Waikato rides

[frogfeaturesFZR]

Great photo's, nice ride, good weather.
Pretty much perfect.
Sure beats Auckland !

[Moi]

Beautiful day all round - whether out riding or mowing lawns and tidying up round the place after last weekend's stormy weather...

Always enjoy your reports and photos, many thanks.

[awa355]

The plan was to ride the rolling country out to Kawhia while the full moon bathed the surrounding farmland with a fairy tale like glow which would result in some lovely night photographs. Didn't quite work out like that, but was still a terrific night ride. The temperature was fairly mild, roads good and the little bike went like a rocket.

I stopped at the Ngutunui school to turn on the GoPro. This is not a night capable camera but I thought trying the time lapse recording might come up with the odd interesting photo. It did not, all the stills taken on the move were blurry, as shown here on my return when a couple of locals decided to cross the road.



Back to the school and it was here that I remembered the little flashlight still on the sideboard back home. I practiced some Braille pretty quick concerning the buttons on the camera, then twigged, the bike comes with a built in torch.



Rolling along until the lookout point. By now the cloud cover had thickened somewhat so the fairy tale twinkling starlight effect was a no show.
The night mode on the camera is a weak point for sure. I played around with the flash on/off and the results went from bad to worse.

A couple of the bike (supposedly) lit by the moon.





From here I rolled on to the Oparau roadhouse. Chatted with the old fella for a while I met this bloke when I did the Pirongia West road on the scooter a year ago.



Got this Gum tree lit up, from the roadhouse lights.



Just before Kawhia,



Onto Kawhia and I pulled up to try for a photo of the water front with the lights reflecting off the water. This was when the camera battery decided to die on me. I did have my old camera as well so put that into service, unfortunately, I was too impatient to get out the little tripod. I thought the pictures were okay but back home, I saw how shaky I was.



Went on through to the wharf, but the local drongos were having a weed and rap music party so came back along the street and got this.



Also from the same spot, a still from the gopro while the bike was stationary, so maybe the blurred pics while on the move may be a result of the new MK11 camera mount.


Heading back I chose to swing left and try for a photo at Aotea. The road out to here is sealed and is worth riding if you are doing the Kawhia run. Down on the water front I tried for a couple of photos but whether the sodium street lights were making the camera misread the scene, I don't know but the photos are not worth posting.

The ride back was a smooth flowing run, apart from the two sheep that were playing chicken with the traffic. Only at Ngutunui did I start to feel the cold. I only wore a thermal T shirt and a woolen jersey under the riding jacket with long johns, jeans and nylon over trou.

No brilliant photos but on that front, it was a learning curve. The ride itself was a ball.

[Moi]

So... nothing on television worth watching last night?? - the photos at the Oparau Roadhouse are good, especially like the trees lit by the roadhouse's lights.
Cheers

[IkieBikie]

To much technology

Oh for the old SLR cameras with attachable flash units

[awa355]

To much technology

Oh for the old SLR cameras with attachable flash units

I had a camera with all the manual options but I find for 99% of my photography, what I have now, is fine. The flash is good for close-up stuff. I played around with the auto flash and flash off settings last night.

The bike is just out of range of the flash light.



An attempt to get the moon but the clouds had thickened quite a bit. The red flash is the gopro time lapse light indicator.

[Moi]

... I played around with the auto flash and flash off settings last night...

One good thing with digital photography... expensive film and processing is not wasted...

[awa355]

One good thing with digital photography... expensive film and processing is not wasted...

Yes, the gopro recorded 991 photos with the time lapse set to 10sec. I kept three of them. Deleted the rest, with digital, there's no cost for unwanted photos.

Just got back from a pushbike ride around town. It was a damn sight colder than my ride to Kawhia last night.

[Maha]

Kawhia can offer up some awesome moments for that memorable photo.

[insomnia01]

Riding out to Kawhia is highly under rated in my opinion, most local riders opt for Raglan which is a cool ride too but congested roads are a major let down

[awa355]

A lot of the road between the lookout and Oparau is starting to ripple under the seal, especially on the uphill stretches. Still beats the Raglan road anyday. The loop around Harbour rd Waitomo is always a great ride. Out to Taharoa/Marakopa are extras, There are the the Hauturu/Kaimango/Honikiwi roads if you dont mind gravel. Great views.

Had the country been lit up by the moon last night, I was going to return via Kaimango-Honokiwi roads. Would have been fantastic riding through the bush with the moonlight giving its eerie glow.

[awa355]

Kawhia can offer up some awesome moments for that memorable photo.

Nice photos. I think I have a photo of that sign with my bike in front of it somewhere.

[Swivel]

I am quoting from memory here, but I believe this chap was once a great Maori chief who was turned to stone and left to guard the valley behind him.


Long ago this rock TOKAHAERE was a human being; he was a man of this world and his home was at Titi-raupenga, that sharp-topped mountain which stands southward yonder, not far from the north-west side of Lake Taupo. (“A famous mountain that; it was a great place for birds—tui, korimako, kaka parrot, and koko or wood pigeon; all these we used to snare and spear there in great numbers and pot in their own fat, in totara-bark baskets.”) This man had a wife, and she was a most troublesome one. She had love affairs with the gallants of the tribe, she talked a great deal, and it was even said that she beat her husband. The husband, instead of silencing her with his stone club, as of course he should have done, decided to leave her. He set out to travel far away to the northward, to seek another home and a more pleasant wife. He travelled by night, and having supernatural means to aid him, he reached this Aotearoa country by dawn. But his wife's vengeance pursued him. She induced a powerful tohunga to bewitch her husband and the spell fell just when he reached this Manga-komua valley and he was turned to stone.
There are other stories told about Tokahaere but this is the story I know
This Rock is sacred to my ancestral land, my Marae's are not too far from there, Aotearoa Marae and Owairaka Valley-Rawhitiora Marae

[awa355]

Probably about time I bumped this thread along. Today's ride was a 'nothing' type of ride, but regardless of the drab weather, it was still good to get out.

I had it in mind to go over a few of the side roads between Te A and Raglan today. By 9.30 the cloud cover had not deepened so I decided what my flu and asthma combo really needed was a day out in the cold damp air.
After the Sunday run with the LOR riders, I had decided to run the tank down to the reserve to get an update on the range of the tank before needing reserve with the forth coming 1,000k ride in November looming. The tank is supposed to hold 6.9l main tank and a further 2.6l on reserve. With 221k on the trip meter I felt reserve was not too far away so filled the tank to be safe. 7.1l filled it, 31.1 kpl. Considering I pushed it harder on Sunday than I would if on my own, That’s not too bad. Riding by myself I tend to average 33kpl.

Back to the ride, cruised out past Pirongia and left onto the Te Pau road. From here, right onto Grove road. Usually lovely views from this road but everything above ground level was pretty much hidden by cloud. The rain never became more than a few localized light drizzly showers through out the ride. I have mentioned Grove road before, not super fast but 7k of dips and brows, left and right corners. You can have a ball without breaking the sound barrier. Back on Te Pau road I rolled along untill the Old Mountain Road turnoff. After 5k the gravel appears and this badly maintained road climbs over the Ahomiro saddle before dropping down into the Waitetuna Valley. The gravel has worsened a lot since I last rode this on my scooter. Corners are heavily corrugated and recent rain has left many deep potholes. Tried for a photo showing the surface but the roughness doesn’t show up.



You can see the boards along the road edge. Down the bank at this point is the poor mans rubbish tip. Infact, everywhere over the edges I looked had screeds of household rubbish.
Over the top and the countryside becomes mostly dry stock farmland, with small blocks of Pine trees.



The anti tank blockades stem from the second world war. Put in place to stop those nasty Japs driving their tanks over to Rugby Park from Raglan, they must have worked. Very few tank tracks this side of the blocks.



After passing through the lifestyle blocks that make up Waitetiuna, it was onto the main road and onto Te Uku. Turned right here onto Okete road. This is a loop road passing through dairy farmland that runs back from the main road to the upper reaches of the harbour. I stopped for a quick look at what could be seen of the harbour from the road.



None of today’s photos came out well. The light and cloud conditions saw to that, and I couldn’t be arsed messing about with the various options on the camera. Continuing along, some more gravel dropping down to a bridge over a small stream.



On this side of the bridge was a pump shed with an unusual tank beside it. I’m not sure what the purpose of it is, or what the tank may have been in a previous life.




From here, a short hop back onto sh23 and into Raglan. I turned down Lorenzen Bay road and ended up at the harbour’s edge where I parked up and had a bite to eat. Very pleasant and quiet.



None of my photos were able to be combined for a panarama shot, so all singles today.
After a rest up I rode back out to the main road and headed back. Turned into Okete road to re ride this stretch. I’m not sure why there is about 3k of gravel part way along a wide smooth well kept two laned sealed road. Part way along I turned onto Hauroto Bay road. This is gravel for about 5k untill reaching the shoreline of the upper harbour reaches. The tide was right in which hid the mudflats that make up so much of the harbour. Quite a pleasant spot to spend time.



A short spell and I headed out to the highway and a drizzly ride back home.
Nothing startling about this ride, the weather did not allow for good photos and nothing special to see, but every ride has it’s own special place .

[awa355]

Left home at 9am, the weather was looking a bit iffy, clouds seemed to be getting darker and heavier. As it turned out the sun broke through and the day was a goody. Te Pahu road was quiet and I rolled on through and had a brief stop at the junction with the main Raglan road.

I turned off onto the Te Mata road and had a brief stop at the village. Market day was in full swing.


Six of the cars were stall holders, the seventh was some poor sod who stopped to ask directions and got dragged into the hall. Leaving town before it was my turn, I took the Kawhia road to the Bridal Veil Fall's. 5 k's of nice sealed road then onto the gravel.

This section of Kawhia road has 'No Exit' signs at both ends of the gravel. Not having learnt to do a U turn without putting my foot down in my 47 years of riding, meant I had no option but too carry on. The no exit bit came from some deadly weather a few years ago from which slips had closed the road. It was good in places and very rough in others. Deep corrugations on the hills and corners. Some pleasant views tho'.

The country was in poor condition looking back towards Mt Karioi.


The other side of the road seemed to have been better developed. I spied this lovely piece of water. Not sure whether it is natural or man made.


The road climbs quite a way then drops down through a reserve before arriving at the head of the Aotea harbour.


Well sign posted all the way.


An old abandoned home.


At the junction of Kawhia rd (turn left and carry on through to Kawhia) and Te Papatapu road.


I have posted a photo of my 100cc scooter in the same place, in a scooter ride thread. Rolling along side the Aotea harbour, I stopped to try for a few photos but like the others, not so good due to the hazy atmosphere and cloudy sky.


Te Papatapu road wasn't a heck of a lot better than the 'closed' section of Kawhia road and it was good to get back onto the sealed road. At Temata, the locals had another lost tourist in arm locks and were dragging him across the road towards the hall. I swung left onto Ruapuke road. This is a dream 8-9k of sweeping corners, rolling hills and the views wouldn't be bad either, if you had the time to take your eyes off the next cambered sweeper. At the end of the sealed road I practiced a u turn and re rode Ruapuke road. No traffic, it was a lovely run. Nothing else startling to mention, so I just cruised on back home. Got home at lunch time and had the afternoon to get the lawns mowed.