In shuffling dates in order to accommodate some I have copped a bit of criticism from others, and rightly so, last year a week later than is traditional, this year, a week earlier. Herding cats comes to mind, but as anyone who takes on these duties knows, you can only do your best. Friday 20th was the nominated date of departure, and as it came at the end of what had proven to be a few days of fairly strenuous “birthday celebrations” (one of those significant and milestone occasions), I was more than ready to go. As the icing on the cake, the weather Gods had been showing promising signs all week and came through with a cracker – no wind, no rain – just perfect for riding! Other than Jeff who was on bouncer duty for Lisa’s daughters 18th birthday at their home in Maraetai on Friday night, and Moth who was caught up in traffic and a few minutes late on a BMW (having written off his near new CVO a few weeks previously), we were all set for an 11am departure. Across the Waikato at Rangiriri, then a quick blast to get a little adrenaline flowing through to the twin dull red tipped chimneys at Huntly, then another quick squirt to Ngaruawahia, next stop Pirongia for a pee, pie and coffee, and in that order. A slight navigational faux pas on my part took us to Otorohoga rather than Te Awamutu, but taking full advantage of fairly quiet country roads and giving our Harley’s a few more rev’s than usual, we more than made up the time between there and Mangakino, our next stop for gas. Doc took a spell at the front over what was a windy stretch of road, and other than being slightly worried about only having 18kms of gas to get him 25k’s to the next petrol station, appeared to be enjoying himself. Everyone finds their own pace, those slightly quicker towards the front, slower towards the back, so no more pressure than what you put on yourself. Nev then took a turn at the front, and with his Radar Detector on “high alert”, set a cracking pace through to Rotorua. Our final pit-stop for the day was at the McDonalds on the outskirts of Rotorua (close to Rotoiti), nearly losing one of our team to a moments inattention in the car park (no names) – fortunately a near miss prevented the ignominy of being of being taken out by a Noddy car with “L” plates. Just one of those things that for sake of a heartbeat could have ended quite badly, but not today. With the clock ticking towards late afternoon, and the temperature starting to fall, we made the final push of the day through to Whakatane, again putting considerable faith in a radar detector and the laser jammer fitted to my bike that is of questionable legality… Our motel, One 88 on Commerce proved to be a hit, albeit slightly expensive for some (those with a honeymoon spa bath in their rooms) – certainly one of the more salubrious places we’ve stayed and now on our “will return” list for future rides. One downside with most accommodation in Whakatane is the distance to restaurants in the Downtown area, combined with a total lack of any sort of alternate transport, but the walk both ways to Cobb and Co for dinner was an opportunity for more conversation. As for Cobb and Co – a nostalgic journey back in time, with all the classic favourites, Shrimp Cocktail, Cobb loaf, Deep Fried Schnitzel, ice cream sundaes… quite the hit. I was knackered after a long week, and having walked back from town with the guys (complete with a sore knee) was keen to hit the scratcher – unfortunately I was not quick enough in closing my door and found two die hards (Mickey and Dean) had bullied their way in, seeking comfort in a nice bottle of scotch… accepting the inevitable (and bearing in mind it was the bottle Mickey had given me as a birthday gift two days previously), I acquiesced watching half a bottle quickly disappear before evicting them. Breakfast on the Whakatane waterfront, then off to hook up with Jeff in Paeroa. Unfortunately the traffic between south of Tauranga and Waihi was as bad as usual, despite taking some fairly extreme detours to avoid it – not to worry, having hooked up with Jeff, Mel took the lead from Paeroa and we are off again making up for lost time, a masterclass with two exceptional riders (Mel and Doc) before me all the up the Coromandel Peninsula. We revelled in the tight and twisty roads over the mountain range, then blew off steam on the long straights that followed – perfect! We’d agreed to stop at iconic Luke’s Kitchen in picturesque Kuaotunu for lunch but unfortunately it was closed for renovations – fortunately the café was open, so all was not lost. Luke’s father explained that they’d been walloped by a huge deluge a few weeks ago that was the worst he’s seen in 30 years – if we’d arrived 24 hours later the bridge would have been closed too – so for the next 5-6 weeks no circumnavigation of the Coromandel will be possible. Fed and watered, and served by the very attractive but heavily tattooed young waitress, we headed over the hill to Whitianga for gas, then across to Pauanui for days end. Mike C, Mike M and Butch (who was operating at 30% due to a dicky ticker) awaited our arrival. Boots, jackets and jeans were quickly shed in favour of shorts and T shirts, followed by an hour on the deck in the sun with a few beers was the perfect way to wind down. We were booked into the one restaurant and bar in town which required another fairly long walk (my poor knee!), but no real hardship on a beautiful evening, albeit as dark as the inside of a cow, the lack of street lights requiring occasional use of phone flashlights. By all accounts everyone enjoyed their meals, with chowder again proving very popular. Mind you, the guy running the restaurant was a mountain of a man, probably 6’4” in old money and the wrong side of 140kgs, so any complaints were never going to see the light of day. Back to Chatterley’s for all other than the really weary (me included) to watch the All Blacks dispatch South Africa – a great start to the World Cup. A 7.30am departure saw us over the hill and at Bugger café for what proved to be a frustratingly slow breakfast, then the scenic (fast) route along the Seabird Coast past Miranda, Kaiaua, Orere Point, Kawakawa Bay, Clevedon where everyone split up depending on destination, home by 10.30 in time to mow the lawns. Another great Rusty Nuts weekend, perfect weather, fabulous riding, awesome mates and lots of bullshit – perfect! |
Don MalcolmA perfect day involves being on my Harley with a long ride ahead.
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