Come in Ngawi, your time is up!

[Hitcher]

A stunning thing about yesterday's ride day was discovering a road previously unridden by us in the Greater Wellington Region: The Cape Palliser road to Ngawi. Even better than that, it's a bloody cracker, four-plus stars.

Where is it? Turn left onto the Whangaimoana Road a few km on from the village of Pirinoa on the road to Lake Ferry (if you get to Lake Ferry, you've gone too far).

Apart from a 1km patch of hard-packed gravel across a "constantly moving slip face", and a 50m stretch of gravel by the Ngawi marina, the road is sealed all the way and in good repair. Some nice twisties and good straights. Find a radar cop down here and you're shit out of luck!

Why hadn't we ridden it before? Goodness knows. The last time we were down this way was about 15 years ago in the c.a.r. visiting Jacqui Sutherland's country garden at Whangaimoana Station, about 5km in from the Pirinoa end. At that time the seal stopped just past the Sutherland's gateway. I had always presumed that this road remained splendidly unsealed. Wrong.

Yesterday's weather was calm with a brooding sky. Cook Strait was millpond calm. The only patch of surf was about 2km before Ngawi township where a tribe of surfers had assembled and were out bobbing in the ocean like a bunch of fur seals.

The seal stops at Ngawi, so we didn't ride the last few km to Cape Palliser.

This won't we the last time we ride this stretch of road. Highly recommended!

[Jantar]

That looks good. On google maps it appears that it would continue to be rideable right around the coast to White Rocks, then back up to Martinborough. I must try that on the way home from the Mini Returns ride next March.

[Skunk]

That looks good. On google maps it appears that it would continue to be rideable right around the coast to White Rocks, then back up to Martinborough. I must try that on the way home from the Mini Returns ride next March.

It's a bit hard to go all the way round. It crosses Maori and private land. Many arguments about who can and can't access it. The Lemming Run/Rally used to be held round there but isn't anymore because of 'access' issues.

[Nasty]

Wannabiker and I were talking about doing a Sunday morning cruisy ride out that way once it warms a little ... would be great .. there is a fantastic place for fish and chips while watching the boats .. and then a great ride home!

[Hitcher]

That looks good. On google maps it appears that it would continue to be rideable right around the coast to White Rocks, then back up to Martinborough. I must try that on the way home from the Mini Returns ride next March.

One would need a ride of the trailie variety to complete that circuit. There's a bit of hard-core 4X4 country in there, depending on the weather!

[paturoa]

...was about 15 years ago in the c.a.r.

That looks like a acronym for something....

[Hitcher]

That looks like an acronym for something....

The Vehicle Whose Name Shall Not Be Spoken. The Voldemort of transportation.

[merv]

Yeah love that road too. My last trip right round was on the 2004 Pukemanu Adventure ride and I'm not sure how sorted the land wars are. It wasn't usually the Maoris causing any trouble it was the old Dutchman at the White Rock end (isn't he the leather guy?). Sounds like they've sealed even more to Ngawi than my last trip.

I don't think you'd get the FJR up this gravel scree http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/at...2&d=1080246286 That's Richard Palmer from TSS on his DT175 leading the charge.

I posted this earlier on the Pukemanu thread http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=2336

[Skunk]

One would need a ride of the trailie variety to complete that circuit. There's a bit of hard-core 4X4 country in there, depending on the weather!

I know a girl who rode her FJ1200 in as far as the gravel scree from the Ngawi end. Merv - you'll know the terrain and the river crossing required to get that far.

So I figure a lightweight road bike should be OK.

[Skunk]

Yeah love that road too. My last trip right round was on the 2004 Pukemanu Adventure ride and I'm not sure how sorted the land wars are. It wasn't usually the Maoris causing any trouble it was the old Dutchman at the White Rock end (isn't he the leather guy?). Sounds like they've sealed even more to Ngawi than my last trip.

I don't think you'd get the FJR up this gravel scree http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/at...2&d=1080246286 That's Richard Palmer from TSS on his DT175 leading the charge.

I posted this earlier on the Pukemanu thread http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=2336

Thanks for reminding me about Pukemanu Merv.

[merv]

I know a girl who rode her FJ1200 in as far as the gravel scree. Merv - you'll know the terrain and the river crossing required to get that far.

So I figure a lightweight road bike should be OK.

If you get the road bike up the steep hill from the White Rock end like this traillie going at it two up http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/at...4&d=1079828976 you might be able to drift it down the gravel scree OK. The rest as you say "the terrain" is a bit rocky but yeah passable on most bikes but probaby heaps more fun going faster on a dirt bike bouncing over it.

[Zukin]

Ngawi - Lived there for 2 years
Great place when the weather is good, try going there in a stinking Southerly

[merv]

Thanks for reminding me about Pukemanu Merv.

Yeah was a fun ride, except for those that busted there arms eh. Rumour is next one in 2009 after 4skins runs the next Capital Coast in 2008.

[merv]

Ngawi - Lived there for 2 years
Great place when the weather is good, try going there in a stinking Southerly

Were you a fisherman or something, otherwise you'd have to be crazy to live there? Nice ride as Hitcher says, provided you know you going home someplace else eh!

Further round from Ngawi the locals are good swimmers, someone lives in a smiley house and isn't that a good view of the road from the front window of my 4x4?

[merv]

The last time we were down this way was about 15 years ago in the c.a.r. visiting Jacqui Sutherland's country garden at Whangaimoana Station, about 5km in from the Pirinoa end.

Whangaimoana was a good stop for bikers to enjoy the gardens and partake of Devonshire Tea - does she still do those? Here's some cool guy there with his VFR a few years ago.

Yeah nice gardens there.