As usual, the most recent Rusty Nuts Dinner was the breeding ground for bright ideas and ambitious plans, and so was hatched the Mid Winter Ride, 28-29 June, rain or shine, and widely subscribed to by those present. Unfortunately the attrition rate was very high and of the 12 at the dinner only 4 were at BP South at 10am on a Sunny Friday, with Tony, as an additional ring in. Even with a bit of sunshine everyone was rugged up for the cold, as experienced Harley guys know that once in the shade, or with a bit of speed, the temperature drops very quickly. Add a bit of the heavy fog we encountered, and those extra layers were really appreciated. Once the fog had passed, we got the impression we were “chasing the rain” for much of the day - never actually seeing it, other than wet roads. First stop, Bugger Cafe for coffee and “comfort”, the cold placing additional demands on bladders. Through Thames and up the coast a couple of things really became apparent, firstly the disparity between what the Govt takes in by way of road / petrol tax, and what is spent on the roads - far too many slick tar patches that are completely devoid of the stones that provide the traction required by all motorists, (and the physics of two wheels over 4 does not require too much thought). Entering a corner on dry road, then finding it wet midway can be interesting- imagine riding a bicycle on a skating rink - exciting. Never mind, no doubt paying for the children of the middle classes to go to university is more important to pandering to “Road Maggots”, the term given by Associate Minister of transport to motorists. The second observation is that to build in the Lee of a hill, perhaps to be close to the beach, or for a view, may be to pay the price of being devoid of sun shine for all but a very short part of long winters days - despite the smoke curling lazily from fires within, these homes must be miserable at times. Anyway, traffic was sparse, and but for one of our number having to make an emergency dash for a public toilet suffering from the latter stages of total bowel collapse , we made good progress, and were soon at Luke’s Kitchen in Kuaotunu enjoying pizza and chowder, both highly rated. An oft mentioned magic spot. Onwards to Whitianga where Jeff had a chore to perform, so Mel and Tony who were planning on completing the circumnavigation in one day rather than joining us at Waihi Beach for the night plowed on. As these things tend to do, Jeff’s wee job took slightly longer than anticipated, but waiting in the afternoon sun proved quite pleasant, and then we were off again. The run from Whitianga to Waihi was something I look forward to repeating in the summertime, without having to make so many allowances for slippy corners. Into Waihi Beach to find that the ambitiously misnamed Waihi Beach Hotel is actually not there, rather on theAthenree- Bowentown Rd. The website portrayed this place as being slightly more upmarket than we found it, but I guess it once was. Our rooms were quite small but immaculately clean, big fluffy towels in contrast to almost flat pillows. Not to worry, friendly and helpful staff, a fire in the bar, cheap drinks, more pizza for dinner (from a very limited menu of pizza, burgers, or perhaps a little out of character, Stroganoff on mash), with a young entertainer whose enthusiasm unfortunately exceeded her ability, with Jeff and Butch providing extraordinary company. The time came for us to wander out intothe cold night to our respective rooms Butch to freeze, Jeff to crank up the too small fan heater, and me to spend the early hours reading a good book. Our departure was delayed slightly due to key issues with Butch’s bike - for a hour he patiently worked through the problem without getting too stressed, and just as the options looked fairly dire (including putting his bike on a transporter), he finagled a solution and then we were off. The ride through to breakfast in Paeroa took us through the picturesque Karangahake Gorge, always magnificent, but this time notable for the two speed cameras on poles, a couple of plain clothes, and a couple of Highway Patrol cars - none of whom showed any interest in we law abiding bikers. Failing to find a single cafe on the sunny side of the main drag in Paeroa, we settled for a cheap and cheerful Bakehouse on the “dark side”, Bacon & eggs (for some reason poached eggs attract a surcharge), coffee, and a final tank of gas, then the homeward leg. We opted for the Seabird Coast Road through to Miranda, then inland to Maramarua, where Butch left us for the motorway, Jeff and I making a quick ride to Hunua, Clevedon, then home for a nap in the sun (ah, what bliss), before mowing the lawns and popping around to walk Nala. Another fabulous weekend with great mates! Don Malcolm +64 21 924 114 |
Don MalcolmA perfect day involves being on my Harley with a long ride ahead.
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