Well chasps and chaspesses, you missed a magnificent night for a ride.
As advertised, I loitered at the Maungaraki carpark until the designated hour of 6:15pm -- a bit longer than that in reality as Madboy stopped to say hello on his way home from work. Apparently domestics called.
There was no wind whatsoever. The late afternoon sun setting on the eastern Hutt hills showed off their multicoloured green hues, with a tinge of yellow from late-flowering gorse. Long shadows and golden pink lighting from the setting sun completed the picture. Paul Theroux would have waxed eloquent as well.
Anyhoo, the road called. I was astride Mrs H's blue Marauder, having not long since collected it from its 12,000km service. A Narva Plus50 60/55W bulb having been inserted into the headlight in readiness for the upcoming Grand Challenge. I was looking forward to a bit of darkness to see how well it would perform.
And, as advertised, off out to the Wainuiomata coast I headed. Light traffic until it disappeared entirely at about the Wainui KFC.
The coast road is in great nick. Recent repairs have cleaned up some of the shabbier patches and it was great fun swooping down to the coast, as one only can on a cruiser. A Marauder is outstandingly good fun to ride. I can't recommend them highly enough.
I arrived at the coast at about 7:00pm. The sun had well set by then but the twilight colours were breathtaking. So too the reflections on the lagoon. There was no wind but a strong surf breaking. This created a light sea mist that ethereally cloaked the coast. The only noise was the roar of the sea, the occasional aircraft taking off to the south from Wellington airport, and the bleat of a late-born lamb calling for its mother.
After soaking all of this atmosphere up for about 20 minutes, it was time to head back. By this time it was dark enough to gain an appreciation of the performance of the new headlight bulb. Very impressive indeed. On high beam I could see up the main street of Upper Hutt. Yes, gentle readers, I am exaggerating. But the bulb upgrade makes a huge difference. Mrs H should be well pleased.
It was getting quite cool by this stage too. I predict a frost for Wainui residents tomorrow morning. Fortunately the Mighty Marauder has heated handgrips...
The view of Wellington and the Hutt Valley at night from atop the Wainui hill is magical. So too the run along the motorway back to Ngauranga. Fantastic fun. You missed a cracker.
Here's to more great Thursday nights this summer!
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Originally Posted by Hitcher
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