. A nice motel in Gladstone Road and a nice Indian delivered for tea - what more could a girl want?
30th Dec: We wanted to do the 360-degree Gisborne-East Cape-Gisborne ride today but the weather forecast was crap. So we spent the day doing the shops in Gizzy and eating/drinking/eating. Saw Slingshot and Mrs S coming through the main street - they had just come through the gorge and were VERY wet - Mrs S demonstrated just how much rain there'd been by wringing out her gloves....yuk! KFC for tea.
31st Dec: The gorge had been closed o/night with slips and flooding so we flagged the 360 degree idea. Instead we left in drizzly weather and headed towards East Cape. We had drizzle and/or wet roads till Te Araroa, where we stopped for morning tea. We then carried on in reasonable weather to Te Kaha (meeting up with a friend of Jo's who was camping there). I needed gas by this stage - I'd filled up at Tolaga Bay but knew there was gas at Te Kaha. Well, change to to "there used to be gas at Te Kaha". There was now a closed shop with a new rectangle of concrete where the pumps used to be. Shit. A friendly local advised us that there was gas at Omaio, about 12 kms further towards Opotiki. So on we went - only 91, and $1.29/ltr, but much better than the alternative! Back to Te Kaha, met up with Jo's friends at the cafe at the camping ground - really lovely food, well worth a stop. By this time it was getting quite hot. We had a good ride back to Gizzy by the same route - didn't want to spend ages in a queue in the gorge - it was down to one lane in place where they were clearing the slips. Indian for dinner again.
1st Jan: Left Gizzy in fine weather but the dark clouds very soon turned to rain.
Opps - just seen the time....better get ready for (groan!) work.....to be continued.......