Wellington - Saturday 28 July BuckBuckNo1’s Cruisie Ride – Around Wellington Harbour

**Terminated** · 28th July 2007, 17:03

Pictures from today's ride.

Bull will do a write up. Thanks Danny.

Thanks for the company and lunch. I believe we have just found another TCWNR - The Cruisie Wednesday Night Ride destination. An excellent cafe and bar, The Cornerstore in Brooklyn.

Heads Up and Enjoy

**Terminated** · 28th July 2007, 17:06

Evans Bay. The weather was kind to us after we left Upper Hutt.

**Terminated** · 28th July 2007, 17:09

Dorrie Leslie Park - Lyall Bay

Vstrom the only blue bike there, all the others were black.

**Shadows** · 28th July 2007, 17:43

I saw you heading home via the Rimutakas Guy. Couldn't get enough eh?

**bull** · 28th July 2007, 20:06

0900 i head outside to give the bike a much needed clean, head back inside to get my riding gear on, look outside and low and behold its persisting down, the weather changed within 5 minutes.

0945 My partner and kids head off to rugby with it still raining, she asks me "you still going to ride in this crap?" me keen as for a ride replies "i think its just a passing shower", i think that was a hopeful reply than anything.

1000 I head to Rimutex and meet BuckbuckNo1,Cave Cleaner and his son Karmakillanz. Also Biggles1 is there chatting with BBNo1. Then the roar of a ducati is heard and we get to meet our resident Swede - Johan, he filled up and then brought over his monster dark for us to ogle at, lovely looking bike. Its only light rain so were still keen to go. Biggles1 decides hes going home and we all head off.

First part of the ride is up over Mangaroa Hill, nice slow ascent in the greasy conditions and just cruise all the way down to the Walalceville Hill and up and over that - had a few cars get in between us there but everyone seemed to slip past them before the hill - all but tail end charlie me, stuck behind car and little truck for the duration of hill.
We then cruised through Silverstream and headed out onto SH2, as usual the ride along SH2 to the duckpond is uneventful, had a couple of bikes come past so that was cool.

We arrive at the Duckpond on time and wait to see if anyone else was going to turn up to join the 5 of us. Ther weather down at Avalon was great - grass wast even wet so rain must have been confined to the north. Departure time arrives and no extras had turned up so we leave to head to Caltex Kaiwharawhara for next meeting point. Its so different riding into town without lane splitting, feels very weird.

We arrive at Caltex Kaiwharawhara and meet up with Peter and Marilyn. From here we head over towards Miramar and begin our around the bays section of the ride.

Weather was just as nice in Wellington as it was in avalon so it was a great ride around the bays, i had noticed at Avalon that my rear tyre was quite worn so i was glad the roads were a bit drier in Welly. We stopped at Evans bay for a regroup and photo, you can see in the photos the sun hitting us but the crappy dark clouds in the valley looming closer. We rode around the bays and stopped next at Windy point at the southern end of Lyall Bay. After a couple more photos it was off to Lunch destination in Brooklyn, again a cruisy ride around to happy valley and up into Brooklyn.

BuckBuck ahd mentioned he ahd seen a bar / restaurant and so this is where we stopped 'The Cornerstone Bar'. Bloody lovely inside and the staff were great too. My normal way to tell the quality of a new place is to try there big Breakfast - It was great, good helpings of sausages, bacon, eggs, toast, hasbrowns and tomatoes, glad i had skipped food at home. Could definitely go back there, the only tough part was parking or lack there of, we parked a little up the road on the right on hill, whilst the others parked in sidestreet a little further up coz it was flatter there.

This was the end of our ride - until Johan quizzed BB about the Brooklyn Turbine, so we finished lunch, Peter and Marilyn departed and the rest of us were on our way up to the turbine, what an absolutely amazing view of the southern coastline, rolling clouds, a myriad of blues in the waters and streams of sunlight breaking through. I was very impressed, oh and the turbine looked interesting too in a mechanical turbine kind of way(boring).
Cave Cleaner and Karmakillanz, left to head back up to Kapiti and Johan, BB and myself thought wed head over to WMC to look at some bikes and gear, its only my second time in their shop and it was fricking cool as, lots of bikes to look at and a good amount of gear to look at too, man if you had unlimited funds you could go nuts in that shop. Caught up with alan and Dennisr there too. BB and i were done and decided it was time to head home, we said goodbye to Johan who had to head back to Miramar and we headed home.

Was actually tired when i got home so thats a good days riding for me.

Too any other noobs please consider coming on these types of rides, its cruisy as, and you can go at your own pace, but best of all you can get out with some like minded individuals and enjoy the rides.

Huge thanks to BB for organising and to Mike, Chris, Johan, Peter and Marilyn for a lovely day out on the bikes and some great company for lunch.

Good range of bikes out too, 2 x Hyosung GTR250's(myself and Karmakillanz- Chris), 1 x Suzuki GS1200(Peter), a 900 Hornet(Marilyn), the 900 Ducati Monster Dark(Johan) and a Crusier 800cc something???(Cave Cleaners - Mike ), and BBs Vstrom.

**Terminated** · 28th July 2007, 20:24

Thanks Bull, for your write up on todays ride. I have arranged several around the Wellington Harbour And The Bays rides over the last six or seven months and will continue to do so every other six weeks or so. The route around the harbour is excellent for new riders, and I encourage those that are just starting out to 'spread their wings' and in 'your own time' do a ride around the harbour and bays - there is a steady easy pace with good bends and great scenery too.

Heads Up and Enjoy

**Terminated** · 28th July 2007, 20:30

I wanted to save the next pictures until after Bull's ride report.

Here are father [Cave Cleaner] and son [Karmakillernz], dad has just returned to riding after 11 yrs and son is on a L plate. Good to meet up with you and I look forward to hearing from you after your rides through the Mangaroa/Whitemans Valley a few times.