Kiwi Biker forums - Blogs - roadtripdiva https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/blog.php/27715-roadtripdiva Kiwi Biker - New Zealand motorcycle community en Sat, 02 May 2026 03:04:16 GMT vBulletin 20 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/images/BP-Brown/misc/rss.jpg Kiwi Biker forums - Blogs - roadtripdiva https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/blog.php/27715-roadtripdiva Can-Am Spyder Ride In french-canadian mountains https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1485-Can-Am-Spyder-Ride-In-french-canadian-mountains Thu, 08 Apr 2010 02:34:48 GMT Wow, the weather has been amazing. I rode my motorcycle on a 6 hour road trip (straight and flat like you would not believe) to the french part of canada to visit some friends and family...and that's where the fun started. I got out playing on a 998cc Can-Am Spyder for 4 hours in the mountains. It handled very differently from a motorcycle....the steering in corners was much more like riding a snowmobile or a quad. The braking was amazing as the computer tells the ABS brakes what needs to happen and then takes over so you can't flip out in corners. The ride is sporty and it has amazing get up and go to it. I love the little trunk that they give you to store stuff in on the front of it....so much nicer then wearing a back pack. The mountain roads were filled with french bikers all out enjoying the sun...so weird to be flying around on a bike and see snow in the forest and people skiing on the mountains. Rode past lots of signs warning for deer running out on the road....much more of a worry would be hitting a moose like the one on the sign that I posted a photo of. Roads were pretty good for riding even so close to the end of winter...yahoo! What a nice little treat for this girl......for me 2 wheels is still better then 3 or 4, but it was crazy fun trying something new.::clap:
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]]> roadtripdiva https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1485-Can-Am-Spyder-Ride-In-french-canadian-mountains Cruising in Canada https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1434-Cruising-in-Canada Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:42:38 GMT I finally got my bike out of the shop....even though I have only been back in Canada for a week or two I was really missing being on a bike. (You sort of get attached to cruising around on a bike a bit everyday once you do it daily for three months.) The weather here is warmer then usual, so... I finally got my bike out of the shop....even though I have only been back in Canada for a week or two I was really missing being on a bike. (You sort of get attached to cruising around on a bike a bit everyday once you do it daily for three months.) The weather here is warmer then usual, so today I waited for the sun to come up and take the bite out of the air and then I hit the road. It's so nice to be back on my suzuki savage 650cc after spending three months on the little suzuki GN 250cc....she accelerates quickly, cruises nicely at 120km/h, doesn't blow around on the roads as much, she fits my tall self much better and her roaring,purring and gunshot sounds are music to my ears. I was aiming for one of my favorite roads...a great windy road about a 2 hour ride from the where I live. Blasting through the straight bit I arrived before I knew it, lost in the bliss of the ride. My favorite road was trashed...I was ready to ride it, but the road was not even close to ready for me. The cold Canadian winter wreaked havock on the road...the heaving of the road due to the frost really put my suspension to the test as the road would dip about a foot down suddenly. There were oodles of potholes, gravel and lots of sand that they had spread down for the ice over the winter....and then there were the parts of the road that had been flooded and were really mucked up. I just took it easy and had a great little picnic in one of my favorite parklands. The lake was still frozen and I found a few patches of snow so I was able to throw my first snowballs of the season (it's the little things in life...hahaha). It was just me, the frozen lake, the barren rocks, moss and the forest. Rode through the Wahta Mohawk territory (a first nations tribe in Canada) and that was the best part of my ride...small highway, a bit windy and no one around. Have to say that it took me almost running out of gas to remember that this bike uses up more then the 250cc....but the prices of gas are good...the lowest price I paid today was 94.5/l.....I definitely do NOT miss paying New Zealand prices for gas...but I do miss the sweet roads in the mountains, the good folks and the beautiful summer weather. Keep safe out there...remember, rubber side down.
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]]> roadtripdiva https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1434-Cruising-in-Canada Heading back to the snow and cold https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1401-Heading-back-to-the-snow-and-cold Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:14:09 GMT Well, time sure flies when you are having fun. I am flying out of Auckland on monday to head back to Canada....the snow will be melting soon and I gotta get into peoples' gardens to make them look beautiful again. Even though the wee little 2007 suzuki GN 250 was really good to me, I am quite excited about getting my Suzuki savage out of the shop and onto the road again....nice to have a bit more get up and go under your arse I must say. ;) I have loved getting to meet and party with so many lovely kiwis, I have ridden some mind bogglingly beautiful roads in the south and north islands. I have also learned a lot of new skills as I have traveled...hoping to do more dirt riding and maybe learn a little about racing just to improve my riding skills. Anyways, thanks again for everything...don't be strangers...I would love to get to keep on hearing from you folks!

Cheers,
rayne ]]> roadtripdiva https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1401-Heading-back-to-the-snow-and-cold Paeroa street races https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1382-Paeroa-street-races Fri, 26 Feb 2010 07:19:53 GMT Had an amazing ride with my mate through the Queen Charlotte Sounds to the ferry ....lots of road works and campervans, but took it nice and easy as I was sad to be leaving the South Island anyways. Staged with lovely kiwis on my way up to the Paeroa street races...they helped nurse me back to... Had an amazing ride with my mate through the Queen Charlotte Sounds to the ferry ....lots of road works and campervans, but took it nice and easy as I was sad to be leaving the South Island anyways. Staged with lovely kiwis on my way up to the Paeroa street races...they helped nurse me back to health after a nasty wasp incident. A wasp flew up under my hemlet as i was riding and I had to let the little bugger sting the hell out of me as my hands were very occupied...within 5 minutes the entire right side of my face had swelled up something fierce and my eye had swollen closed. trying desperately to make it to the street races I rode on, dosing myself with anti histamines and putting anything cold I could find on my eye...from frozen venison, to fruit popsicles...even carried a huge bag of ice on my pack only to have it malt down the back of my pants....that was fun. ;) Anyways, made it to the street races....got out with a mate of mine around the track in the vehicle to close up the gates....what a hoot!!!! Such a tragedy about the death of the classic sidecar rider...sigh...my condolences to the whole family and all those who knew him. RIP.
Had a wonderful time riding the forgotten hwy today from Hmilton over and up to New Plymouth....great views, gravel, wild goats, wandering pigs and cows, 3 sadles to cross and very narrow roads with cars in my lane...never a dull moment. ]]> roadtripdiva https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1382-Paeroa-street-races Southward Bound https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1348-Southward-Bound Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:53:58 GMT Rode the East Cape in one wonderful day from Ohope to Napier around via the East Cape light house...what a day. Best part by far was between Opotiki and Waihau...it was just me and my bike alone on the road sweeping around great curves beside the rugged ocean side. Saw my first Marlin weighing in... Rode the East Cape in one wonderful day from Ohope to Napier around via the East Cape light house...what a day. Best part by far was between Opotiki and Waihau...it was just me and my bike alone on the road sweeping around great curves beside the rugged ocean side. Saw my first Marlin weighing in at 149 kg....damn thing was HUGE!! A sweet biker friend of a mate of mine sorted out my indicator issue....what a gem. Hitting the road again I stopped for drinks with some great bike guys in Wellington the night of the AC DC concert...the city was pumped full of life. I stayed awake until the wee hours of the morning so I could catch the 2:25 am ferry across the ditch to Picton. Managing to get maybe 1-2 hours of fitfull sleep curled up into a little ball in the corner on the ferry it was a good thing the morning was so cold as it slapped me awake straight away. By the time the sun burned through the fog I was well on my way to Hokitika for the Woodstock Motorcycle Rally...and on the way to hypothermia...think I had on every piece of clothing that I owned and still had to sing annoying songs to myself to stop focusing on the freezing factor. :)

The Woodstock rally was fan-freakin'-tastic! Some guys hooked me up with a spare sleeping bag and a wee corner in their tent so that I could stay on site and party my arse off until the morning. Saw my first possum toss, drank cheap beer, saw great fireworls and a nice collections of bikes and bikers. Rode pillion over Arthurs pass...was great to be pillion for a change....ok, who are we kidding...it was just great to be on a bike again that is not a piddly 250cc. :woohoo: Loved getting to sit back and take photos while we cruised. Riding back up to Nelson with some of the guys via Pancake Bay was great...good roads...great scenery...the only fly in the ointment was getting babysat by the guys as my bike just can't play with the same intensity as a 1300 cc can. I had a hard time getting around this one car...I was trying for a good half an hour...every time we got to where I could pass it they sped up to 120 km/h which I can only get to going down hill if I am lucky, and then as soon as we would hit the curves they would slow down and crawl around them...finally there was a straight stretch of road heading down hill so I zoomed on by to catch up with the boys....and at the very bottom of the hill the guys pulled into a pub, so my moment of ecsatitic satisfaction of finally being free to fly was very short lived...murphys law.

The ride over to Kaikoura was beautiful...well worth the trip over to a bikers 40th bday bash on my way down south. South of Christchurch was a seriously seriously boring and busy road...things got better as I neared lake tekapo...the sun came out from hidding and the rest of the trip down to Queenstown was amazing and full of happy, girlie giggling moments....One of witch was that I nearly ran out of gas and ended up riding the last 40 kms very, very gently pulling into the gas station with 60% of 1 litre left in my gas tank...luck was on my side and I finished the day riding with some mates into Queenstown to the most beautiful sunset up in the hills that I have seen since I arrived in N.Z. ]]> roadtripdiva https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1348-Southward-Bound Taking to the trails https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1310-Taking-to-the-trails Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:54:32 GMT I got out dirt biking for the first time ever.....had a blast. Stu from Over the top adventures hooked me up and took me out with him and a brit to hit the trails and get some offroading skills under my belt. Went out for most of the day around Waihi...lets just say it was definitely NOT a novice... I got out dirt biking for the first time ever.....had a blast. Stu from Over the top adventures hooked me up and took me out with him and a brit to hit the trails and get some offroading skills under my belt. Went out for most of the day around Waihi...lets just say it was definitely NOT a novice route, but it just meant that I was thrown straight into the hard stuff and got the crap kicked out of my legs, but the learning curve and the adrenaline rush were more then worth the pain!!!:2thumbsup
Cruising down to Ohakune to help out at Desert Storm ( a great dirt biking event with about 1000 folks all hitting the trails) was an adventure all on its own. I fought my way across Desert Hwy...the wind kept on trying to throw me in the ditch and my poor little GN was stuck at 90 km/h with the crazy head winds. Then the rain started and the fog rolled in. I could hardly see and had to wipe my visor ever 30 seconds or so just to keep up the pretense that I could see where I was going. They closed the road shortly after I got through, so I am glad that I made it.
Desert Storm was an AWESOME event!! The staff family were so friendly and welcoming, and the event was well organized and the focus on safety was impressive and necessary for a crowd that size all eagerly out there bustin' up the trails. I ended up getting out on a rhino and a quad to see some of the trails. Met lots of great bikers...saw my first triple crown competition with the high jump, enduro cross and barrel racing...impressive. Chris (from the dirt biking magazine and his cousin ) kicked some serious tush and walked away with some stellar prizes. Watching the burnouts the quads were doing was fun... Brought out the little pyro in all of us. ]]> roadtripdiva https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1310-Taking-to-the-trails another day in the sun https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1266-another-day-in-the-sun Thu, 07 Jan 2010 03:33:29 GMT I was up with the roosters this morning. Hit the tarmac as the sun was just burning its way through the clouds on the top of the mountains. The roads were empty, except for the usual possum road kill. Also saw a dead hegdgehog (or porcupine) and sadly someones beloved cat. Loved the way the... I was up with the roosters this morning. Hit the tarmac as the sun was just burning its way through the clouds on the top of the mountains. The roads were empty, except for the usual possum road kill. Also saw a dead hegdgehog (or porcupine) and sadly someones beloved cat. Loved the way the shadows of the trees and mountains hit the roads and the different colours they brought to my attention. Dug myself a wee little pool to warm up my chilled legs once I got to hot water beach. Got chased out by the tide trying to drown my motorcycle gear. Ended up beach hoping for a while, played in the waves at new chums and got oh so gracefully slammed into the beach infront of a bunch of people. hahaha...no way to walk out of that one looking cool. :) Finally got to meet another one of you KB's! Stu, so nice to just run into you like that. Look forward to meeting your couch, I'm sure we'll be great friends.

Have fun, ride the curves and keep the rubber side down folks.
cheers,
rayne ]]> roadtripdiva https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1266-another-day-in-the-sun Cruising Coromandel https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1263-Cruising-Coromandel Wed, 06 Jan 2010 05:03:29 GMT Stellar ride today. Rode down the 25 from Coromandel to Thames and back. It was just one of those where everything came together perfectly. The sun was shinning, but it wasn't too warm under my leathers. There were cars for a while but they were really descent with letting me pass and so i got to spend most of my time cruising just me , my bike and the road. Ahhhhh....bliss!! :) The curves and scenery on this route are just stunning...the ocean was shimmering, people were out swimming, sunning and fishing. Just got back still glowing from the ride and opened myself a nice cold sassy red bitter beer...this is the life. ]]> roadtripdiva https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1263-Cruising-Coromandel