- Distance: 423 km
- Roads: Sealed (some gravel on my ride to the meeting point)
- Weather: Sunny, hot
- Buddies: Camilla, Dave Willis, Dave, Steve, Marcel Duchale
- Comments: First ride with this group, bike still has electrical issues but doesn't affect riding (much), lost my front light protector 😒
After the first couple of kilometers I realized what a great pleasure it is to ride with a group of people who are experienced and who have the same riding style as you have. The speed was cruisy, you didn't have to worry about anyone doing something stupid and could just enjoy the ride. Perfect.
Our first stop was at the Mangamuka Village Store for some ice cream and a break. Then we headed towards the Mangamukas. SH1 was closed after a massive storm and huge slips which damaged the road quite badly at 11 places. To get updates on work progress visit the NZTA Web site. Most of thee slips are repaired and the road was restored. At some places it had to be moved further into the hill. But the biggest slip at the Northern end of the road is still not fixed. The hillside dropped about 300 meters down and half of the road was hanging in the air. The road is open temporarily until the 10th of January 2021 for light traffic using a one lane traffic light setup.
The ride over the range was perfect. We had no cars in front of us and could enjoy the tight corners and the scenery without any challenges caused by those Big White Sleeping Boxes on Wheels. We regrouped at the old Pamapuria Store and decided to have a lunch break in Ahipara.
Marcel and I (Photo courtesy of Camilla) |
Next section of the ride was from Ahipara via Herekino, Broadwood to Kohukohu. I took the lead with Dave Willis following me on his 1150 GS. The others fell back a bit. The road is not the best quality with a lot of drops in the tarmac. But as Dave said "We are adventure riders" so we didn't mind. And the scenery made up for it many times over. A short regroup in Kohukoho. I had to press people on and there was no time for a coffee because the Hokianga ferry left in 15 minutes. The ferry was extremely busy. They couldn't even fit all cars onto it. But the good people who run those ferries are always good to bikers. We jumped the queue and could squeeze onto the boat. Otherwise it would have been an hours wait for the next one.
On the ferry I chatted with a couple from Dunedin. I saw them passing by on their 1200 GS when we had lunch in Ahipara. The did a whole New Zealand tour and just came down from Cape Reinga. They loved the Far North and were looking forward to their ride through Waipoua Forst to Dargaville, their next stop.
(Photos courtesy of Camilla) |
We disembarked in Rawene and parked the bikes on the front deck of the Boatshed for another coffee
break. Most went for the iced coffees they do. I had a Coconut and Banana cake which was excellent. I was very impressed by the service and the quality of the food as well as the presentation.
I don't k now what it is but some roads just don't "speak to me". The Rawene - Kaikohe road is one of them. We had a brief stop to say good bye to Camilla who is from Whangarei and headed home via Twin Bridges (one of my favorite roads up here). Steve kindly invited us to his place for a cuppa. We enjoyed Steve's and his wife's hospitality, hot and cold drinks were much appreciated. But I felt the pressure of two dogs being locked in the house sine 8 am so I headed back home soon.
After a nice ride home, a petrol stop at Kapiro, mastering that dreaded gravel road again I arrived home safe, tired and happy. A perfect riding day.