Pukemanu Adventure Ride 2011 Ride Report

[merv]

Well the ride has been and gone and it was quite an adventure. After much fine weather it decided to rain rather hard just as the ride was on making for very slippery and muddy going from early in the morning.

My WR was looking nice and clean first thing in the morning. Headlight working, you can't turn it off, so it wasn't us that scared MD before his golf game. That's Re-cycled getting his DR ready by the tent and Aslan on his DR in the next pic. Aslan rode over same day for the event - brave man.


Didn't take long and my WR was covered in mud waiting up the top of the first nasty muddy hill, but there weren't may bikes coming up.

[merv]

We met up again out on the sealed road.


Then it was back onto gravel roads with plenty of rain.


I was too busy getting myself up the next snarly muddy hill to get photos there, but it was on through to the morning tea stop at a wool shed. Not many got up there and much of the food will have gone back into the farm community. The rain had eased up by then and the locals seemed happy, dog included.


My camera was showing a bit of misting, don't blame it, but I was using the weatherproof camera.

[merv]

Leaving the wool shed and following the route I began to wonder if I was going the right way as there was no real sign of bike tyre marks on the gravel road. I turned my GPS onto map page (instead of the usual odo data page I use while following the route sheet) and figured I was heading the right way to get to the sealed road to Hinakura anyway, and sure enough I reached the end of the Rocky Hill gravel road to find the fuel guys.

Again I met up with Re-cycled on the sealed road. No sign of Aslan though, we lost him for the day. Big thanks to the guys dishing out the fuel as I'm sure I would have been pushing it trying to get to Castlepoint without a top-up.


We stopped for a break on the Te Wharau Road, though the view of the coast was blocked by cloud so I only photographed bikes and bikers.


Later we got a great view of Castle Rock - camera suffering a bit much water on the lens.

[merv]

Some of you might recognise yourself as you rode by us stopped for the view.


Then some guy was having trouble with gas on his DR350.


Then it was onto Castlepoint where we filled our tanks and here my WR has been filled and pushed away from the pumps.

[merv]

Lunch was at Tinui School. With the wet start me and Re-cycled were rather slow getting there to have lunch about 2.45pm.


We took a break at Wainuiouru and saw the sidecars go by and Clint and Rosie came along.


Great view from the route - looks better with the rain gone.

[marks]

good one Merv

Nice photos

looks like more trail bikes than adv bikes?

was it as easy as they made it sound? - it kind of put me off a bit that it was supposedly suitable for big bikes with pillions...

cheers


Mark

[merv]

good one Merv

Nice photos

looks like more trail bikes than adv bikes?

was it as easy as they made it sound? - it kind of put me off a bit that it was supposedly suitable for big bikes with pillions...

cheers


Mark

Hey it would have been fine except for the rain turned it from an adventure ride to part trail ride. Funny how the Wairarapa is usually so warm and dry except when us adventurers hit town. I've been doing the rides over there for 19 years now since 1992 and it seems if my memory is right about 2/3 of them have been wet and the soil is so slippery when wet unlike the rocks of Wellington.

If it had been a trail ride I wouldn't have loaded my bike up with tools and stuff and wouldn't have dressed for the long day which would have made riding all that much easier.

[merv]

We thought we were running a bit late so we skipped the last section that had an alternative and took the wet weather option which gave us a quick run back to Martinborough so I was back in time for a shower and dinner. Here's a few shots back at Pukemanu HQ.


The sidecars always draw attention.


Aslan made it back in one piece after all, so the three buddies did manage to dine together. It sounds like he missed catching up to us at the lunch break by minutes as we left Tinui not long before he said he got there.


All up not a bad ride. Thanks to Bill, Iona and all the others involved in organising the ride for putting on another good one.

[merv]

For those interested here is my GPS track for the ride ready to open with Google earth.

2011 03 March 26 Pukemanu.kmz

[Aslan]

as always Merv - great RR and pics. Merv is always one of the very few whose skills are such that in challenging conditions he gets so far ahead that's able to stop and take photos of those of us lesser mortals.

Merv made it look easy on his WR. Many of us who took the dry weather option (when in fact a wet weather option was offered ) struggled - lots of time spent helping each other through the first farm (on the dry weather route)

The farm owner rode through on his 1000 VeeStrom showing complete skill. Myself - I was reminded not to be such a silly old bugger in taking on 'challenge' sections at my age, skill and fitness levels - also, the importance of reducing the air pressure in rear tyre for added traction in mud and of course 'momentum!'

[merv]

as always Merv - great RR and pics. Merv is always one of the very few whose skills are such that in challenging conditions he gets so far ahead that's able to stop and take photos of those of us lesser mortals.

Merv made it look easy on his WR. Many of us who took the dry weather option (when in fact a wet weather option was offered ) struggled - lots of time spent helping each other through the first farm (on the dry weather route)

The farm owner rode through on his 1000 VeeStrom showing complete skill. Myself - I was reminded not to be such a silly old bugger in taking on 'challenge' sections at my age, skill and fitness levels - also, the importance of reducing the air pressure in rear tyre for added traction in mud and of course 'momentum!'

Mate at my age I'm taking it easy these days too and wearing glasses so I can read my route sheet just doesn't work too well in the rain and its rather off putting trying to ride slippery muddy rutted tracks with nothing but blobs of water in front of your eyes so I just don't attack things flat out like I used to. If anything riding like that was a bit of a curse because I stalled my bike a few times due to too much traction - great tyres those Michelins the WR came with - never ran into a problem with grip all day even though they are getting a bit worn now.

[Re-cycled]

... You sure are a good communicator, as well as being real good at staying right way up in the sticky stuff. For myself, I am still working on getting the kit washed and dried, the few pics I had time to take are still in the camera and the DR is awaiting a good clean up. Although both me and the bike got a preliminary rinse down in the downpour I rode through from Te Marua to Porirua on the way home around noon Sunday. Visibility almost nil and heaps of surface water, but we plugged on and made it home unscathed if somewhat squelchy.

Was happy to be visited by 4skins accompanied by a smiling Jan, when I had pulled over on the 'takas to don waterproofs (it was warm and sunny when I left M-boro). The good news is the leg was not broken after all, just badly bruised to the relief of all concerned - particularly the owner of said leg.

If I find any scenes not already covered in your most excellent art work I will load them in the next day or two. A great event in at times difficult conditions. As you say, a huge vote of thanks to the organisers for all their hard work before, during and after the ride. Sunday's breakfast of bacon, eggs etc etc was a particular high point, worthy of Epicurean status.

[Big Dave]

Hey Merv, could you email me some text and pictures for the KR site please?
mail@davidcohen.co.nz

[igormortis]

Here's a few shots back at Pukemanu HQ.

Hey, I recognise that lady!

Now who’s got some tips for getting mud out of cordura?

[merv]

Now who’s got some tips for getting mud out of cordura?

I just washed my Orina jacket with the car wash brush after I'd washed the bike and its looking good - still hanging drying now. If it gets too dirty I put it in the washing machine using that special bike gear wash powder the bike shop will sell you for breathable fabrics - can't remember its brand. I don't do that often because I really need to take the armour out so it doesn't get all munted by the agitator.