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Marty and I have bought ourselves a couple of new toys for the summer. Be great for the gravel roads we plan to ride . Marty didn't want to be in the pic with his bike he thought it looked great without him.
Friday, August 1, 2008
New Toys For Summer
Marty and I have bought ourselves a couple of new toys for the summer. Be great for the gravel roads we plan to ride . Marty didn't want to be in the pic with his bike he thought it looked great without him.
Blenheim to Katikati
We spent our last night in the South Island with our friends Roy and Sue with whom we had stayed on the way down. It was early to bed for everyone as we had to be up and on the road by 5.30am. Luckily for us Roy starts work early so there was no chance of us sleeping in. It was a rather chilly ride to the ferry terminal in Picton and we were all glad of our warm gear as we stood in the queue waiting to board the ferry. We were the only bikes on the boat but there were lots of camper vans. We had a smooth sailing which is always nice. Maree was leaving us in Wellington to return home via Stratford and as she didn’t know her way out of Wellington she was to follow us till we signaled her to go left while we carried on, but she had other ideas and left us at the first opportunity. We all watched in disbelief as she peeled off but we had no way of turning around to retrieve her so we just hoped she would eventually get herself onto the road north.
I found the ride over the Rimutaka’s a bit of a challenge. It is a motorcyclist’s dream road with its tight bends but the recent rain had made the road a bit slippery in places so I was a little more cautious than Marty and Hugh. We stopped in Featherston for lunch. The only café open wanted an arm and a leg and none of us had any to spare so we had to settle for a good old kiwi pie. I texted Maree and she had made it out of Wellington alive and was well on her way to Patea.
The original plan was to go out to Cape Palliser, but Marty was in “going home” mode and it was forgotten about. Something to do this summer!! We stopped in Ekatuhuna for gas then Dannevirke for an ice cream. We arrived in Onga Onga about 4pm. My brother Andrew and his wife were still at work so we helped ourselves to their beer and sat in the sunshine enjoying the antics of their two donkeys who mistakenly thought we would feed them. The carry on they made when Trish and Andrew arrived home was hilarious.
We are a Cape away from being home and Marty can’t wait to get there. It’s like being on a horse that won’t go where you want it to on the outward journey but when you turn for home there is no stopping it. He has always been like this so I guess I should be used to it. We headed off at 8.30. We wanted to make it to Te Araroa and make the pilgrimage to the Lighthouse thus completing our Southern Cross. We had a good ride up to Gisborne where we stopped for lunch. A nice little garden centre café.
Just south of Tologa Bay we discovered that my bike was leaking oil so we had to have a stop to see what the problem was. It turned out that my oil sender unit had died. The temporary repair
done in Nelson had failed. Bought some oil at the gas station in Tologa Bay at very exorbitant rates but we had no choice. We arrived at Te Araroa without any further problems. We had hoped to camp the night here and go out to the lighthouse to watch the sunrise but there were no camps here but there was a paddock we could camp in half way to the lighthouse with water and a long drop there – all the mod cons!
So after a feed of fish and chips we bought a few beers and headed out to the lighthouse. The road was 50/50 seal and gravel and one horrible one lane bridge with the deck having the old style layout of a plank of wood each side and a drop in the centre.
Not a good one to get wrong on your approach. As it was still light we decided we may as well climb the 500 odd steps to the lighthouse. Hugh’s knee was still sore so he elected to watch 
the 
bikes while Marty and I went. We made it in under the stated time but were both quite red faced and tired by the time we got to the top. The views made it all worth while. A celebratory kiss and hug as we completed our first Southern Cross.
The climb had taken its toll on Marty’s hip and he didn’t fancy camping so it was decided to ride to Hicks Bay and get a motel unit for the night. Hugh led the charge. It was only 7km from Te
Araroa. Unfortunately Hugh was expecting to see bright lights and goodness knows what else and sailed straight past the turnoff. We thought he knew of a suitable place so never attempted to stop him. Wrong he had no idea where he was going so we ended up riding in the dark arriving at the Waihau Bay pub about 8.30pm. missed I was shattered but did have just enough energy left to have a couple of rums before hitting the sack. The pub has been bought by some big property developer and the cheap backpacker accommodation we were staying in will soon be a thing of the past. The locals aren’t happy with the idea but, as in all cases these days, money talks and local people and their lifestyles count for 
nothing. 
It seems odd that the developer is keen to push ahead with his plans. A similar venture just up the road at Te Kaha had gone into liquidation as very few of the up market apartments had sold. Worse still, the locals have been effectively banned from their local pub because of the new dress codes. No longer can you call in for a pint before heading home after a days fishing unless you have some good clobber to change into.
We awoke to sunshine for the last day of the trip. A straight run home. We waved goodbye to Hugh in Whakatane, called into see Pauline in Matata and rolled up to the house at 2.30pm. Total miles ridden 3836. A great trip but boy oh boy do the bikes ever need a good clean.
I found the ride over the Rimutaka’s a bit of a challenge. It is a motorcyclist’s dream road with its tight bends but the recent rain had made the road a bit slippery in places so I was a little more cautious than Marty and Hugh. We stopped in Featherston for lunch. The only café open wanted an arm and a leg and none of us had any to spare so we had to settle for a good old kiwi pie. I texted Maree and she had made it out of Wellington alive and was well on her way to Patea.
The original plan was to go out to Cape Palliser, but Marty was in “going home” mode and it was forgotten about. Something to do this summer!! We stopped in Ekatuhuna for gas then Dannevirke for an ice cream. We arrived in Onga Onga about 4pm. My brother Andrew and his wife were still at work so we helped ourselves to their beer and sat in the sunshine enjoying the antics of their two donkeys who mistakenly thought we would feed them. The carry on they made when Trish and Andrew arrived home was hilarious.
We are a Cape away from being home and Marty can’t wait to get there. It’s like being on a horse that won’t go where you want it to on the outward journey but when you turn for home there is no stopping it. He has always been like this so I guess I should be used to it. We headed off at 8.30. We wanted to make it to Te Araroa and make the pilgrimage to the Lighthouse thus completing our Southern Cross. We had a good ride up to Gisborne where we stopped for lunch. A nice little garden centre café.
Just south of Tologa Bay we discovered that my bike was leaking oil so we had to have a stop to see what the problem was. It turned out that my oil sender unit had died. The temporary repair
done in Nelson had failed. Bought some oil at the gas station in Tologa Bay at very exorbitant rates but we had no choice. We arrived at Te Araroa without any further problems. We had hoped to camp the night here and go out to the lighthouse to watch the sunrise but there were no camps here but there was a paddock we could camp in half way to the lighthouse with water and a long drop there – all the mod cons!So after a feed of fish and chips we bought a few beers and headed out to the lighthouse. The road was 50/50 seal and gravel and one horrible one lane bridge with the deck having the old style layout of a plank of wood each side and a drop in the centre.
Not a good one to get wrong on your approach. As it was still light we decided we may as well climb the 500 odd steps to the lighthouse. Hugh’s knee was still sore so he elected to watch 
the 
bikes while Marty and I went. We made it in under the stated time but were both quite red faced and tired by the time we got to the top. The views made it all worth while. A celebratory kiss and hug as we completed our first Southern Cross.
The climb had taken its toll on Marty’s hip and he didn’t fancy camping so it was decided to ride to Hicks Bay and get a motel unit for the night. Hugh led the charge. It was only 7km from Te
Araroa. Unfortunately Hugh was expecting to see bright lights and goodness knows what else and sailed straight past the turnoff. We thought he knew of a suitable place so never attempted to stop him. Wrong he had no idea where he was going so we ended up riding in the dark arriving at the Waihau Bay pub about 8.30pm. missed I was shattered but did have just enough energy left to have a couple of rums before hitting the sack. The pub has been bought by some big property developer and the cheap backpacker accommodation we were staying in will soon be a thing of the past. The locals aren’t happy with the idea but, as in all cases these days, money talks and local people and their lifestyles count for 
nothing. 
It seems odd that the developer is keen to push ahead with his plans. A similar venture just up the road at Te Kaha had gone into liquidation as very few of the up market apartments had sold. Worse still, the locals have been effectively banned from their local pub because of the new dress codes. No longer can you call in for a pint before heading home after a days fishing unless you have some good clobber to change into.
We awoke to sunshine for the last day of the trip. A straight run home. We waved goodbye to Hugh in Whakatane, called into see Pauline in Matata and rolled up to the house at 2.30pm. Total miles ridden 3836. A great trip but boy oh boy do the bikes ever need a good clean.
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