Road Trip

**Slingshot** · 5th January 2005, 09:54

The details of my adventures over the Xmas/New Years Break:

Monday 27th - Pearler day in Wellington so we decided to hit the road (after previously deciding not to). Up state highway 1 to Waitarere Beach, stayed with the in-laws at their beach house.

Tuesday 28th - Another great day, took off from the beach around lunch, went up to Wanganui then up state highway 4 to Ohakune, what a wicked road. Quite a few washouts along the way but all well sign posted and no real dramas. Also there were some patches of sticky tar. This road was great fun though. Stopped at Ohakune for a coffee (had to pay the dam 15% public holiday surcharge). Headed up the National Park road to Tarmaruni where we camped the night.
It's quite funny how people watch in amazement as you unpack the tent, sleeping bags, air bed (and blow it up with an electric pump) along with the clothes etc.
Wednesday 29th - Headed across to Rotorua via the Western Access Road (around the back of Lake Taupo), the road between Tarmaruni and the Western Access Road was a little disappointing, well sealed and lots of twisties but it's got some massive bumpy bits.
Came across a crash that must have just happened on the Western Access Rd, looked fairly minor and quite a few people around so we didn't stop. 15 minutes on saw an ambulance then 5 minutes later saw a cop (luckily he was heading to the accident cause I might have been going a bit fast).
Started raining just before Rotorua, stopped there for a rest then decided to head to Whakatane. Another wicked road but a little damp.
Managed to find a cabin in Whakatane, just as well, cause it pissed down throughout the night.

Thursday 30th - Left Whakatane, still pissing down, headed off the Opotiki where we stopped for a bit to eat, by this stage we were wet through. Continued on through the gorge to Gisborne, it pissed down until half way through the gorge, we stopped at a pub for a smoke where we meet another couple of bikers that had stopped to put their wet weathers on. They had left from Gizzy so it was starting to look up for us. By the time we got to Gisborne it was beautiful, got some booze...bumped into Linda Blair (of all people) then headed on to Tolaga Bay where we stayed with some friends for a couple of nights.
Saturday 1st - Left Tolaga Bay about midday, through Gizzy and onto Napier (that road is cool), we were going to stay in Napier but decided to head onto Masterton (free meal & board at the old ladies place)...In hindsight, this was probably to far to go in one day, I'm still sore!

Sunday 2nd - Over the Takas and home.

We did about 1500ks over the trip, I wore out the back tyre, didn't get caught speeding (but passed lots of cops at speeds between 110 & 130ks) and didn't fall off!

All n all, a great trip discovering new roads!

**scroter** · 5th January 2005, 10:07

Originally Posted by Slingshot

Started raining just before Rotorua, stopped there for a rest then decided to head to Whakatane. Another wicked road but a little damp.
Managed to find a cabin in Whakatane, just as well, cause it pissed down throughout the night.

Thursday 30th - Left Whakatane, still pissing down, headed off the Opotiki where we stopped for a bit to eat, by this stage we were wet through. Continued on through the gorge to Gisborne, it pissed down until half way through the gorge

you got lucky there were hardly any sites available over the holidays and everyone was advertising for one night only.

yep it was wet like for 24hrs which of course closed a few of the roads again, you must have chosen the right one to opotiki (via Ohope) as the other one was under water, the ohope road is way better any way. after about three days the water subsided again and everything seems OK but a lot of people who had houses damaged in the flood couldnt get to there houses till friday to find out if they were still ok. glad you had a good trip. if you decide to do it again let us know and well show you some great roads without adding to much to your journey.

**Blakamin** · 5th January 2005, 10:08

excellent!!!!.... dont suppose you took heaps of photos????

**Coyote** · 5th January 2005, 10:12

Can't wait to do proper journeys like that. Stuck doin 70kph now

**Hitcher** · 5th January 2005, 10:24

Great road trip. Aren't we priviledged to live and ride in such a great country?

**Slingshot** · 5th January 2005, 10:46

Originally Posted by scroter

yep it was wet like for 24hrs which of course closed a few of the roads again, you must have chosen the right one to opotiki (via Ohope) as the other one was under water

Yeah...took us a while to find the road though, we went out to the highway and started heading back to Rotorua before we realised we were heading in the wrong direction.

Originally Posted by scroter

if you decide to do it again let us know and well show you some great roads without adding to much to your journey.

Will do, I really wanted to head around the east cape from Opotiki but decided it was just too wet. So will try and get up there again this year to do it.

**Slingshot** · 5th January 2005, 10:47

Originally Posted by Blakamin

excellent!!!!.... dont suppose you took heaps of photos????

I took a few, I'll post them tonight when I get home from work.

**Slingshot** · 5th January 2005, 10:49

Originally Posted by alarumba

Can't wait to do proper journeys like that. Stuck doin 70kph now

You must be one of the few people I know that obey that rule...mind you, I wouldn't have liked to go that far on a 250, the seat on my old one was rather small and fairly hard.

**Slingshot** · 5th January 2005, 10:52

Originally Posted by Hitcher

Great road trip. Aren't we priviledged to live and ride in such a great country?

We sure are, great roads only a stones throw away. I only just uncovered the tip of the ice berg.

With a bit of local knowledge I believe you could discover & ride great roads around this country for months.

**vifferman** · 5th January 2005, 10:55

Originally Posted by Hitcher

Great road trip. Aren't we priviledged to live and ride in such a great country?

Indeed.

After having done a few longish trips, and not having a LuxoBarge like yours, I'm a bit unfit and creaky to be keen on more. An hour to 90 minutes is enough without a break, whereas previously I've ridden 3 or 4 hours at a stretch.
But the vifferbabe said only last night that she would like to go on some trips with a destination, rather than day rides just for the sake of going for a ride.

After reading over my shoulder when I was browsing KB last night, she also said she's not keen on going on any more KB-organised rides as they seem to be all road-based races with at least one crash per ride....

Oh yeah - here's a phot from yesterday's ride.

**Slingshot** · 5th January 2005, 11:30

Originally Posted by vifferman

Oh yeah - here's a phot from yesterday's ride.

That's a pretty picture...but where's the bike?

**vifferman** · 5th January 2005, 11:48

Originally Posted by Slingshot

That's a pretty picture...but where's the bike?

Weeellll....
We took the camera so we could get some good photos, but forgot to take some. Like when I was sitting at lunch, I could've got a pic of Draco and the others' bikes sitting by the beach, but forgot. And when we were riding, I was busy enjoying myself, so didn't stop. The photos I did take were all on a one-way, dead-end road at Kawakawa bay, where we were just pootling along at a few km/h. Hardly anywhere where there was a good view that there was also room to park the bike AND get it in the pic.

Sorry.