Can anyone suggest anything to get this grin off my face!

[Tarzan]

I just got back to Auckland, and not even the thought of going back to cold dark wet England can shift it. :cry:

Thanks to everyone for your advice, particularly about renting something more agile than a cruiser. I managed (finally) to get a few days biking in on a BMW F650GS (enduro type thing).

Got it on through the twisties, did some unsealed roads, had a great time.
Got to go home on Tuesday, sorry I didn’t get to meet any of you guys, but I guess I waved to a few of you on the road.

Hope to be back soon.

:2thumbsup

[XTC]

I'm sure that when the speed camera tickets appear in the mail that will go some way to wiping that smug-arse smile off your face.. :)

Thanks for enjoying our little country. Please turn off the lights and shut the door on your way out Ta.
Andy

[moko]

Wait til you get back to Heathrow mate,the arsehole of the universe,that`s when you`ll know you`re really home.
Glad you enjoyed your holiday,hard not to really isn`t it?Where did you hire the BM from?If it was Te Waipounamou by any chance tell `em Dave from Plymouth says Hi,then wait a few seconds before Darren says "who the fuck`s Dave from Plymouth?",got a big plug for them going up on the net soon.

[Jackrat]

Wait til ya' see the state of ya' rugby team,that should do it. :yeah:
Sorry your the only Pom I've spoken to today.
Glad you enjoyed it,so when ya' coming back ?

[Riff Raff]

Glad you enjoyed yourself. Do feel free to come back again and do some more riding. We don't mind! :spudwave:

[Gixxer 4 ever]

Pleased you had fun. It is a nice little place here and I sure as hell ain't going anywhere. :banana: Come back soon. :spudwave:

[Posh Tourer :P]

Wait til you get back to Heathrow mate,the arsehole of the universe,that`s when you`ll know you`re really home.
Glad you enjoyed your holiday,hard not to really isn`t it?Where did you hire the BM from?If it was Te Waipounamou by any chance tell `em Dave from Plymouth says Hi,then wait a few seconds before Darren says "who the fuck`s Dave from Plymouth?",got a big plug for them going up on the net soon.

Who did you deal with at Te Waipounamu? John Rains?

We used to be the Auckland contact point for them.

More likely hired from NZ Motorcycle Rentals I guess?

[Posh Tourer :P]

Heathrow,the arsehole of the universe

Is it really that bad? I'm flying in in a couple of weeks...... Hows the weather?

[Tarzan]

Wait til you get back to Heathrow mate,the arsehole of the universe,that`s when you`ll know you`re really home.
Glad you enjoyed your holiday,hard not to really isn`t it?Where did you hire the BM from?If it was Te Waipounamou by any chance tell `em Dave from Plymouth says Hi,then wait a few seconds before Darren says "who the fuck`s Dave from Plymouth?",got a big plug for them going up on the net soon.

That and it is as cold as a penguins twat. :cold:

I spoke to Te Waipounamou because they were recommmended, but they didn't have anything at the time so I went to New Zealand Motorcycle Rentals and tours, which was close to my hotel. They were great, but as bot more expensive, didn't really make a lot of difference for three days though.

[Tarzan]

Is it really that bad? I'm flying in in a couple of weeks...... Hows the weather?

Yep, that bad. Too big, too busy, some of it is stuck in a 1970s time warp, and it is stuck in a near pernanent trffic jam in all directions. Other than that, lovely place. (apart from the weather which isn't actually too bad a the moment, just cold.)

You stopping in England for a while?

[Stevo]

Not sure how to remove the grin............................ neither do I want to know why you would want to do so.
Glad you had a great and safe trip in this land of ours.

[MSTRS]

3 days motorcycling to see tha country? You will need to come back, since there is possibly a road or two that you missed. :banana:

[Tarzan]

Not sure how to remove the grin............................ neither do I want to know why you would want to do so.
Glad you had a great and safe trip in this land of ours.

The combination of the grin and the sun tan is sure to have me marked as an illegal immigrant. Damn!!! where can they deport me to?

[Tarzan]

3 days motorcycling to see tha country? You will need to come back, since there is possibly a road or two that you missed. :banana:

'kin right, will get back a soon as I can.

PS just to cheer you up it is 3 above zero, wet and widy here. :cold:

[El Dopa]

Is it really that bad? I'm flying in in a couple of weeks...... Hows the weather?

Yes, it really is.

I've been back to the UK twice in the last 2 1/2 years, both time flying into Heathrow from either Singapore (airport heaven), or Hong Kong (also not bad).

On my first visit, Heathrow was overcrowded, chaotic and filthy. I went for my first slash on UK soil (well, tile) splashing my way through the combined piss of a dozen different nationalities mingling freely on the floor. Three of the four urinals were out of action and overflowing. Of the two stalls, one was out of action cos someone has shat on the seat. The other was unflushed and mounded up almost to the rim.

Outside, three cleaners stood around a mop and bucket, smoking away to their hearts content. I didn't see anything that made me think this was an unusual set of circumstances.

It was fucking embarrasing. For most visitors to London, that would be more or less their first impression of the country. 'Great' Britain, eh? If I hadn't needed my passport to get back here, I would have handed it in at the nearest police station.

[moko]

Who did you deal with at Te Waipounamu? John Rains?

We used to be the Auckland contact point for them.

More likely hired from NZ Motorcycle Rentals I guess?

Dealt with John and Rex via phone and e-mail to sort the hire out mate.Actually picked the bike up from their depot behind a tyre shop in Takapuna(?),is that where you work? young guy called Darren ran that end,my hire bike fell through and the free up-grade they offered wasn`t suitable.Quick phonecall to C/church and John O.k`d me having a BMW1100 uglybug for the price of an XT600.Got a small write-up going on Bob`s site(KB Newshound)pretty soon,good guys to deal with.Guys in the tyre shop were good as well,I had to wait for Darren when I took the bike back,tyre guy was busy but came across a few times for a chat and to make sure I didn`t need anything,gave me a couple of bike mags to look at e.t.c..When I was in there some Bike cop who seemed to think he was Mad Max was in getting new tyres on what we call a Pan-European,probably just a boring old ST1100 to you.Soon as Bob gets it up I`ll be mailing John to see if he wants a link up on his site,reckon I owe them that.

[moko]

Is it really that bad? I'm flying in in a couple of weeks...... Hows the weather?

Afraid so.London in general is a dirty,stinking shit-hole.wherever you are in England take a look downwards and you`ll see why Singapore banned chewing-gum.Coming back,even after only 3 weeks,was a major culture-shock for me.Kind of got used to going out for a drink at weekends without preparing to defend myself from un-provoked attack,clean streets,lack of vandalism and friendly people.Weather right now is very good for the time of year,supposedly some snow in places this weekend,where are you planning to go?There are nice parts of Britain,almost without exception well away from the big cities though.If you`re looking for other Kiwis you`ll find loads,Earls Court is a good place to start.Mind you I made a point of avoiding other Brits when I was in N.Z.,went 12000 miles to avoid the bleeders,the soccer shirt and pasty complexion is the giveaway.If you`re staying in London drop Bob a line,he lives in the East End somewhere,Ace cafe is worth a visit as well.Stonehenge should be quite good when it`s finished,typical Brit builders,2000 years and they havn`t got the roof on yet.

[MSTRS]

'kin right, will get back a soon as I can.

PS just to cheer you up it is 3 above zero, wet and widy here. :cold:
:weep: :shake: :cry: