Porongahau. Wear the fox hat.
This post was to be entitled "Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapiki maungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu. Wear the fox hat", but the title-character-length requirements put paid to that idea.
Completing this ride was something Mrs H and I had discussed for some time. Our first attempt at it, in the summer of 2005, was not completed due to Mrs H having an unfortunate mishap requiring her to be helicoptered to Palmerston North hospital for observation and her first Marauder being written off. http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...ight=wimbledon
I had completed the route subsequently during last year's Grand Challenge -- in the evening during a bit of a gale -- so hadn't had an opportunity to take in all of the scenery on offer.
Saturday was, to use a technical term, an absolute cracker. Traversing the Takas we fought hard to stop the bikes turning right at Featherston, stopping for late breakfast in Greytown. We fuelled and zeroed trip meters in Masterton before setting off in search of Route 52.
Please note the use of the descriptor 'route' instead of 'highway'. It is many years since this series of roads was once officially Highway 52. But the Route 52 moniker is worth remembering, as it regularly appears on directional road signs along the way.
Many Wellington bikers will have traversed the first section of this road in to Alfredton, returning out to SH2 either at Eketahuna or via Pa Valley Road to Pahiatua. A lesser number may have pressed on to Pongaroa, turning to return to Pahiatua via Makuri or back out to Dannevirke via Weber. All fantastic roads and highly recommended.
Route 52 turns off at a 'major' junction prior to Weber, and follows the signs to Wimbledon and Herbertville. From there the road passes the world's longest place name (as above) and stops short of Porongahau by about 750m (except when relying on GPS, eh Zapf?). The total journey from Masterton to Waipukurau is almost exactly 200km, so most bikes should be able to easily do this on a tank of gas. There is a bowser at the Wimbledon pub, if emergencies strike.
Alfredton to Wimbledon is best described as moderately arduous riding. There aren't many opportunities to wind out a bike in anything other than second or third gear. It is good strong North Island sheep country, with the road largely in valley floors, apart from the stretch from Titree Point to Wimbledon, which is mostly along the windswept tops.
From Wimbledon the road is much better. While still windy (and windy when the wind blows), the surface is better and the corners are much better formed. The road from Porongahau to Waipukurau is, by comparison with what has preceded it, a race track. The corners are sweepers (apart from a couple of sharper ones) and there are numerous straights along this easier south-central Hawke's Bay rolling countryside. It was nice to find top gear again on the FJR.
Our plans to have coffee in Waipukurau were provincialised by the cafes having all closed at 3:30pm. Ditto in Dannevirke, but there is a Wild Bean Cafe at the south-end BP, where I did my best impression of a downtown Wellington sushi snob.
From there we came back down the Wairarapa side in stunning late afternoon spring weather, stopping in Greytown for dinner at the White Swan. The Takas were in perfect form for an evening assault as I hotly pursued a couple of young chaps in a late model BMW M3. Refreshingly the nut behind the wheel could really drive and this was a most pleasant experience indeed.
I would like to do this loop in the dark one evening between now and 13 October for a bit of practice before the Grand Challenge.
On our way through Route 52, we stopped at Mrs H's corner. I think she thought that returning to the scene of the crime may have triggered some lost memory of the accident or provide some clues as to what happened on the fateful 15 January 2005. It did not. There are way worse corners on this stretch of road and nothing spectacular or marauding about this one. However I think Mrs H is happier now to have passed through this wonderful stretch of road unscathed.
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Originally Posted by Hitcher
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