Road Ride March 2013

Monday March 11, 2013
Leaving Rerewhakaaitu on Monday morning, after my Bed and Breakfast guests had departed for their days touring, we headed off for a 5 day ride round the North Island. We are in the grips of a drought which has hit our district pretty hard.  There's hardly a green blade of grass to be seen in the paddocks.  The stock are being fed supplement feeds of palm kernel, maize silage, silage and hay.  Riding through  Galatea a also dry, but there are many farms down in this area that have irrigation so makes for a change from the dirt looking paddocks to the lush green.

 

First stop was for the lights on the railway bridge just short of Taneatua.  Got my camera out quickly but ened up being left there trying to put it away with cars sitting behind me patiently waiting for the silly girl on the bike to get moving.

 

When we first hit the coast, what a beautiful sight, brilliant blue waters, waves lapping, got my camera out to take photos on the move, but it doesn't do it any justice.  Then I got left behind and they wondered what I was up to. 

 

Stopped for fuel in Opotiki as theres not too many places around the East Coast to get fuel.  Also had a bite to eat as it was now around lunch time.

 

 

 They seem to be re-sealing lots of sections of the road and leaving loose stones all over.  Not quite so good for motorcycling.  Headed up through  Te Kaha and stopped just before Waihau Bay.

 

A   lookout over the Bay at Hicks Bay

 

 

 

It takes half an hour to walk to the end of New Zealand's longest wharf. At 660 metres in length, this is no ordinary pier. Locals love the wharf because it's part of Eastland history, and because it's a most excellent place to catch a fish.

The opening of Tolaga Bay Wharf in 1929 made it possible for large coastal trading ships to load and offload goods. However, even as the Tolaga Bay wharf opened, improved roading and motor vehicles had begun to compete with coastal shipping. It was ironic that much of the cargo that passed over the wharf was road-making material, used to construct the road through to Gisborne, soon providing an alternate means of transport.

 

There was a group of school children on the wharf waiting in line for their turn to jump off the wharf into the sea below.



Tologa Bay Wharf

 

Got into Gisborne quite late in the day, found some reasonable accommodation a block off the sea shoreand walked back into town to The Rivers for dinner and drinks.  Breakfast was on the Wharf in Gisborne and the boys found the Captain of the Tug boat to talk to, and he invited them on board the check out the workings of a tug boat.  Gisborne boasts being the first city in the world to greet the sun each day.

 

They got to hear all about the engines that run the tug boat, the winches and motors and all the ins and outs of pulling and tugging ships into and out of the harbour.

 

 

Even got to go onto the bridge and see where the captain drives the boat from.

 

Riding down the east coast the farms were not as dry as in Rerewhakaaitu, they have green maize crops and you can see in the photo below the green on the sides of the road.  Riding through Awakeri in the Whakatane area the maize crops had totally dried up not a bit of green to be seen.

 

 

 

 

Our destination for the second night was Akitio.  Akitio is a coastal community in the Tararua District, 70km from the inland town of Dannievirke.  The Akitio River runs for approximately 35 kilometers leading to the town of Weber on Statehighway 2.  Rod and Linda's son works on a sheep station just up from the mouth of the Akitio River.  The road in is 70km of narrow winding road, a fun road to ride but being aware that the roads are used as raceways for stock being driven to other paddocks, stock trucks coming in and out and they were also logging along this road.

Ricky took us for a drive up the stations farm races along the river.  The Station runs for 9km up the river and is 4 kms wide.  It is also very dry down here and they are de-stocking some breeding cows.  The calves had just been taken off the cows and were waiting in the stock yards for the truck to come the next day to take them to the sale and the mums were in another yard not too far away.  The owners house was right next door to the cows bellowing the whole night calling out to their calves.  Was not too bad from where we were.

Akitio

 

The road to Cape Palliser is dramatically scenic. This area of New Zealand has a rich history of early Maori occupation and heritage sites are part of the fascinating landscape. For the final part of the journey, the road clings to the edge of the coast, providing unstoppable views of Palliser Bay. Check out the quirky fishing village of Ngawihi before you drive on to the lighthouse.

Installed in 1897, the Cape Palliser lighthouse will test your fitness. Take a deep breath and climb the 250 steps. Once you're at the top, it's easy to see why this area of ocean was known for seafaring disasters. During the 19th century, there were about 20 ships wrecked in or near Palliser Bay.

The fur seal colony at the cape is the North Island's largest. New Zealand fur seals have pointy noses, long whiskers, visible external ears and bodies covered with two layers of fur. The breeding season is from mid-November to mid-January. Pups start to feed on solid food before weaning, and spend a large proportion of their day playing with other pups and objects such as seaweed and reef fish.

Road into Cape Palliser has several cattle stops where the sheep roam freely over the road

Cape Palliser lighthouse

Roadway into Cape Palliser

This old girl ( no-not me) the seal, wasn't in the mood to move too much

 

Hey what you looking at

 

Look at me

Aren't I cute

Get out-stop disturbing my sunning

Ngawi is a small fishing village perched on the southern tip of the North Island. There is no protected harbour here, and the fishing boats are launched directly into the surf from their trailers with the help of some old, rusty tractors. Well bulldozers tobe precise

 

The small settlement of Lake Ferry, on the shores of Lake Onoke.

 

Rimutaka Hill

 

The winding Rimutaka Hill Road, on State Highway 2 is well known to NZ motorcyclists. It is the only road route over the Rimutaka Ranges, travelling through the Pakuratahi Forest on the Hutt Valley side of the ranges ( western side), to the Wairarapa Plains in the east. At the summit the road is 555m above sea level. It is 14.6 Km from the Pakuratahi River road bridge ( elevation 200m ) at the western end, to the Abbots Creek twin road bridges ( elevation 100m ) situated on the Wairarapa end of the run.

Riding conditions can vary enormously. No single run ever seems identical. In winter the road can often be shrouded in mist, or may be closed for brief periods due to snow or landslips. It can be scoured by severe northwest gales. Traffic can be heavy at times eg during holiday periods. But for normal traffic conditions an adequate number of overtaking lanes exist.

 

We had an awesome ride over the Rimutaka Hill road, but in the past have had an experience whereby it was raining and the top of the hill was covered in mist, you could hardly see 2m in front of you and the road was very slippery, was not the best experience.

 

 

Riding into central Wellington is a breeze and is well signposted.  Rode right to the Harley shop in central Wellington, where we scouted around for accommodation for the night.  But for the love or money, none was to be found.  Wellington was fully booked out, in the middle of the week with conferences and also the one day cricket was on.

 

 

 

  We headed north again to a small settlement called Plimmerton where we found a nice little motel that suited our budget and only a short walk down the main highway to Montieths Hotel for dinner and drinks.  Below is the sunset on our walk out to dinner.

 

 

 

Next day heading north again after a stop for breakfast, we visited the Southward  Car Museum.

Welcome to Southward Car Museum, located on the Kapiti Coast, an hour's drive north of Wellington.

Designed and built by the late Sir Len Southward, this customised facility houses the southern hemispheres largest private car collection.

 

 

 

 

 

 Heading north again we are travelling on the main highway, or as it is known The Surf Highway, as there isn't much of a choice to get to New Plymouth around the coast.  We ride into Wanganui and do a round of the famous Cemetary Circuit which a a road race track every boxing day which we ride down to every year.

 

A photo of some of the Motard boys on the Cemetary Circuit track

 

 

It could be argued that Opunake is the best beach in Taranaki and within easy traveling distance of New Plymouth and Hawera.

 

Opunake

A Short drive from Opunake is Cape Egmont Lighthouse - Cape Road Pungerehu,. The lighthouse was dismantled on Mana Island, north of Wellington and carried in sections to Cape Egmont by the Steamer Hinemoa, in 1881. The lighthouse is 33 metres above sea level and can be seen for 19 nautical miles.

 

 

Mt Egmont from the Opunake side.  Tiny bit of snow left in the crevices near the top.  Lucky the cloud moved off the top for the photo.

view of Mt Egmont from Opunake

 

This view of Mt Egmont is from Paratutu.

view of Mt Egmont from Paratutu

 

 

Guarding the eastern end of New Plymouth's harbour is Paritutu Rock, another volcanic remnant. There's a track up the rock, beginning on the northern side. It's a scramble to the top but the views are spectacular & you can see the entire New Plymouth coastline, city, port and the Sugar Loaf Islands.

Paritutu once stood a little taller, but the summit was painstakingly flattened by Maori in pre-European times to make a level site for whare (houses) and kumara pits.

 

Well we didn't climb, well not this time, have done so in the past but we were there in time to see some para gliders sailing around the cliffs and ocean.

 

Another view of Mt Egmont

Had a chat to this guy, he has been flying for 30years first it was hang gliders and then onto these things.  Looks like it could be fun.  But I think I would like to keep my feet on the ground. Or at least on the foot pegs of my bike.

 

Port Taranaki is centrally located on the west coast of the North Island and is one of New Zealand's key import and export ports

Port Taranaki offers nine fully serviced berths for a wide variety of cargoes and vessels. The maximum port draft is 12.5m, and for vessels in excess of 10m Dynamic Under Keel Clearance (DUKC) must be used.
Port Taranaki has the ability to handle a wide diversity of cargoes including all forms of bulk products (liquid and dry), containerised, and break-bulk products (general, refrigerated or palletised), and has specialist experience in the handling of heavy lift and project cargoes. All wharves are supported by covered and open storage areas.
An unusual feature of the port is that it has a beach within its breakwaters adjacent to its operational area. The popularity of Ngamotu Beach is testament to Port Taranaki's commitment to safe working practices and regard for the environment.

Port Taranaki is the only deep water seaport on New Zealand's western seaboard.
The port was established in 1875. In 1881 work on a breakwater began to provide safe anchorage from the Tasman Sea. Port Taranaki is now well sheltered by two breakwaters which extend from either end of a naturally curved bay.
Since 1881 the port has grown apace with its province and hinterlands and today handles large volumes of international and coastal cargoes, principally those of the farming, engineering and petrochemical industries. Additionally the port is a servicing base for sea transport and related industries and has, since the beginnings of major offshore and onshore oil exploration in the 1960s, been a provider of related maritime, support and heavy lift services.

 

 

 

Well would you know it, we arrived pretty late to look for accommodation, about 7.00pm and hello, everything is booked out again.  The Womad Festival is on and everyone is arriving early for that.  Went into the  Devon Hotel on the way out of town, and managed to get a couple of rooms, pretty pricey though, but had a good dinner and drinks in The Rocks Bar that finished off our last night on the road.

 

Next day - The Forgotton World Highway.

From  Straford The Forgotton Workd Highway runs through to Taumaranui for 160km.    The road has a lot of interesting small towns on it including, Toko, Douglas, Te Wera, Pohukura, Strathmore, Whangamomona, Marco, Koruatahi, Tahora, Tatu and 10 km off the highway is Ohura.

The Highway goes through some rugged, beautiful countryside. It climbs three saddles including the Strathmore Saddle the Whangamomona Saddle and the Tahora Saddle. 14 km past Whangamomona is the Moki Tunnel, also known as Hobbit's Hole. Just before the Moki Tunnel is the turn off for the Mount Damper Falls, the 4th highest in the north island. In the 1920s the Stratford–Okahukura Line was built. Many of the ghost towns are from the railway days. Past Hobbit's Hole is the Tangarakau Gorge with walls just under 200 ft high, the road in the gorge is not sealed. The road takes up to 3 hours.

 

A stop at the top of the Whanagamomona Saddle, what an awesome ride over these saddles, except for where they a re-sealed the road and there is still little stones all over the road.

 

 

And for obligitory stop at the famous Whangamomona Hotel for a beer, ginger beer that is, while we are riding.  There were some other guys here riding on their 250cc doing all the dirt roads in the area between here and Tauranga.

 

 

FORGOTTEN WORLD ADVENTURES

- the best way to explore the Forgotten World

New Zealand rail tours with a difference departing from Taumarunui and Stratford

Nestled within the deep hidden valleys of New Zealand’s Forgotten World Highway is the ultimate way to explore rural New Zealand. Travel along decommissioned railway lines, through tunnels, over bridges and rivers and to townships that time forgot.

Experience the Forgotten World from the comfort of a rail-cart, cleverly adapted to be driven along the tracks of the Forgotten World railway.

There are plenty of opportunities to stop along the way and take in the ever-changing vista; and with our self-drive NZ rail tours, you have the ability to travel at your own pace, and stop when a photo opportunity inspires you.


  These little motorised buggies looked like they could be fun, choose your trip, go the whole distance through twenty tunnels on the dis-used railway or half way and turn around and go back again,

Buggies arriving in Whangamomona from Stratford

put the wheels down and turn them around for the trip back to Stratford

Ready and waiting for the customers to return from their lunch for the return trip

 

All turned around and ready to go back again after the clients have had their lunch at the Whangamomona Hotel.

 

 

The road passes through the 180-metre-long, single lane, Moki tunnel

 

borrowed a couple of photos of the route through the forgotton highway.  It was not this green on this trip though.

 

After a stop in Taumaranui for fuel and a bite to eat, it was homeward bound heading over the hills to Turangi then heading north, by-passing Taupo to Rerewhakaaitu.  Had a really good ride of over 2000km over 5 days.  Bring on the next ride.