Kiwi Biker forums - Blogs - awa355 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/blog.php/19699-awa355 Kiwi Biker - New Zealand motorcycle community en Sun, 17 May 2026 21:08:32 GMT vBulletin 20 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/images/BP-Brown/misc/rss.jpg Kiwi Biker forums - Blogs - awa355 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/blog.php/19699-awa355 My First 1,000k Cruise. https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/6170-My-First-1-000k-Cruise Sun, 08 Nov 2015 23:26:56 GMT I did not have the best of sleeps on the Friday night. The clock was reading 23:48 last time I remember looking at it, and 03:40 when I woke, knowing that was it for me. Got up and changed my mind once again about what I would wear, ignored all the advice from the pro’s and went with what I always... I did not have the best of sleeps on the Friday night. The clock was reading 23:48 last time I remember looking at it, and 03:40 when I woke, knowing that was it for me. Got up and changed my mind once again about what I would wear, ignored all the advice from the pro’s and went with what I always end up wearing. I did swap the coffee for water tho’.
I arrived at the start to find one other couple there. Over the next 30 minutes the rest rolled in. I was eyeing all these late model 1,000+cc tourer's and sportster's and feeling a tad under done with my old XV250 Virago. My bike is 17 years old and the design goes back to the mid 1980’s. Lance was going to link up with me as it was his first long distance ride as well.
We left about 06:35 and headed out of Hamilton. SH1 through to south of Cambridge was endless roadworks with speed zones changing constantly from 50 to 80kph. From Karapiro on the road was good and I sat on a steady 100kph and watched the bigger toys rocketing past. I was thinking, this is going to be a ‘looong’ day. I knew the first stretch to Whakatane would seem the slowest on the 250 due to the open flat highways. Lance and I pulled up in Te puke to top up and watched all the skinflints who were too miserable to pay the $2 toll fee roll through town. I had thought that by then Lance and I would have been the TEC’s. From here, a short run out to the first photo checkpoint. A handful of riders were there so we got our photos.



Some of the riders at the Te Puke stop. From here it was a nothing section of road through to Whakatane, more roadworks on the hill to Ohope. Coming down the hill and the view over Ohope and the sea was beautiful. Unfortunately there was no time to stop for photos on this ride. The ride around the Wainui road was a pleasant one and soon into Opotiki to fill the tanks. A walk around and a sandwich then we headed off on what was now seeming like the ‘real ride’. I pulled up at one place to get a photo of the coastline looking back towards Opotiki.




The road was fantastic to ride. The surface was in good shape and the 250 was enjoying the corners while going at 250cc speed I could look out over the sea and take in the wonderful views.





At Te Kaha we took a brief break, then carried on. I swung in past the old church to catch a view of it on the GoPro. The props against the walls would suggest the zealots from Wellington had been around.




More glorious views of sea and coast ahead then at Cape Runaway we turned away from the coast and headed into the rolling hills leading across the cape to Hicks Bay. Climbing up to a small pull off overlooking the coast again at Hicks bay we had a quick stop.
I topped up the tank with the three litres from the tail bag and we enjoyed the view, the smell from the decomposing opossum carcase's, not so much.



More hills and past the turn off to Te Araroa the road seemed to deteriate somewhat.
We must have been slow, the Mayfair store was closed and no one in sight as we pulled up for the 2nd checkpoint photo.



Just as well we weren’t relying on their pumps being open, although there were pumps just down the road at the 4 square shop. Lance used one of his extra fuel cans to top up his tank, then we rolled on towards Gisborne. Any of these little settlements would be worth coming back to stay for a while. A lot of seaside camping at various places all the way around this coast.
About 15k out from Gisborne I felt the engine start to splutter so turned the fuel tap to reserve and cruised on till the BP stn on Ormond street. The tank on the virago holds 7.1l in the main compartment and a 2.6l reserve. It took 7.6l to fill and with the 3l put in at Hicks Bay, that was 10.6l used for the 336k from Opotiki. That’s a 31.6 k per litre consumption. The heaviest of the whole ride. I’m quite pleased with that. The little bike was working fairly hard on some of those hills.
From here we rode on til Ormond and located the next checkpoint. At this stage another two riders pulled up. They must have done a diversion along the way to have been behind Lance and I. There was some discussion as to whether we had the right sign or not. I’m sure one of the briefing notes had said Ormond rural pre school.



Anyway this was going to have to do, then it was off to find this Waioeka Gorge thingy. What fantastic country through here.



The late afternoon sun was low and right in front of us. This meant many corners were blacked out by the sun hitting my eyes on the approach. It also meant the GoPro got a lot of sun strike on the lens. I still came out with some lovely footage of the ride through the gorge.
On to Opotiki to top up (4.4l) and the sun was dropping quite low. I was quietly getting a bit concerned about our pace. We had only raked up a bit over 700k by then with still a long way to go. At this stage I was still feeling reasonably good and no nagging aches to speak of. I had been wearing foam ear plugs till now, and the pressure within my ears was starting to tell. I took them out for the rest of the ride and the extra wind noise was still easier to put up with.
Off towards the Rotoma’s and I felt we were back in familiar country and on the home stretch. It was twilight when we arrived at the Rotoma tree.



Onwards we rolled. At the junction of sh33 &30, I hung a right then at the junction of 33 and Hamurama rd I pulled up to change my sunnies for clear glasses. Lance caught up and I said “You thought I’d taken the wrong road eh”. He said yes. The Tauranga signs would have given him that idea. The ride around Lake Rotorua was lovely. The sun was setting below the Mamaku ranges and the orange/red sunset glow in the sky and reflecting off the lake was beautiful. It was a distraction from the niggles that were setting in. Our pace, the eta to finish, cramp in my hips and clutch fingers were beginning to be an issue. On Otorua road I noticed I was not going through corners as well as I should have been. Over ran a couple and gave myself one or two wake up calls.
Out on the Mamaku highway I hit the meanest cloud of night insects I come across for many years. At Putaruru I scrubbed 7,648 of the kamakazi buggars off my visor. I also suggested to Lance that because of the lateness and the number of turns, different roads and him not knowing the unmarked roads in the Wharepapa district as I did, we should stick to the Arapuni – Kihikihi road. On this stretch, Lance had dropped behind somewhat and I waited for a while at Kihikihi before he came in view. Lance had gotten confused with the Owairaka Valley rd turnoff and had stopped to check his gps. At this point I had almost had enough. Without Lance being with me, I might well have turned right and been home in 5 minutes. Anyway we turned left and rode the longest 25k of my 47 years riding. It took a bit of double checking that we had the right Oto checkpoint.



At this stage I decided that we would not make the 10pm finish and I could not see any logic in riding 30k past my home then riding 30k back again. Lance was confident of getting back to Hamilton from there, so we split up then. I would have the 1,000k racked up by then and if the organiser’s decided I didn’t qualify for the badge then at that point, I really wasn’t worried. It was so good to pull up at home and switch that motor off. The stillness and silence of the night was deafening.

A Summary; I am pleased that I had another rider with me. At Kihikihi, I would have most likely pulled the pin and gone home if on my own.
The Virago never missed a beat, and my average fuel consumption was 32.3k per litres from home to home. At 100 kph the engine speed is producing a massive 15hp. For much of this ride my speeds were well under that. If I could get this motor in a sit up road bike type frame it would be a winner. The suspension is the weak point on this bike. Worn out rear shocks don’t make for fast hard cornering or make for a 1,000k a day tourer, yet it went bloody well for all that.
I ate my last snack bar and drank the last of the water at Gisborne and had nothing more after that. I could have stopped somewhere, but that would be more time taken up.
I would do this ride again but on a smoother faster bike. One that can power up any hill at any speed and make up time on the open road must make for an easier 1,000k day. Still, the bike is an air cooled single carb engine designed 28 years ago, I was designed 63 years ago and 1,000k day trips weren’t planned for back then, so the bike and I did not do too badly.
That’s my report for this ride. I enjoyed it far more the day after. ]]> awa355 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/6170-My-First-1-000k-Cruise Coast to Coast Part Three. https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2848-Coast-to-Coast-Part-Three Fri, 15 Nov 2013 03:40:48 GMT Here we go again. Coast to Coast Part Three. After visiting where Mokai used to exist, I was on Poihipi road. This is ‘ big bike ‘ country. Most riders take this route through to the Western Bay Access road, then up to Whakamaru. I turned off into Kaahu road. This fairly much runs parallel... Here we go again.

Coast to Coast Part Three.

After visiting where Mokai used to exist, I was on Poihipi road. This is ‘ big bike ‘ country. Most riders take this route through to the Western Bay Access road, then up to Whakamaru. I turned off into Kaahu road. This fairly much runs parallel with the Western Bay road. It is a slower road which climbs and goes around hills more so than the better known route. This had been resealed recently and was in good condition. Here is a view from Kaahu road overlooking the Whakamaru country.

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This was once dry stock farming but the almighty dollar has spoken and dairy farming is the main form of farming nowadays.
By this time it was about 2.00pm and the lack of sleep was beginning to tell. I had sort of decided to pull the pin at TeKuiti by now. Pulling up and having a kip is all very well. Actually sleeping is another thing. Stretching right back on the seat and extending my legs, rolling my shoulders etc all helped. Coming into Whakamaru past the Primary school, I thought of my wee grandson just through the classroom walls. It would have been great to have stopped and seen the little man, but the school staff might not have been so keen. Had a brief rest at the lake and snapped this view. Doesn’t show the true lake. I have fished this lake from a dinghy and it is a lovely lake.

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A wee way past Whakamaru and I was on the Bennydale road. I carried on through to Bennydale and stopped for an ice cream. Infact, I had two. At TeKuiti, I pulled up and thought about my options. I was so close to the west coast that I didn’t want to come this far and not reach the coast. Then I thought, by going home via the Waitomo – Harbour road, at least I would have crossed the island from the Pacific ocean to the Tasman sea on the scooter.
Out of TeKuiti, it was onto Fullerton road and through to Waitomo caves. Full of the usual camper vans and buses etc, we raced right through. The Waitomo to Te Anga road is what a motorbike road should be. This part of the Kawhia loop is in better shape than the Kawhia road.
Drifting across the white line and crossing one way bridges before realising I hadn’t checked who had the right of way hit home. The time riding was not the problem, the time since a decent sleep was. From Te Anga to the Kinohaku school is about 19 k. I stopped and took another photo to break up the riding.

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In the distance I could see the harbour. I followed the upper reaches of the Kawhia harbour untill I found this spot to pull up.

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I really would have liked to make my way out to either Marakopa or Taharoa and waited for the sun to set. This would have been about another four to five hours away and there would still have been an even longer ride home. At least I had been from coast to coast on the scooter. Infact I had virtually done the crossing twice, counting my ride to Thornton beach and back home from the Kawhia harbour. Buggsy and I got home at 6.30pm.

I covered 625k on the scooter, With the time spent waiting for the sun to come up, taking photos and resting, I would have spent about 12 hours riding. The scooter averaged 34 k per litre. .

Considering the hard ride over the Kawhia – Raglan road two days before and this run, Buggsy never missed a beat. He had 2200 on the clock when I bought him and I’ve clocked up an additional 9,500 k’s on him in 9 months. He is still running on the original sparkplug. Nothing has ever come loose or broken. The scooter has done a lot of gravel roads. New front brake pads are due next week. Apart from tyres these will be my first outgoings. For my money, the quality of a Japanese designed scooter is miles ahead of its Asian cuzzies.

Now, for my next ride??? Maybe Wellington for breakfast?? I’ll have a think about that. ]]> awa355 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2848-Coast-to-Coast-Part-Three Coast to Coast Part 2. https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2847-Coast-to-Coast-Part-2 Fri, 15 Nov 2013 03:39:52 GMT Coast to Coast part two. As I left West Bank road I crossed the bridge and turned into East Bank road. Fuelling up at Edgecumbe, I was asked about the scooter. When I told the lady where I had come from and done she looked at me and said “ Fuck man, you must be fuckin crazy”. She was... Coast to Coast part two.

As I left West Bank road I crossed the bridge and turned into East Bank road. Fuelling up at Edgecumbe, I was asked about the scooter. When I told the lady where I had come from and done she looked at me and said “ Fuck man, you must be fuckin crazy”. She was obviously educated in Edgecumbe.

My original plan had been to head off down through Murupara and back up to the Waititi valley. By this time I had been 24 hours without any sleep to speak of, so decided to head back through Rotorua and kip down at a friends place. I couldn’t get a reply from her, so headed towards Te Teko and joined sh30. The traffic was quite heavy at this time so Buggsy and I sat on the shoulder and let it all go by. Down by Lake Rotoiti, the eyeballs were dropping somewhat, so I pulled over at a small rest area and tried to catch some sleep. A logging hauler up on the hill behind the rest area was working and the continueous blasts from the air horns killed any idea of resting. On we went.

Coming along Te Nae road, I noticed the petrol prices were $2.02.9c. So of course, the service stn I stop at on Fenton st has petrol at $2.11.9c None of that ‘ cheap ‘ stuff in my scooter. As I entered the court yard , I noticed a some Highway 61 gang members and their bikes there. As there were only about 20 of them, Buggsy and I weren’t too worried. There were a number of women dressed in black as well, getting in and out of vehicles and they all seemed to be together. They could have been off to the Tangi of the chap killed at Te Papa a few days ago.

I had picked up a bit by then so decided to get back to my original plan. South out of Rotorua and onto the Atiamuri road. Turned left into the Whirinaki Valley road and aimed for Ngakuru. Some nice country through here. At the top of lake Ohakuri is a pleasant domain where I had thought I would get some sleep. Unfortunately, the ground was covered in a swarm of insects, Midges, I think. They covered the grass. Pushing on, I stopped for a photo of this end of the lake.

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From here Pautakataka road climbed and weaved through rolling country. The grassed hills with the outcrops of rocks interspersed with big gnarley Pine trees makes a change from the Waikato. Next road was Galatos rd. The surface is gravel untill the turn into Maleme road, which is also gravel, The difference being, the corrugations are a lot deeper. Particularly on the downward side of the hills and one is trying to apply the brakes. Here is a photo looking across the Atiamuri country taken from Maleme road. Incidently, Galatos and Maleme are names of places in Crete, that featured in the WW2 battle of Crete. Galatos was where my father was taken prisoner by the Germans.

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The peak just off centre will feature a bit later. The tail end of Maleme road reverts to tarseal. Left at the end takes us to the Ohakuri dam. There is a large grassed rest area by the dam so I tried to get some sleep. I may have dozed off slightly but not enough to revive me really. Many of the dams on the Waikato river are located in very scenic gorges. This was no exception.

Here is looking back up from the dam.

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Swimming thataway will take you to the Orakei-korako tourist spot. Geysers, tourist prices etc. Swimming downstream will take you through this sort of country.

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As swimming down the waikato river isn’t my thing, Buggsy and I cossed the dam and rode up to SH1. A couple of k’s along and we turned left into Tirohanga road. Here we get a close up of the rock outcrop from the Maleme road photo.

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This used to be covered in mature Pine trees, and as kids we wondered how anyone could get up there to cut the trees down. They did. This is all pine tree country. Tirohanga road runs along a beautiful valley which holds the Whakamaru hydro lake.
Towards the end of this road, just before Pohipi road is a side road where a sawmill operated for many years. Mokai. My family lived there in 1946/7. Very few buildings remain, but this house is still standing.

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The rest of my ride will come in another post. ]]> awa355 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2847-Coast-to-Coast-Part-2 My Coast to Coast ride. https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2846-My-Coast-to-Coast-ride Thu, 14 Nov 2013 20:42:35 GMT My Coast to Coast. This was going to be a ride to photograph the sunrise off the east coast, then photograph the sun setting off the west coast at the end of the day. The end didn’t work out quite that way for reasons I’ll explain later. I had wanted to do a night ride on the scooter, and as... My Coast to Coast.

This was going to be a ride to photograph the sunrise off the east coast, then photograph the sun setting off the west coast at the end of the day. The end didn’t work out quite that way for reasons I’ll explain later.
I had wanted to do a night ride on the scooter, and as I had to be on the east coast before dawn this worked out for me.
At midnight I pushed Buggsy out the front gate and we were off. First the back road to Lemmington, then up Maungatautari rd to hit SH1 at Piarere. Only met two vehicles between there and Tirau. There, the tin dog building was lit up by lights that changed colour so I took my first picture of this creation.

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It doesn’t appeal to me at all but it is something different. After Tirau came the Mamaku hills. I was only wearing a thermal top, and heavy shirt under my riding jacket. The inner thermal lining had been removed a few weeks ago. I should have put it back for this trip. The temperture was a few degrees lower over the Mamaku’s. Chilly but the moon, clouds and the stars made a perfect night vista. One truck was all I saw untill I got to Rotorua. Filled Buggsy up at the BP on Fairy Springs road, a couple of hot sauages to warm the insides and we made our way down to the lake front. I had a stretch and took the 2nd photo.

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After waiting for the locals to turn up and start a fight, rob us or do whatever tourists get done to while in Rotovegas, we headed out of town, Infact, there was no one out anywhere. Lots of resealing from Te Nae road and on SH30 through the Rotoma’s. I tried for a photo of the lake with the moon reflecting off it during a rest by lake Rotoiti, but the night scenery mode on the camera is crap, so I flagged that idea. A couple of trucks went past but through out this night, the traffic was quite sparse.

The lights on the scooter are surprisingly good and for the speed I ride at ( 75 – 80 kph ) give a reasonable spread and distance. One annoying feature in the name of safety are the warning signs. My understanding is that sometime ago the clowns decided to double the reflective coatings of the road signs. As a result, some of the yellow signs indicating corners are so bright that seeing past the sign to follow the actual road is bloody hard. Other than that, the Rotomas’ were a ball.
The day before this ride, I had a new rear tyre fitted, but I stuffed up the size when ordering and so finished up with a lower profile tyre than the original size. ( down from 90 to a 70 profile ). As a result the top speed is a bit slower, but the pulling power is better. Tight corners and a light quick scooter makes for lots of grins and makes up for the lose of open road performance of bigger bikes.
We turned off sh30 into Grieves road, and took a number of roads untill we reached the Westbank road. This ended at the Thornton beach car park. I could hear the surf just out of sight, so tried to get some shuteye on the ground and wait for the dawn. Couldn’t nap so poured a lukewarm cup of tea from my ‘made in China’ thermos. And had a snack.
Eventually shades of light started to appear so I got the camera sorted and waited for the sun to spring up from beyond the sea. The bastards that taught me the sun rises from the east and sets in the west were talking crap! The sun rises from behind Whakatane. Here’s the photo to prove it.

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This is looking across the Rangitaiki river mouth towards Whakatane. I took a number of photos so have included a couple more. As the sun came up I got this one looking back along the Rangitaiki river to Mt Edgecumbe otherwise known as Putauaki.

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Among the photos I found three I tried to make a panarama of. The programme didn’t do a great job, but I have included it anyway.

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My last photo is of a decent size bit of driftwood. If this is just part of a a tree covered by sand, it must have been here for a while.

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About 7 oclock I was ready to start my trip back across the island. This isn’t the widest part of the north island but it was where I had decided to start from. ]]> awa355 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2846-My-Coast-to-Coast-ride Kawhia to Raglan. https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2845-Kawhia-to-Raglan Thu, 14 Nov 2013 07:07:48 GMT Kawhia to Raglan. I had been thinking about a ride a bit more challenging than the usual roads. The coastal roads from Kawhia to Raglan were roads that I had not travelled at all. Riding them on a scooter would be an interesting angle. So this morning Buggsy and I fueled up, him with gas,... Kawhia to Raglan.

I had been thinking about a ride a bit more challenging than the usual roads. The coastal roads from Kawhia to Raglan were roads that I had not travelled at all. Riding them on a scooter would be an interesting angle.

So this morning Buggsy and I fueled up, him with gas, me with food and drink. Out past Pirongia we took a right at the Ngutunui school and climbed up Pekanui road. Since my last blast up this road, there have been a number of corners patched and resealed. Untill the loose crap gets washed away the cornering speeds need to be kept down. Over the brow and the 8k of gravel on Okupata road has recently been graded. Lots of thick loose metal to contend with. After the metal came a favourite stretch of road. Winding through a endless supply of corners untill we came out on the Kawhia road.

A tad shy of Kawhia I turned into the Kawhia / Raglan road. The name seems to depend whether you read the map or the road signs. Anyway, this stretch winds its way down into a bush clad gorge before rising over a couple of saddles. Here is a pic typical of this road.

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About 12k along and we arrived at the Te Papatapu / Kawhia road junction. If you turn right you can find your way to the Bridal Veils Falls. Apparently it is even rougher than the road just ridden. The 12 k from the Kawhia end, I found fairly slow going. The corners were deeply rutted and the scooter’s 10” rims struggled with the corrugations.

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Te Papatapu road runs along the inner shoreline of Aotea harbour for the first bit. Stopping at a pulloff a few k’s along, I pulled out the thermos and sammys. The tide was out but I wanted to capture the place with the camera so took a few snaps and welded them together when back home.

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At the junction of Te Papatapu and Phillips road we were back on the tarseal. After bouncing along some of the roughest metal roads, I’ve struck for a while, it was good to crack the whip and unleash all of Buggsys’ 6hp. Now I know why the scooter has a stepped seat, it’s to stop the rider being thrown off the back when all hell breaks loose.

At TeMata, we swung left into Ruapuke road. A fantastic piece of sweeping corners, rises and dips. After about 12-15ks we were back into the gravel. Dropping down a gradual decent we turned into the Ruapuke beach road. The end is simply a turn around and carpark. No view of the coast so we headed back out to Ruapuke road and turned left. A short climb and down the tight winding gravel, we came to Swanns access rd. This took us down to the beach, where I finished the tea and sandwiches. There is something about the west coast beaches. I love them. Most have avoided being trashed by the developers, such as Mt Maunganui has been, but I guess in time we will lose these wild places.

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From here, the road becomes Whaanga rd. This was the roughest piece of road of the ride. Corrugations, big surface goullies, potholes. The scenery was fantastic. The road climbed well above the sea providing some lovely vistas.

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After the Te Toto reserve ( worst piece on the ride ) it was good to get back onto the Wainui road and into Raglan to fuel up.

After some 60 kilometres of gravel roads, it says something about the build quality of the Yamaha. I went over the scooter at Raglan and there wasn’t a single loose or missing screw or fitting. Filling Buggsy at Raglan after 125 k’s from Te Awamutu, he took a mere 4.1 litres.
The ride home was great. I had fitted a small mini HD video camera to the scooter at home. It is not an ‘ action’ video but with a class 10 card, it took some reasonable clips. Considering it was a miserable $15 from trade me, the quality wasn’t too bad. I have a couple of vids to post. Just need to sort out how to upload and edit them and I’ll post them.

This ride was not the most enjoyable, I’ve done. Scenery was fantastic, but 10” wheels are not the best for these roads. I knew that before I left home, but doing it on something that most would think ‘ too hard ‘ was part of the challenge.
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]]> awa355 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2845-Kawhia-to-Raglan Waikato scooter rides? https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2771-Waikato-scooter-rides Thu, 30 May 2013 10:03:39 GMT Took a couple of hours yesterday afternoon to have a quiet ride around a few of the side roads on the Te Pahu side on Mt Pirongia. First pic is from Bell road looking towards Mt Pirongia. As I said in an earlier post, sometimes photos just dont bring out the sharp crisp colours of Autumn.... Took a couple of hours yesterday afternoon to have a quiet ride around a few of the side roads on the Te Pahu side on Mt Pirongia. First pic is from Bell road looking towards Mt Pirongia. As I said in an earlier post, sometimes photos just dont bring out the sharp crisp colours of Autumn. Click image for larger version.  Name: P1020035 Stitch.jpg  Views: 154  Size: 530.8 KB  ID: 283455

The roads were all in good order and ideal for leisurely riding. The lookout at the forest park end of Greys road is now getting overgrown and although I tried for a couple of pictures, none were worth keeping. Back onto Rosborough rd and the farms on the foothills of Pirongia looked lovely. Gullys of natives trees, and lush green paddocks in the late afternoon sun. I shot up Waites road for a look, found what would have been a fantastic panoramic photo, except some mongrel had gone and started building a new house in front of my stop which would have ruined the picture. Waite road is mostly gravel and going uphill was a piece of cake. Coming back down on 10" rims was a bit more interesting.

Limeworks rd is quite tight and winding. This pic shows some locals attempt to create something similar to the bra fence of Otago or the gumboot fence arount Taihape. Somehow tooth brushes dont quite have the same impact. Click image for larger version.  Name: P1020051.jpg  Views: 104  Size: 929.4 KB  ID: 283456

Just a bit further along is the Kaniwhaniwha stream reserve. Buggsy took some time out to eye up the trout prospects. I've flyfished this stream up from the bridge without a lot of success. Click image for larger version.  Name: P1020052.jpg  Views: 94  Size: 909.3 KB  ID: 283457

From the stream the road climbs up onto a ridge. Again, the late sun bought out the greens on the hills and the Autumn colours of the trees. Click image for larger version.  Name: P1020060.jpg  Views: 45  Size: 831.5 KB  ID: 283458

One more photo before turning into Whitaker rd ,Click image for larger version.  Name: P1020061.jpg  Views: 44  Size: 804.3 KB  ID: 283459 The photos dont show the sharp cold wind that was blowing. These roads pass through a lot of lovely country and a scooter gives me more time to enjoy the vistas than a faster machine would. ]]> awa355 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2771-Waikato-scooter-rides A Three Day ride Around Taranaki. https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2765-A-Three-Day-ride-Around-Taranaki Wed, 15 May 2013 17:05:54 GMT I set off on Monday Morning on a 3 day quest to Taranaki to find some family history. Just out of Te A, I got above the fog blanket and stopped to admire the view of the sun shining onto the hills and trees standing above the fog. Attachment 282839... I set off on Monday Morning on a 3 day quest to Taranaki to find some family history. Just out of Te A, I got above the fog blanket and stopped to admire the view of the sun shining onto the hills and trees standing above the fog. Click image for larger version.  Name: ph 1 (1824 x 1368).jpg  Views: 142  Size: 352.6 KB  ID: 282839

Photos just dont do justice to natures beauty sometimes. From there, it was back into the fog right through to Awakino, when the sun finally took over. A friend had said that Buggsy would struggle up Mt Messenger, but the little buggar hit the hill like a rocket, albeit, a 'small' rocket. After a breather at the top, Click image for larger version.  Name: ph 2 (1824 x 1368).jpg  Views: 53  Size: 361.6 KB  ID: 282840 it was a slow run down the other side. The road was in shadows and very wet. An easy run into New Plymouth
and then we found a back packers for the night. The afternoon was spent at the Pukeriki library. This trip was, by neccessity, done on the cheap. Never again will I take a Dorm bed. Only two of us in the room but sharing with a stranger, especially a snail sucking french monkey was too much.

Tuesday moning had me aiming for the Okato cemetery to catch up with a family of ancestors, but Buggsy and I decided on the long way there. Carrington road winds its way between the upper reaches of the Taranaki farmlands and the fringes of the mount's forest. Narrow and winding, it was shaded from the sun for most of the road. Adding to the interest was the loose stones washed off the banks onto the corners. Click image for larger version.  Name: ph 4 (1824 x 1368).jpg  Views: 49  Size: 389.3 KB  ID: 282841

After coming off the mountain into Otako, and a emotional moment at the final resting places of my ancestors, it was off towards Hawera via Newalls / Wiremu roads. A stop at the Newall rd dairy factory which my grand uncle helped set up 90 years ago turned up something I hadn't seen to date in Taranaki, A genuine Taranaki gate, This gates' origin lay in the English background of the early settlers. From the same spot I took this picture. Click image for larger version.  Name: ph 5 (1824 x 1368).jpg  Views: 50  Size: 236.1 KB  ID: 282842 Just out of Kaponga I spied a bike coming towards me, going like the clappers. Before he got to me, he hit the brakes hard and I got a glimpes of a white Buell turning down a side road. Seconds later came a police car over the brow, lights and siren going, he shot right past the side road and kept going. A half k' further on and a second police car went screaming past. The rest of the day in Hawera was spent talking to people and locating two long lost gravesites.

Wednesday morning saw me turning towards my ride home. First up was a stop in Normanby to chat with an elderly distant relative. "Spud told me about his father, Bill Brogden. WW1 at the battle of the Somme, Bill was hit by machinegun fire. He survived, and at the ripe old age of 90 years old, Bill sat and passed his motorcycle licence so he could ride his scooter. He made the local newspaper as the oldest man in NZ to gain a motorbike licence. Click image for larger version.  Name: George William Edward Brogden. (1240 x 1754).jpg  Views: 39  Size: 163.9 KB  ID: 282843 Good on ya Bill.

The rest of the run from Hawera went good, Mt Messenger was awesome. Buggsy would hold 60ks no problem and the '25kph' corners had us both grinning. Stopped an had a look around Mokau Click image for larger version.  Name: ph 3 (1824 x 1368).jpg  Views: 43  Size: 366.8 KB  ID: 282844 then a good run home.

Buggsy used 24 litres of gas, over 693k's, averaging 28kpl. Considering he only has 100cc and was pulling over 100kg ( rider & luggage) at almost full noise, he did pretty well. When traffic came up behind, I would pull over on the shoulder and let the traffic pass. Humming along at 80ks I settled into a rythym and cruised along. In a years time, I will upgrade to a 250 scooter, but for now Buggsy gets the job done. All comes down to attitude I guess. ]]> awa355 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2765-A-Three-Day-ride-Around-Taranaki Waikato Scooter rides. https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2737-Waikato-Scooter-rides Sun, 07 Apr 2013 05:30:05 GMT Finished looking around the classic car show at the Te A racecourse by 11.30, so decided to take the scooter for a run. I took the back road through to Otorohanga, skirted around the township and headed up the Waitomo valley road. Lots of tight corners, a few short strips of re sealing gravel. The... Finished looking around the classic car show at the Te A racecourse by 11.30, so decided to take the scooter for a run. I took the back road through to Otorohanga, skirted around the township and headed up the Waitomo valley road. Lots of tight corners, a few short strips of re sealing gravel. The country south of Oto certainly needs a lot of rain.

At Waitomo it was left then right into Fullerton road. Thankfully the two tourists cars in front of me were turning off just a few k's further. If you think scooters are slow, try sitting behind two krauts doing 10kph while looking for a sign. :(. Fullerton rd is made for motorcycles, at least it would be if some BASTARD would come along after the re sealing crews and sweep the road clear.

At the Oparure rd, I turned left to Te Kuiti where 2litres later Buggsy and I barrelled up the hill out of town heading to Piopio.

My target was to locate the Piopio cemetery and find the great grand aunty thats been hanging out there since 1923. Interesting backdrop to her story. The husband Isaac took out a life insurance on her in 1920. two years later Isaac is bankrupt, a year later, 1923, Emily dies suddenly at age 53. 1924 sees old Ike re married. Lots of stories from the oldies of the time. Seems Isaac was the black sheep of the family. Anyway, the cemetery is way up a side road on a hillside with a lovely outlook over the country. Not much use to the residents I guess, but there's something serene and peacefull about a small country cemetery that's kept mowed and well tended.

Goal accomplished, I rode back out to SW3 and a few k's back toward Te Kuiti, I turned up Troopers road. Heaps of S bends tight corners. The scenery was lovely. Very brown but the rolling hills and clumps of bush in the hollows and lots of rocky outcrops made the ride very enjoyable.
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From Troopers rd it was back to Waitomo and into Otorohanga for a quick feed at Maccas. From there, I kept to the main road looking for slofox's Waikato tag. Back at home in Te Awamutu, the penny dropped. The tag was on the Pirongia road. So whats another 25ks? Off I went, got the tag ( I had taken a new tag photo on my way out to Piopio ).

All up just over 200 ks. The back roads dont make riding a scooter seem particulally slow. I'd like to meet up with others that are keen to do something different.
Click image for larger version.  Name: P1010936.jpg  Views: 27  Size: 629.0 KB  ID: 281081 ]]> awa355 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2737-Waikato-Scooter-rides Central Plateau Scooter Ride. https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2729-Central-Plateau-Scooter-Ride Fri, 22 Mar 2013 11:13:18 GMT Two of us rode down from Te Awamutu to Wanganui for the Central Plateau scooter challenge on the Friday. Met up with a group from Port Waikato and Auckland at Taumarunui who were riding their 50's down for the run. They were going via the Wanganui river road so Barbara and I carried on over the Parapara's. We never went past a green paddock anywhere. The country sure needs rain.

We had a billet arranged for the night and next morning made our way to Trafalger square. A lot of comic characters and dressed up riders there to give a neat atmosphere to the event.

Riding in a procession takes a bit of getting used to. A number of stops to re group gave us a chance to chat with riders of other makes and compare impressions of the scooters. Some 50's get along well ( and some not so well ). Superman was riding a Lifan 50, which was on a par with the old nifty fifty when a hill came in sight. Full credit to them tho' they persevered and made it all the way.

The 'Hardly a Harley' riders were a great group. All decked out in orange hats and trimmings, they really stood out and enjoyed themselves.

One chap that did bloody well was a Maori gentleman from Wanganui. 86 years old, he rode his Vespa 50 all the way. After a night in Taupo, he was going to continue across to New Plymouth then back to Wanganui. I hope the rain that is falling today (sunday) doesn't give him any problems.

We didn't stay for the prize giving at the Taupo RSA as we still had a long haul back to Te A and the heavy clouds suggested rain wasn't too far off. Barbara had a sore shoulder and eyes, and at 72years old didn't fancy riding in the dark and rain. Nightfall caught us about 40 minutes out from home. The rain stayed away.

Terena Currey ( and her mom and dad ), have done a wonderfull job of organising this event. Someone said they weren't sure if Terena was going to be able to arrainge another charity ride. If that's the case, then thank you Terena for the effort you have put into this cause. This world needs more people like you.

An event like this brings people together. A lot has been written about the idiots on scooters wearing no safety gear apart from helmets. On this ride, almost all had the full protective gear on.

I covered 740 k's all up over two days, and Buggsy never missed a beat. Long hills slowed us down a bit but I wouldn't have any hesitation in touring on my scooter. The scooter seat gave me one of the best full days riding of any bike I've owned.

The photos below are of Rons 'custom ' Piaggio 50, the Paraparas, Buggsy in the Raetihi CBD, two stops on the run.
Click image for larger version.  Name: Custom Zip..jpg  Views: 52  Size: 733.9 KB  ID: 280288Click image for larger version.  Name: Desert rd stop.jpg  Views: 49  Size: 486.5 KB  ID: 280289Click image for larger version.  Name: Parapara's.jpg  Views: 50  Size: 605.2 KB  ID: 280290Click image for larger version.  Name: Raetihi CBD..jpg  Views: 42  Size: 134.8 KB  ID: 280291Click image for larger version.  Name: Turakina.jpg  Views: 44  Size: 501.9 KB  ID: 280292 ]]> awa355 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2729-Central-Plateau-Scooter-Ride