BrrrrrrrKatman and I decided to do the return ride Taupo/Wanganui last weekend. Yes, the weather report was decidedly dodgy so I decided to take the car down to Taupo (my bike gear in the boot incase the weather reports were all wrong and a ride looked on the cards).
Saturday morning the sky was clear, the air was fresh so we decided a ride was on! I was going to go down on the back of his 1100 but he generously offered me his 400 Katana. After a few minutes of indecision I took him up on the offer. What a beautiful bike to ride! So smooth, and as Goldilocks once said "just the right size"!
Heading over to Wangas it was fresh, but not the freeze-fest we'd been expecting. The weather was perfect and the mountain was simply stunning. (We went Turangi-National Park-Paraparas). We overnighted with grandma then opted to head back to Taupo a little earlier than planned as the weather gurus seemed to be fairly accurate with the deterioration in the lovely weather we'd had... Just as well because the ride from the Paraparas through to National Park was the most miserable trip I've ever done! By the time we got to Nat Park my fingers were so frozen I'm sure I had no blood left in them whatsoever. Katman then kindly pointed out that whatever pain they were in it was going to be worse as the blood returned. Um, yes, it was. After wondering how I was ever going to get my sorry arse back on the 400 and face the rest of the ride back to Taupo we were very pleasantly surprised at how nice the ride across to Turangi then back to Taupo was. I thought I was in a different country! We'd been riding just ahead of the storm and I'm sure that the decision to go around the other side of the mountain rather than Desert Rd was the only thing standing between me and hypothermia!
So, we were really pleased that we'd opted to take the bikes rather than the car after all. Given that the weather was supposed to be really bad, 3/4 of the entire trip was absolutely wonderful. The bad first half of the return was bad, I have to say - frozen fingers, licking snot from my eternally running nose all the way from before Raetahi, watering eyes, blah blah blah. But after Katman putting my gloves on the engine while we were stopped at National Park (he suggested a coffee, but we were too worried that the storm might overtake us again) having nice warm gloves felt like heaven. Even if it only lasted a couple of minutes once we were mobile again.
I'm sure that I'd have been shivering for the duration of the remainder of the ride under normal circumstances, but having ridden in front of such grotty weather beforehand the last leg of the trip felt almost tropical!!!
Did anyone else venture forth despite the atrocious forecast?
Originally Posted by Katman
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mind you my Alpine Star gloves (second hand of trade me) kept my fingers dry and reasonably warm 
Rugby - A Hooligans Game played by Gentlemen. 
. Was definitely a weekend to appreciate a hot shower when we got home 
Aquired some Spidi touring pants from TSS recently, they worked, and my Ixon jacket!!! 
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