hat to do on Easter Saturday - there was not to much else on the horizon so 8 decided to do a transit of Coromandel. Not only that, I decided to do it without the impediment of traffic, which meant an early departure, so up at 4.45, coffee, shower, shave, quick photos of the full moon, and Anastasia’s dash just before wheeling out of the garage at 5.28. I was a little surprised at how cold it was, but it wasn’t until an hour later at Maramarua at a “required pit stop” that the opportunity arose to put on another layer, as the sun rose signalling another lovely day. As anticipated, there was not too much traffic about, so it was cruise control on, music up loud, and enjoy the ride , slowing only slightly when hitting the occasional kilometre or two of mist and fog, and at one point, fairly thick smoke, perhaps a bit of scrub, but with almost certainly a couple of old tyres in the mix, quite unmistakable and inescapable. A Right turn at Kopu, next stop Tairua, but only long enough to take a couple of photos, with the reason for the trip, breakfast at Luke’s Kitchen at Kuaotunu 15 winding kms beyond Whitianga. A breakfast croissant with scrambled eggs, bacon, spinach and relish accompanied by a flat white, served alternately by a very attractive but highly tattooed young lady, then by young fella in Easter mode wearing bunny ears. Cute Whilst I was quite mindful of greasy wet corners, the real danger were the corpses of freshly clobbered possums, yet to be flattened, still big and fat, and to hit one would be like running over a bag of cement - not a good thing, and neither are the hawks that benefit from this road kill - sometimes gluttony appearing to overcome prudence, with a high price occasionally the outcome.The Pukeko population also appears to be booming, with the odd one getting too close for comfort as I flashed by, one almost ending up in my lap... Thankfully no dramas. A highlight of this Circuit is the 11 kms on tight and windy road over the hill into Coromandel, and the lack of traffic really made my day - the combination of adrenaline, familiarity and a modicum of skill making for a great riding, the frequent scraping of footboards loudly proclaiming the limit of lean had been reached. Likewise, whilst the ticking of the clock brought more traffic out, the coastal road to Thames was a blast - the few early birds soon dispatched. Another stop for gas, then homeward bound, this time via Miranda, Hunua and Clevedon, before pulling back into the garage at 11:15, and a slightly sore bum confirming 430kms on the clock. There are not many better ways to start the day! |
Don MalcolmA perfect day involves being on my Harley with a long ride ahead.
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