New Zealand...4 wheels good, 2 wheels better?

The black art of moving from A to B on foreign soil
OnHellas
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Re: New Zealand...4 wheels good, 2 wheels better?

Post by OnHellas »

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OnHellas
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Re: New Zealand...4 wheels good, 2 wheels better?

Post by OnHellas »

We stayed for three nights at the campsite at Ahipara. It was certainly a peaceful place to be. The walk on 90 mile beach never happened but we had a great time wandering and chatting.
We also took the BAW along some tight and twisty gravel tracks. The scenery was just lovely.
Leaving the campsite the plan was to spend the next night or two in a proper bed.
Our destination was Matakohe. The reviews made our chosen campsite look good. They had en-suite cabins....with vacancy. We booked.
The route was what we had become users to, lovely twisty roads rising and falling with the contours if the land.
A short wait was required for the ferry that took us across an inlet. Nothing much to report and the caravan/burger van in the waiting area was not the place to get lunch.
That would be eaten on the other side, in a nice cafe that serves bacon sandwiches, and cups of tea. What’s not to like?

The cabin was as described and reviewed. The hot water supply was a bit wafty so a bit of adjustment to the boiler was required.
After that we had hot water on tap, literally, and it didn’t explode, which was nice.
We ended up there for two nights. A look around the old village, the church, old post office, part of the museum....We decided that we didn’t want to go in enough to pay the entry fee of $50 for the pair of us. The old lady said in a tone ‘you’ve missed a treat’ to which I replied that you can’t see everything. ‘Have you got somewhere to be?’ Was her next gambit. That was definitely me not going in then....despite her insistence on following her for a 5 minute introduction.
No thanks, not for us.

Leaving for Auckland the next morning our heads were full of getting the bikes....which brings us to today, Thursday the 24th.
OnHellas
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Re: New Zealand...4 wheels good, 2 wheels better?

Post by OnHellas »

Bran Flakes from our collapsible camping cups and yet another cup of tea started the day.
About 9.30 we got the call from GT Logistics to say that our bikes would be ready from 2pm.
The next hour our so was spent on the phone sorting out some insurance for the bikes. Very straightforward and payable monthly which suits our short term requirements.
We arrived at GT slightly early and the quarantine inspection was just about to start so we drove away to find the VTNZ place a few KM away that would hopefully do the Warrant of Fitness check, Temporary Registration and take the money for the ACC Insurance levy.
Be back by 4pm and we’ll sort it.....the clocks ticking.
Back to GT, quarantine inspection passed!
Reconnect the batteries, fire the bikes up, pay the invoice for the shipping, sitting down, chat briefly about them storing our crates to use for the next shipment and set off for VTNZ....at 3.20. Perfect.
It was very straightforward, the chap said my headlight beam was set a bit high so we corrected that. Other than that we got our WOF stickers attached to the screen next to our Temporary Rego sticker. Two nice souvenirs.
Total cost was less than £85 all done for both bikes. Happy days.

So, here we are in a hotel room with the bikes locked up outside. Tomorrow we head south. We may make it to my mates house, we may not. It’s 300 miles so probably not. But you never know.

The only thing left to say today is....

Two happy people, two happy bikes.
DavidS
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Re: New Zealand...4 wheels good, 2 wheels better?

Post by DavidS »

Stop rubbing it in with those photos.
It was a year next month when we set off for our camper month down there.

If you want a bit more camping comfort but a bit dearer than a basic site, join Top10. You pay to join but get discount back and the facilities are good.
2023 Husqvarna Norden 901
2014 KTM 690 ENDURO R
OnHellas
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Re: New Zealand...4 wheels good, 2 wheels better?

Post by OnHellas »

It felt good to be packing the bikes again. Especially as the new tent is about half the pack size of the old one. Spare space doesn’t mean buying more stuff to fill it though!!

I put the address in the satnav and chose fastest route. 310 miles and about 6 hours 30 minutes was the estimate.
It didn’t take long for the Auckland traffic to thin out and the dual carriageway turned into a single lane road.
We’d not started until just after 9 o’clock so I guess that most of the morning rush had cleared before we left.
It was very nice to be rolling along on my trusty old GS again.
After 60 miles we pulled up at a bakery for a drink and a cake. The apple Turnover was nice, but not as nice as the one Sarah had had the other day apparently.
She too was happy on her bike and commented that although the hire car had been the right thing to do, being on our bikes was much better.
After the cake stop we headed off down smaller roads, we saw a large house being loaded on to a truck and trailer, moving house in the true sense of the words.
Nicely surfaced roads with lots of 50/60 mph sweeping bends rose and dipped through green farmland, hills and forests.
The miles seemed to fall behind us effortlessly. I spotted a Honda motorcycle dealer in a smallish town, big enough to have a McDonalds though mmm milkshake, where we bought a can off chain lube and some tie down straps. The website for the ferries to the South Island recommend having your own straps.
Items purchased and ice cold Macky D’s milkshake drunk we continued south.
I can’t keep on about lovely countryside. Impressive hills etc....but I may have to.
We passed a snow capped mountain with signs to different ski villages and runs. Also a town famous for Gumboots was ridden through. A large corrugated boot marking the start of town. Different.

I’d sent Darryl a message to say that we would be there that day, 30 miles out we were both pretty tired and whilst stopped for a rest saw that he’d made it home from work and that a cold one was waiting for us.

The satnav worked its magic and took us to the correct house. The garage door was opened and our bikes home for the next few days would be inside. Handshakes, hellos and greetings were followed by a liberal dowsing of the chains with the new chain lube.....and then a beer. Cheers Darryl.

Two happy people, two happy bikes.
OnHellas
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Re: New Zealand...4 wheels good, 2 wheels better?

Post by OnHellas »

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Redmurty
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Re: New Zealand...4 wheels good, 2 wheels better?

Post by Redmurty »

Mrs going home to see the family at xmas and I'm pondering going over again and hiring a dr650 out of Auckland and finishing off the roads I've not done yet.

Enjoy the rest of your trip out there

cheers Spud ;)
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OnHellas
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Re: New Zealand...4 wheels good, 2 wheels better?

Post by OnHellas »

Fish and chips was the order of the day for our Friday night dinner (good sitcom that). Still not quite up to the standard of Ossies Grill in Tankerton but nice.

The plan for Saturday? Two old mates go for a ride. Darryl brought his Yamaha MT-09 out here from the U.K. and it’s clear to see it was a good decision. He seems to have really gelled with it, and it’s as clean as all of his bikes are and have always been.
Puts me to shame really.

Anyway, Sarah went off in to town for a few bits and a wander around and we went off for a good few hours of twisty back roads.
Local knowledge kept us away from traffic, which was sparse anyway, but in range of a cup of tea and a pizza at lunchtime.
We ended up riding for 110 miles, hills, valleys, single lane bridges, newly gravelled sections.....a couple of squirrelly moments .... generally a very pleasant way to spend time with an old mate.

Back at base and the cold ones came out of the fridge.....only one for Darryl though as just before dark we all got in to the car and set of to see some glow worms.
Up in to the hills again, we stopped by a virtually dry stream and walked along it. Going higher until the sides closed in. A mini gorge. 50 feet tall maybe and as narrow as 2 feet. Then we waited. As dusk came a couple of tiny lights appeared. By the time it was dark there were thousands of them. From the top to the bottom.
They attract flies and things with the lamp and then eat them.
A wow! for sure.

Afterwards.....back for another cold one, or two and continued catch up chat.

Sunday was rain. Rain for most of the day. So something a bit different. No bikes. But a trip to a driving range. Golf. Tea. Mickey taking and an all round laugh.
Tiger Woods we ain’t!!

Monday saw Darryl heading of to work, so we ended up having a lazy day. We watched a few films, drank to much tea and had more than one piece of cake. We need to cut down on the cake, but when it’s there...

The ferry to the South Island is booked. Did I say that already?
We bought a discount card for campsites and other stuff for $30 and the 15% off the ferry tickets was more than that so that’s nice.

Probably to much information, but I’m sitting here in my pants, drinking tea, typing this, thinking about a haircut and also the fact that the US government is on shutdown (thanks Sgt Bilko).
The US thing is relevant as we need paperwork processing for our bikes to get them in when we head there at the end of April. I best have a shower, get dresssed and get on with it.

So for now it’s...
Two happy people, two happy bikes.
OnHellas
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Re: New Zealand...4 wheels good, 2 wheels better?

Post by OnHellas »

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Glow worms in the narrow gorge.
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OnHellas
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Re: New Zealand...4 wheels good, 2 wheels better?

Post by OnHellas »

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Photo without flash, photo with flash. Same glow worm. It was definitely better in real life, honest.
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