Kiwi Biker forums - Blogs - nerrrd https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/blog.php/26337-nerrrd Kiwi Biker - New Zealand motorcycle community en Fri, 01 May 2026 02:23:06 GMT vBulletin 20 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/images/BP-Brown/misc/rss.jpg Kiwi Biker forums - Blogs - nerrrd https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/blog.php/26337-nerrrd Waiouru: everyone likes a parade https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2787-Waiouru-everyone-likes-a-parade Sat, 29 Jun 2013 11:09:11 GMT "Young people today, put 'em in the army, that'll sort 'em out!" Well, recently my nephew decided to put himself in the Army, successfully completed his recruit training and is now a trooper in the Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles Regiment (he was pretty well sorted anyway if you ask me.) The family went down to Waiouru for his graduation parade so I decided to take the bike. It was a two day trip, the first from Auckland to Ohakune, the second Ohakune to Waiouru for the parade, then Waiouru back to Auckland.

This would be my first longish winter ride, so I was expecting it to be cold and got rugged up pretty well for it I thought with merino thermals, my normal winter clothes (polar fleece jacket, jeans etc) and the bike gear on top of that. I wouldn't say I was warm (except for my hands on the heated grips), but I never got uncomfortably cold. Also wore a windproof neck tube/ half a balaclava thing which was great at keeping the chill off under the helmet, although not so great at fogging up my glasses whenever I had to slow down to round town speeds - four eyes bad!

The worst part on the first day was the road pretty much the whole way from Ngaruawahia to Otorohanga, which stank of diesel - there seemed to be metre-wide swathes of it on the left side of the lane at regular intervals, plus the surface was wet and the weather very misty. I only had one minor wobble, but it was a nerve-wracking stretch. I did pass a "road inspection vehicle" at one point, don't know if they were there for that reason (and if they were what they could do about it). After that though the road dried out and was fantastic all the way to National Park and on to Ohakune, I'd forgotten how nice a run it is through there although I used to travel it fairly often for ski trips in my youth. The weather stayed cloudy though, so no picture postcard views of the mountains yet.

Entertainment for the evening came in the form of an accident right outside the restaurant where we were eating dinner - a peugeot failed to stop at a give way sign on the main road and t-boned a passing ute. People poured out to help, the drivers from a couple of big trucks stopped and jumped out to see if they could help too (or possibly just make sure they could get past?), an ambulance, fire engines and the local constabulary turned up, everyone was OK but what a great way to ruin your evening if you were the peugeot driver. Another car driver that just didn't look, I guess.

I was a bit worried about ice on the trip from Ohakune to Waiouru the following morning but no problems. Arrived in Waiouru for the parade with snow still on the ground in places. The recruits put on a great show, although who knew you could march to rap/dance music? They even did a couple of mock battle drills complete with insurgents and smoke bombs and shooting. It was all finished off with a rousing haka, everyone was very proud and after tea/coffee, sausage rolls and cakes and lots of photos in the mess I took off back to Auckland around 1.30pm.

The weather had come right by now and the desert road was gob-smackingly beautiful, snow everywhere (except on the road), brilliant sunshine, magnificent mountain views. I managed to pass a truck on one of the straights, although regretted it when I came to the next set of corners as he caught right up to me again, and what followed felt a bit like that movie "Duel", with me trying to put some distance between us on the straight bits and him barrelling up behind me on the corners (of course I could have pulled over but I didn't.)

The rest of the trip back to Auckland was uneventful, although the sunstrike got pretty bad with the sun being very low in the sky (too low for the strip of tape on my visor.) Finished it all off with a bit of night riding from Hamilton onwards - I'm not sure if it's the freakishly small headlight on my bike or I'm expecting too much, but I wouldn't have seen any obstacles in the road in time with the amount of light it throws out and high beam wasn't an option with cars in front of me and oncoming traffic.

So once again I was lucky with the weather, and seem to have a bit more endurance now on the bike thanks to the extra miles I've been doing lately. Still it was tiring, I was sore when I got home and now I've got a cold, but overall it was good. Must take more photos next time - here's a couple I did take (haka and mountains from Waiouru).
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]]> nerrrd https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2787-Waiouru-everyone-likes-a-parade East Cape 2.0: sometimes I go back https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2774-East-Cape-2-0-sometimes-I-go-back Wed, 05 Jun 2013 11:23:20 GMT Not having anything planned for Queen's Birthday weekend I decided to go back to East Cape and finish what I started last month - this time head from Opotiki to Gisborne through the Waioeka gorge, then up the coast to Te Araroa and back around to Opotiki via the road already travelled - not sure why but I wanted to complete the East Cape 'loop' .

The gorge was probably the main reason. When I was a kid I used to tag along with my Dad in the school holidays as he drove all over the North Island for work, and I remember it being the highlight for me of one of our trips, the landscape made quite an impression on me.

This time it was just me and my trusty motorcycle, no camping, nice comfy motel rooms instead.

Overall it was a good trip, didn't take any wrong turns although I did take the long way around a couple of times. I've got a USB accessory socket now on the bike and a GPS case on order which I'm hoping will make navigating through small towns a bit easier for me in future; haven't made the new phone which actually works vs dedicated GPS unit decision yet.

Best parts of the trip: - The weather - don't know how it was where you were on Sunday but it was almost too sunny on Sunday as I headed from Gisborne up the coast to Te Araroa. Bright blue sky, sparkling blue ocean, beautiful bays, rolling green hills; not bad at all.

- The Waioeka gorge - I'm a big fan of rugged landscapes, only trouble was being on a motorcycle I had to concentrate more on the road than the scenery. Also I timed it badly and didn't want to stop anywhere in case I didn't make it to Gisborne before dark. Oddly I ended up following a cabbage tree through most of it (being towed on a trailer with what looked like the rest of somebody's worldly possessions).

- A couple of strangers came up and started talking to me about the trips they'd done on their bikes - this motorcycling business is good practice for the socially-challenged (I need more of that).

- I got a wave from a passing ambulance - just after I'd stopped somewhere and was feeling a bit tired, whereupon my phone spontaneously started playing ELO's "Strange Magic" through the headphones I've been using as earplugs, which cheered me up no end (which others may find merely strange).

- Recently purchased Merino thermals - think I would have been much more uncomfortable without them (wind chill really is a sod). Also I managed to make myself stop a bit more regularly this time, seems my back starts aching after about an hour in the saddle which is a good way of keeping track (although I'd rather it didn't).

Worst parts: - The uphill left hand turn on some roadworks that was all slick clay or pockets of large stones; I felt like I was losing momentum and sliding down the camber, but the bike kept going with me hanging on to the shuddering handlebars until we made it through - probably a mountain out of a molehill but I reckon that bike gets me out of so much trouble it's ridiculous.

- The takeaway near the motel in Gisborne that was closed by the time I got there at 7pm on a Saturday night, meaning I had to walk back to the motel, put all my gear back on and take the bike into town for food. The motel in Opotiki that had everything but the kitchen sink - seriously there was no sink - fridge, microwave, dishwashing paraphernalia and plastic basin, but I had to fill up the basin from the shower to do the dishes. The fact that the movie on Sky on Saturday night was one I'd seen on DVD about three days earlier (good movie, though: "Hanna").

- Waving but not really talking to the other bikers in Te Araroa - was that Grashopper? (edit: yes I think it was...) Did speak briefly to one of them, think I recognized him also (see "needs more practice" comment above). Hope you had a good trip.

- The surprisingly large duck (I think?) that almost flew into me. The nasty looking pit-bull type dog that chased me down the open road (can't help thinking that could only ever turn out badly for the dog…)

Next trip: Ohakune at the end of the month, could be a wee bit chilly. ]]> nerrrd https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2774-East-Cape-2-0-sometimes-I-go-back Camping trip v2.0: Coromandel / Waihi / Bay of Plenty / East Cape https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2751-Camping-trip-v2-0-Coromandel-Waihi-Bay-of-Plenty-East-Cape Fri, 03 May 2013 23:16:54 GMT So I ended up going on a very different trip for my second go at camping (which makes me an expert now).

Instead of going on my own this time I got to travel in the company of Bosslady, who had decided she wanted to have a go at camping also. Turns out there wasn't much camping after all - you can read her blog if you want to find out the details of the trip, and her experience of it, but I thought I would chime in with a short note on how it was for me.

Ashamed as I am to say it now, given how difficult the trip ended up being for her, I had a great time. She was great company, undauntable (is that a word?) and I got to ride some great roads (for me) and see some great parts of the country. I actually felt like I was starting to get a handle on riding on the open road, a mere 5 years after I came back to two wheels.

The only downside for me was the worrying, which was pretty constant once it became clear that everything wasn't going according to plan, and having to take the unfamiliar role of leading on the road, not being sure how fast/slow to go in places, not sure where we were going to stop etc.

It wasn't easy, I take my hat off to those who organise trips like this for others (I'm looking at you Maha and Mom) but I'd do it all again tomorrow (only hopefully make a better job of it - no guarantees though).

So yeah, for me it was a guilty pleasure, sorry Boss. :o ]]> nerrrd https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2751-Camping-trip-v2-0-Coromandel-Waihi-Bay-of-Plenty-East-Cape I bought a tent, now what? https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2735-I-bought-a-tent-now-what Thu, 04 Apr 2013 09:29:16 GMT So last weekend I decided to supplement my reading about other people's motorcycle touring trips and have a go at a short trip of my own.

I've always liked the 'idea' of camping, and managed to buy a tent and self inflating mattress on special on Saturday, took a look at the map and decided it was a relatively straight run to Napier from Auckland.

Wasn't sure I was actually going until Sunday morning when I headed south with a minimum of planning. Here's some observations from the trip.

I got long-distance tunnel vision. I know that the best way to tour is to stop frequently for a stretch and a bite to eat, but every time I spotted a 'rest area' I found a reason not to pull in and told myself I'll get the next one...until I got to the point of saying well, I'm nearly there, I might as well keep going.

My bike will do 300kms on the open road before hitting reserve, so fuel stops weren't a priority. Ended up only stopping twice on the way down, once on the way back, got pretty uncomfortable at times but pushed on through it. I see why it's a good idea to plan stops in advance.

Also found my mind wandering at times - I do this a lot off the bike and was hoping burbling along at 100 kph would help focus my attention, but still caught myself thinking about other things on a fairly regular basis, again I guess shorter stints would help. Also found it hard to maintain a consistent speed, and was constantly having to adjust my grip on the throttle, which was annoying. Need more practice.

As much as there are a few things about my bike that I don't like, it never put a foot wrong. At a recent service they pumped the tyre pressures up to the low 40s psi (I usually keep it mid 30s) so I was unsure about this but no problems, supposed to improve the handling and make the tyres last longer apparently (I couldn't feel any difference).

On camping...I encountered a few logistical wrinkles which I'll hopefully iron out next time. The ground was too hard to get the pegs all the way in even with the (admittedly small) hammer I took, luckily the weather was calm so the tent stayed up overnight. The mattress worked surprisingly well, but it was a restless night.

I seemed to run out of room even though I was only staying one night and left things like my camera and tablet at home, couldn't get the free wifi to work with my phone (which struggles with its cellular connection at the best of times), so I was glad I took a good, old-fashioned paperback and a torch.

Was also a bit paranoid at having to leave my stuff unattended quite often, but it all made it home with me. Is it worth using a cable lock to try and secure things strapped to the bike, I wonder? Or do thieves prefer a challenge, perhaps...

Overall it was an experience, and I hope to do it better next time. ]]> nerrrd https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2735-I-bought-a-tent-now-what