90 Mile Beach question

[DEATH_INC.]

Been through the stream and down the beach a few years ago in my dads Diahatsu charade, piece of cake...
also been up in the big sandhills at the north end on my old KTM 250 back in the day, that's an experience if ya haven't done it too...

[3L4NS1R]

possibly doing this next weekend, it'll be fine to do on a klx250 aye? on a couple of websites it says to do it 3 hours after high tide, is this still applicable with a bike?

[CookMySock]

possibly doing this next weekend, it'll be fine to do on a klx250 aye? on a couple of websites it says to do it 3 hours after high tide, is this still applicable with a bike?

I would leave it an hour later than that. Enter at Ahipara and exit at the Te Paki Stream.

The most critical thing to remember with 90 mile beach, is don't do it after heavy rain. There will be washouts all the way up the beach, and while these sound like fun to start with, one of them will eventually catch you out and tear the suspension off your bike or car, and throw you on your face. Nasty.

It is very tempting to ride along at 120k and gaze off into the horizon, but you get a bad fright eventually if you do this.

Always do it on a falling tide, and remember there are forestry roads all the way along, right behind the dunes, so if you fuck up, you can hit the forestry roads and get out that way.


If you want a shorter beach ride, join at Ahipara and get off at Waipapakauri.

We used to live up there, and I would take visitors in the clubs' cessna and land on the beach and go for a swim - lot of fun. 90 mile is great place, but there is little or no support if you fuck up, so watch it.


Steve

[Lord Derosso]

On a related note I just drove from auckland to kaitaia (ahipara) and back, 4 hours up there, 3.5 back (took sh 16 both times to wellsford)
was a good ride but has anybody experienced the mangamuka gorge about 20minutes before kaitaia >??
This is motorcycling nirvana, 17km of 35k corners !!!!!! I LOVED IT
specially with the chemical brothers blasting on my ipod

Dozens of times including when it wasnt tarseated back in the 60's in some places- though I was a kid and in the back of a utu and seriously car sick with the dust. The gorge has improved big time over the years and I still prefer that route then the Bay of Islands to head to the North cape just for the ride of the gorge. Did you know theres a natural sparking water spring on the south side too? theres a sig there and I think theres also a rest stop there now. Have you done the Rimatukas though? I still love the Mangamukas because its HOME turf and the bush and its sweeping corners heading down from the top south.

[slofox]

On a related note I just drove from auckland to kaitaia (ahipara) and back, 4 hours up there, 3.5 back (took sh 16 both times to wellsford)
was a good ride but has anybody experienced the mangamuka gorge about 20minutes before kaitaia >??
This is motorcycling nirvana, 17km of 35k corners !!!!!! I LOVED IT
specially with the chemical brothers blasting on my ipod

Some of the best riding I ever had was in Norflund......try the link through Waimate North from SH1 to Kerikeri........