First reservation been made in April 2019, so this year’s annual Rusty Nuts pilgrimage to the South Island had been a long time coming. As seems to be usual, the enthusiasm of the crew increased tempo as departure time progressed, but unfortunately so did the need for many to deviate from the plan which meant many changes, the first highlighted by an extra room in Wellington on night one - thankfully the motel resold the room. Being neither patient or organised, I am totally unsuited in the role of coordinating In order to avoid rush hour traffic, and to ensure arrival in Wellington at a reasonable time, we’d set a 7am departure, a bit early for some, but worthwhile none the less. Whilst a fine day was forecast temperatures took a noticeable dive as we progressed into the guts of the Waikato, with fog and mist causing one or two to wish they’d found warmer gloves - not to worry, by Tirau, the sun was putting things to rights. The run to Turangi allowed us to stretch our legs and cover that leg quickly, very quickly, and we met up with Chris, whose circumstances saw him depart a day earlier. Gassed up, “de-watered”, and looking forward to our next stop, lunch at Taihape, the Desert Road beckoned. I’ve never seen the peaks of Ngarahoe and Ruapehu so totally bereft of snow, and not a cloud in the sky in any direction. Not long into one of the early twisty sections of the sector, one of our number (no names), but a very experienced rider, over cooked a corner, hit a bit of gravel and went down. Although there was damage to both man and machine, fortunately not “trip ending”, and after some fairly rough and ready road side repairs, we were off again, reminded that that can be very little between a good day and a very bad one. A welcome lunch and the opportunity to decompress at Taihape - tables in the shade in a delightful garden, fresh from the oven Bacon and Egg pie being a popular option. Be it by good luck or due to spending considerable sums on technology, we managed to avoid any attention from the constabulary during the day, with a biker travelling in the opposite direction also aiding our cause with a judicious warning of a speed trap a couple of kilometres ahead - whatever works! I guess the biggest impression from today was just how dry the countryside is from the Waikato to the Wairarapa, burnt brown with no hint of green. I’d imagine the farmers and their stock will be doing it tough. The Apollo Lodge provided us with great accommodation close to down town, and more importantly, very close to a trendy pub that served enough craft beer to wash away the road dust. Tomorrow, Blenheim Comments are closed.
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Don MalcolmA perfect day involves being on my Harley with a long ride ahead.
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