Auckland to Taupo?

[Ragingrob]

Hey I'm cruising to Taupo on Sat. Emphasizing the cruising part of that sentence, I'm not really in a rush to get there, having just finished exams the evening before and played tennis all day.

Was just wondering whether anyone has a particular route that they take to make things a bit more interesting? SH1 will make me fall asleep.

I'm thinking that this way may be a go-er:

http://maps.google.co.nz/maps?f=d&sa...4,3.537598&z=8

Damn embedding googlemaps never works for me

I usually head down Otorohonga way to get to Ruapehu in the cage so I know the road has a few kinks and curves at least.

Suggestions welcome.

Oh, and sure I want to cruise, I don't need to be there in 3 hours or anything, but I'm not really looking for anything more than 5!

Cheers.

EDIT : On the other hand I could always head SH22 : http://maps.google.co.nz/maps?f=d&sa...2,1.768799&z=9

Suggestion from jrandom - http://maps.google.co.nz/maps?f=d&sa...9,3.537598&z=8

Suggestion from Ixion (I think!) - http://maps.google.co.nz/maps?f=d&sa...5,3.537598&z=8

Bomma's suggestion - http://maps.google.co.nz/maps?f=d&sa...98&ie=UTF8&z=8

[Squiggles]

Get Fried chicken in te kuiti, from the place just on the right after the train tracks (southbound). Sure its supposedly the same stuff you can get elsewhere, but it just tastes better from there.

[jrandom]

SH22 is always a goer. Just get off the motorway at the Waiuku turnoff marked SH22, head to Pukekohe, go past the racetrack on your left and carry on. Eventually you'll be spat out at Ngaruawahia in a very good mood.



Gas up, cross the railroad tracks by the BP and follow the sign for Otorohanga. Once you're on that road, you want to go to Te Awamutu. Just follow the signs. You'll need to make a 90 degree left turn onto a new road at one point, don't miss it.

Once you're in Te Awamutu, go past the milk factory and into the town centre, head right at the first roundabout (away from Hamilton) and down through Kihikihi. Take the turnoff to the left just opposite the gas station after the bike shop where the P cooks used to hang out.

At that point you can start to relax and wind the throttle on; a few km up the road is a right turn signposted 'Mangakino'. Take that sharp right turn onto a new road and go nuts; you are now no longer on the State Highway network.

Follow the signs for Taupo and enjoy some of the best cop-free roads in southwest Waikato!

(You'll probably get lost. But it'll be fun. Take a map book.)

[Ragingrob]

Wow jrandom cheers for that! Will map it out on google tomo and check it out... Sounds like a definitely maybe haha. Haven't even done 22 before and I live bloody next just up from Puke! Cheers for the bloody good write up!

Now I'm all excited about my what was gonna be boring roadtrip to Taupo

Any of you uni guys feel free to join me on the trip down 22. Will be planning to leave about 3 or 4pm

[jrandom]

Now I'm all excited about my what was gonna be boring roadtrip to Taupo

Fookin neow!

You should try riding those roads on a summer night under a full moon.

Swot it's all about...

[PirateJafa]

Fookin neow!

You should try riding those roads on a summer night under a full moon.

Swot it's all about...

Any roads are better under a full moon.

's why I took the long way home after finishing the late shift tonight.

Arrr!

[jrandom]

Any roads are better under a full moon.

Is it a full moon tonight?

I haven't looked.

Was a lovely sunset earlier, though.

[EJK]

When Bomma me YR64L and his friend Gordon went on the dawn ride, I once turned off my head light (pitch black on the motorway) to see what it was like. It was awesome, like a space ship all I saw was stars and the bike infront of me. Bloody awesome. Pity I can't manually turn off the FXR's headlight...

[PirateJafa]

Is it a full moon tonight?

Yes indeed.

Beautiful night too.

[Ixion]

Best way is via the Ho, and then Te Aroha and then the Old Te Aroha Rd. Is a fair bit longer but, but the OTAR is real nice . In a roller coaster sort of way.

EDIT: By request, more specific directions.

Go Souf. Get off the motorway at some exit that begins with O (I think it's O, its before Huntly anyway, Y can't miss it , its a gentle off then left and through a roundabout and straight on ); then keep on a bit until you get to a place with a church hall or a school hall or summit like that , there's a KBer rides a TL hangs out around there. Keep on (DON'T go right !), wriggle around, until y' get to the Ho (not sure if you actually go through it, but it's somewhere near), and then a place than begins with H, it's well marked, can't miss it. Can't remember if you go straight on there or hang a right, but it's well signed , can't miss it. Then if you're in no hurry you can wriggle around a bit on some really good roads, finally come out on a road that doesn't exist, keep straight on, you will come out eventually , whatever you do DON'T go right, go left. Then you'l come to a mainish sort of road, go right, then you come to Morrinsville or Matamata, carry on not sure which way , but it's well marked, can't miss it, to Te Aroha. If you're in a hurry just carry on on the road you were on (before you turned off), not sure if its' straight on or right, but there's a right sooner or later, it's quite simple, you can't go wrong. That'll take you directly to Matamata or Morrinsville.And thus to Te Aroha. Then Hang a right(in Te Aroha I mean) (best to gas up before the right, on the right ,and after the right, on the right is a good cafe , you'll be peckish by now, they have beer. Carry on after the right and one way or another you'll end up on the Old Te Aroha Road, which is really nice, and never seems to have cops. May need a strong stomach if you're carrying speed. Not sure now how you get from there to Taupo , but it's pretty obvious , can't miss it. Really simple, you can't go wrong, and it's far and away the best route to Taupo or Rotorua.

[MaxB]

You could just head south, follow your nose and see where you end up?

Generally avoid SH1 on a bike.

Bits to look at may include the Ohinewai to Tahuna Road. From Tahuna you have the choice of SH27 (yawn), chopping back to Cambridge via Morrisville and picking up the 'dams' road or jumping east and picking up the Te Aroha- Gordon road that runs along the foot of the Kaimais and on down to Putaruru.

If you take the 'dams' road (past lakes Karapiro, Arapuni and Maraetai) or take SH32 from Tokoroa and are in Whakamaru, a nice way into Taupo is along Pohipi Road.

Theres a few suggestions for you FWIW.

[bomma]

could do the east coast route,

kopu===>whangamata===>whakatane===>rotorua===>taupo

we took that route last year when we did the overnighter at Rotovegas.....heaps of nice roads with plenty of twisties and scenery

might be a bit longer though time and distance wis....guess you could always skip whakatane and head straight to rotovegas and then taupo from tauranga

[klyong82]

could do the east coast route,

kopu===>whangamata===>whakatane===>rotorua===>taupo

we took that route last year when we did the overnighter at Rotovegas.....heaps of nice roads with plenty of twisties and scenery

might be a bit longer though time and distance wis....guess you could always skip whakatane and head straight to rotovegas and then taupo from tauranga

Ohhhh.....those were the days when Isaac was around and now he has moved from bikes to girls

[Ragingrob]

Cool got a few options now, even if Ixion's sounds more like a riddle than directions! I would think about just heading south and seeing what happens, but I may leave that for a full day kinda thing as I wanna get to Taupo by say 8pm at the latest.

So there's 22, via the ho, or east coast. I'll check out a few maps and see what tickles my fancy.

Cheers for the suggestions all!

[Ragingrob]

Suggestion from jrandom - http://maps.google.co.nz/maps?f=d&sa...9,3.537598&z=8

Looks pretty mint, a fair few twisties! 4h35min suggested time I assume would be quicker than that on the bike.

Suggestion from Ixion (I think!) - http://maps.google.co.nz/maps?f=d&sa...5,3.537598&z=8

Not quite as twisty, but looks the better option if I do in fact find myself pressed for time. 4h20min apparently.

Bomma's suggestion - http://maps.google.co.nz/maps?f=d&sa...98&ie=UTF8&z=8

Damn nice piece of road there, but at 6h35mins I can't handle that in one arvo! Sounds like a ride we should hit this summer though