I hit the sack at 2100 on Thursday night, worried that it was too early to go to sleep, but I went out with the lights, only to be rudely awakened by the alarm at 1230. Excited to be on my way after a couple of months of plotting and planning with screeds of emails between Jantar, Gremlin and myself, I dragged myself from the bed with a groan, scrubbed up, boarded the already packed and prep’d Enterprise and scooted the 10Km down to the Bluebridge Terminal….where I waited, with the 10 or so Chorus vans heading for repairs in Christchurch and chatted with another chap heading down there to help his family cleanup after the earthquake. We didn’t start to board until after 0230, then waited some more before finally leaving half an hour late at around 0330. I managed another couple of hours kip, we docked…then waited some more, finally getting off the boat an hour late at 0720. I had no great hurry to get to Dunedin, so trimmed out at an ‘under the radar’ pace and prepared myself for an uneventful excursion down SH1…..and that’s about all I remember of that….oh, except for coming up on a queue of cars with a Ginnie trapped between them a few Km short of Blenheim. I did my usual space hop to the front of the queue and as I passed the wee bike, I thought, ‘Shit, he’s loaded….shit, he’s even carrying gas….oh shit, that must be Toto!’ but I was already past by then and with barely more than a raise of an eyebrow. The other things I remembered was queues of traffic down the street at one servo in Kaikoura, whilst the other was closed and this was the same all the way through to Ashburton. I paused to put the wets on in Amberly, was astounded by the amount of traffic and apparent normality through Belfast, along Johns Rd and out of Hornby (except for the queues to the pumps), then when I did stop for gas in Ashburton, they had no 98, so I opted to put $30 of 91 in and that would get me to Dunedin. Apart from that it was a boring blur of a boring 694Km in a boring 8 hours flat from 0727 to 1528. I would have stopped to visit friends in Christchurch, but it was raining so that put paid to that. I checked in at the Carisbrook Motel, then went out to pick up my supplies of water and bananas for two days, gassed with 98 as well as 5Ltrs to go, (I had decided to carry some insurance in case I came up short if the pace got to hot on a couple of the long legs), verified where MacIver & Veitch were on Crawford Street, then went back to the motel to settle in. Jim had arrived by then, so we chatted for a bit before he went visiting and I walked down the road for dinner. I was all set to go and once again, hit the sack at 2100, konking out immediately….only to awaken at 0200…..bugger!! This tends to happen a bit with the excitement and anticipation of a big ride so I have learned to relax and dose through it, eventually getting up a bit early at 0430, scrubbed, snacked, checked the tyres (they were down a couple of psi), threw my luggage pannier on the bike and headed off to pump the tyres then get to the start point at 0530. I’ve become very pedantic about my tyre pressures because on a ride like this with the bike gassed, loaded, and me on board, we’re hitting over 450Kg, so a bit of pace on a course south Island road and the ST just chews through the rubber, and then of course, there’s that peace of mind that one requires to have the confidence to hang off the brakes through the big sweepers and take the 65 – 85 rated corners at riding pace. I pulled up beside Gremlin, who was doing his last minute adjustments etc, chatted with him, Toto and others as they arrived, killing time until 0600. We were finally called in and Malcolm & I were fortunate enough to be in the first 10-15 of the queue, we exchanged our disclaimers for T-Shirts and fitted them to the bikes. As part of our pre-ride discussions, we came up with the idea to duct tape an old trouser hanger into the lid of the top-box. The hanger was loose to swing so photos stops would just be; angle in straight at the target, flip the lid, grab the camera, flick the shirt out over the back, step back and click, lift the lid which pulls the shirt in, stow the camera and we’re off again. More importantly though, we just walked out of the shop, pulled the T-shirt from the bag, clipped it on and we were gone, probably amongst the first to get away. The benefit of having Malcolm as a riding buddy was immediately realized as he led us on a long-cut which avoided 4 sets of lights on the way out to Taeri Rd, but the start to the ride wasn’t great. We bolted straight into the first flyer around George King Memorial Drive and this was quite tight in places, with occasional loose grit, damp and it was dark, but we hadn’t warmed into ride mode so it wasn’t that comfortable, but once we had taken our 2nd pic for the day (1st was at MacIver & Veitch), then were scooting around Outram to Milton, it started to lighten up and things got easier. From Flyer 1 we were virtually straight onto Flyer 2, which was pix at the entrance to Gabriel’s Gully Rd in Lawrence and the Clutha Ferry at Tuapeka West. This was more pleasant rolling country and delightful riding. The original plan had Malcolm taking a gravelly shortcut from Lee Stream to Lawrence, saving 50Km, but I have an aversion to the loose stuff on the ST and expected to catch him up by the ability to have fewer fuel stops. In the end he dumped the gravel option at the last minute so I slotted into his fuel programme and our first fill was at Balclutha, arriving at about 0830, 210Km into the ride. From here it was around the Catlins to the first Checkpoint at Niagara Falls. I’ve only done this road once, when it was wet and we rode into squalls shortly after Owaka. I very nearly had a bad off and consequently have no fond memories of the route. This occasion was a different story altogether, it was a beautiful sunny morning, we had the sunshine on our shoulders and the hour of riding between 0840 and 0940 saw little traffic on a combination of rolling country, tight sections and some spectacular coastal vistas. We did have the odd moment on loose, new seal grit, but I guess I’ll have to agree with BanditRider that like Wellington, the Catlins is hard to beat on a good day. Piccy snacked of the Niagara falls sign, we were off and almost straight into Flyer 6 (3 for us) Southland Towns which comprised of pix in Wyndham, Winton and Otautau. We ended up behind two other riders but when they paused at Gregory Rd (Gravel), Malcolm hesitated also (strong is the lure of the dark side in that one) so I ended up in the lead because I had already discounted that option in my planning. More rolling countryside taken at briskish pace….bloody Marvelous…getting to Wyndham by 1020, straighter roads onto Winton by 1100, then Tuatapere by 1120, on track and time for our gold target. Next was gas and 2nd checkpoint at Riverton, 3rd checkpoint at Tuatapere, then out to Hump Ridge, (Flyer 7 but #4 for us). We’d considered this one in the early planning but dumped it, only coming back to it when it was shortened at late notice for the same points. It also worked in well for us because we were able to load more into Saturday, leaving an easier ride with less pressure on Sunday. It was a good option, getting 350 points for a short, quick scoot and then the hard riding started. Arse numbing, long straight roads to CP4 at Milford Sound was boring as hell, the scenery was great, the weather was clear and continuing to warm, but I hate straight roads. We gassed at Te Anau and things improved as we got closer to Milford, in fact it got downright fangable but we maintained restraint as we cruised through the beech forest, then up through vertical, rugged rock faces climbing to the tunnel and we were fortunate to catch the green light, but it was a bit disconcerting to find myself in a damp hole in the rock which sloped downwards. The first half was a bit hairy because coming from the brilliant sunshine took awhile for the eyes to adjust and be able to see through the gloom, but we made it ok and were soon taking the liners out of our jackets and grazing after we had our evidence of the trip. Heading back out, I passed Malcolm and enjoyed a wee squirt up to the tunnel where we had to wait this time, then when the traffic started moving, Malcolm moved to the right and started easing past the traffic until we got to the front and it was easier going this time as I seemed to be able to see better. Malcolm lifted the pace a bit on the way out, which made the long haul somewhat more bearable. Te Anau meant another fill, then it was over to Mossburn to start Flyer 8 (5 for us) which was photos at Apirama River, Wreys Bush Pub and Dipton Hall. More straight roads, but Malcolm’s Radar Detector had gone on the blink and we were being followed by a suspicious car so had to show much restraint. What a literal pain in the arse! We were dropping legs, shifting to the back seat and jiggling around to ease the discomfort, having done about 1000Km and the best part was, we still had 500+ to go. Things got easier when we got back on SH6 though and it was quite pleasant slipping up the side of Lake Wakatipu. At some point along here I got frustrated of sitting behind some slow traffic so I passed Malcolm and them and took the lead through some road works to lead the last stretch into our next fuel stop in Queenstown. We were surprised along this section to have Gremlin join us and were pleased for him to be doing this good and be well and truly on track for diamond. Once fuelled, Malcolm took the lead again for the nice we pootle up to Glenorchy and on to the Isengard site. Once we’d exited Queenstown, Betty (GPS) seemed to lose the track, but then came right, and as we approached Glenorchy I was surprised to hear Betty telling me to do a u-turn at the roundabout, then when we carried on through, the GPS seemed to re-calculate and get back on route. As we approached the Dart River, I could see Betty was wanting to go back down the other side and when we stopped past the line of trees at the Isengard site…..well, the tart wanted me to do another 15Km….on gravel no less…and when I looked, the Waypoint wasn’t even there….Damn, that shakes ones confidence in the machinery! Oh well, I led back to Queenstown, then Malcolm led up to Coronet Peak. It got dark through this time but with over 1200Km on the clock for the day, we were well and truly in the riding groove, so riding at night felt the same as riding in the day…just darker. I had read a note on KB that there was grit on the Peak road so we maintained some decorum with a steady pace, but man….I’d love to get let loose on that baby with a good surface and, as we experienced, no traffic. Once the sun went, the temp plummeted so once stopped, we grazed (the usual bananas, nut bars & water for me while Malcolm appeared to be on a diet of pizza and fruit juice), applied more layers of clothing and glove liners, then down, down, and on, on to Cardrona. We hadn’t passed Gremlin through this section and I recalled he had programmed to go back to Shell Q, which had put us back in front and now we were about to embark on a section of road I had been looking forward to…The Devils Staircase. I’ve only been along this road once, from North to South and there were road-works on the staircase at that time. Malcolm led us in but within the 1st corner or two, it was so tight, I was loosing his lights, and thought the ST lights might be better, so I passed and dragged us up at a pleasant but brisk, sub-fang pace. The reason I didn’t cut loose, was that we were running to our targeted times, which meant we would miss the 2300 cutoff for fuel in Cromwell and although it wasn’t going to be a problem for me to get to Ranfurly the next day, it would be tight for Malcolm to get home to Alex’. (although I did have the insurance fuel packed in case we needed it so it wasn’t really an issue) Never the less, I was endeavouring to maintain our briskish pace, but at the same time, trying to ride economically, as well as minimising any braking and subsequent blinding moments for my mate behind. My recollection of the Crown Range road was pretty vague. I just seemed to recall that it was a nice flowy road that had climbed steadily as it meandered along from Wanaka, then dropped down a steep series of switchbacks. I guess I had that wrong and was surprised when I got to the top and it fell away, so that and the brisk/eco riding approach I was adopting made for an interesting combo on a road that I didn’t know. The weight of the ST was pulling it down the hill and the lack of engine braking provided by the V4, usually means tapping the brakes is a frequent and steady part of downhill riding, but I was having a ball, tapping down into 4th as I was cooking into the corners didn’t really slow me down, it just stabilised the speed and although I wasn’t fanging it, I was riding on the edge, and fortunately the surface was mint….what a buzz! Cardrona came and went and I led onto Treble Cone (Flyer 20), which we had bought forward from the Sunday ride and inserted into the Crown Range, to save on time and prune a bit of distance. That was another pleasant wee pootle on a good road and best of all, we were getting down to our last hundred Km for the day. It was also noticeable that the numbers of riders encountered on the out-&-returns was dropping off and we only spotted a couple on this one, with Gremmy only 5 to 10 minutes behind us again. We finished the day with marginal night time pix at Luggate Hotel and the street sign for the Mt Pisa Rd, then had a lucky break as we turned to cross past Cromwell because the BP still had vehicles on the forecourt. We pulled in and filled at 2330, which meant we were saving 10 minutes by not having to fuel in Ranfurly the next day. We were back at Malcolm’s around midnight, had a feed, chatted, scrubbed and collapsed in heap by 0100. DAY 2. Nooooooo! The alarm went off at 0530 and dragged me from my coma! Up up and away, I got dressed, packed the luggage panier, extracting the day’s supply of bananas and water for the top-box, checked the tyres – 42psi on the button, exchanged the summer gloves for winter ones out of the wets and fuel panier, tidied the topbox, snacked, had a nice hot cup of tea….and we were gone at 0630. I thought it was bloody winter as scooted through fog at 3°, it was almost dawn as we took our first photo of the Poolburn Pub, then more fog on the straightish road out to Patearoa. Once again, Betty balked at the post and had I been by myself I think I would have missed the flyer…and once again, a check at the Patearoa stop revealed the Waypoint had disappeared (but later proved to be still loaded in the unit???) We were now at another point along the trip where Malcolm had the opportunity to shave 18Km off the route by taking gravel to Kokonga, on the way to Flyer 15 (12 for us), MacRaes Flat. Malcolm had estimated he would accrue 7 minutes by doing that, which would work out OK as he would need fuel in Oamaru, but I could zip past and carry on to Omarama for fuel and we would rejoin then. I’m like a dog with dysentery on these long rides and every time I see a post…(read, - have to stop), I get the urge to mark the territory and hence my aversion to the diuretic effects of coffee, especially when it gets cold like it was at this time. Once Malcolm left the memorial at Patearoa, I nipped around the back for a leak, before putting on the gloves and heading back to Ranfurly. I upped the pace a notch or two into quite-brisk mode and even the fog didn’t slow me down too much because the road already travelled earlier was pretty straight. Betty directed me back through Ranfurly, over to Kyeburn then out through Kokonga and Hyde to Macraes Flat. I was now travelling at pace down into gullys filled with fog, then rising out with one hand on the throttle and one shielding my eyes from the wicked sunstrike as the golden orb had ascended to just above the hills. To make this worse, Betty’s poor form had me doubting the instructions so when I saw the sign to Middlemarch at the Kyeburn turnoff, I thought, WTF!! Where the hell am I!! and then as I came into Hyde or thereabouts I went into a spin because there in front of me was a lovely big monument stating ‘You are now entering the city limits of Dunedin’?! “Oh shit”, I thought, “I shouldn’t be anywhere near Dunedin?” but I pressed on anyway, in too much of a hurry to stop for a manual check. That was lucky because this fantastic road meandered through and around the hills and occasionally one could see several Km of curly macadam across a wee valley and on one of these occasions I spotted another lone bike…. “awsome….that must be Malcolm” and I could see I was reeling him in. DAY 2. Nooooooo! The alarm went off at 0530 and dragged me from my coma! Up up and away, I got dressed, packed the luggage panier, extracting the day’s supply of bananas and water for the top-box, checked the tyres – 42psi on the button, exchanged the summer gloves for winter ones out of the wets and fuel panier, tidied the topbox, snacked, had a nice hot cup of tea….and we were gone at 0630. I thought it was bloody winter as scooted through fog at 3°, it was almost dawn as we took our first photo of the Poolburn Pub, then more fog on the straightish road out to Patearoa. Once again, Betty balked at the post and had I been by myself I think I would have missed the flyer…and once again, a check at the Patearoa stop revealed the Waypoint had disappeared (but later proved to be still loaded in the unit???) We were now at another point along the trip where Malcolm had the opportunity to shave 18Km off the route by taking gravel to Kokonga, on the way to Flyer 15 (12 for us), MacRaes Flat. Malcolm had estimated he would accrue 7 minutes by doing that, which would work out OK as he would need fuel in Oamaru, but I could zip past and carry on to Omarama for fuel and we would rejoin then. I’m like a dog with dysentery on these long rides and every time I see a post…(read, - have to stop), I get the urge to mark the territory and hence my aversion to the diuretic effects of coffee, especially when it gets cold like it was at this time. Once Malcolm left the memorial at Patearoa, I nipped around the back for a leak, before putting on the gloves and heading back to Ranfurly. I upped the pace a notch or two into quite-brisk mode and even the fog didn’t slow me down too much because the road already travelled earlier was pretty straight. Betty directed me back through Ranfurly, over to Kyeburn then out through Kokonga and Hyde to Macraes Flat. I was now travelling at pace down into gullys filled with fog, then rising out with one hand on the throttle and one shielding my eyes from the wicked sunstrike as the golden orb had ascended to just above the hills. To make this worse, Betty’s poor form had me doubting the instructions so when I saw the sign to Middlemarch at the Kyeburn turnoff, I thought, WTF!! Where the hell am I!! and then as I came into Hyde or thereabouts I went into a spin because there in front of me was a lovely big monument stating ‘You are now entering the city limits of Dunedin’?! “Oh shit”, I thought, “I shouldn’t be anywhere near Dunedin?” but I pressed on anyway, in too much of a hurry to stop for a manual check. That was lucky because this fantastic road meandered through and around the hills and occasionally one could see several Km of curly macadam across a wee valley and on one of these occasions I spotted another lone bike…. “awsome….that must be Malcolm” and I could see I was reeling him in. Oh well, we photographed the sheepy at the Mobil Station and zipped out to Flyer 19 (13 for us) at Lake Ohau, more straight roads but the lake was pretty/nice, scooted back through Omarama and onto the Lindis Pass and that hard to read mottled chip surface, continued down to Tarras then over to, and in the back of Hawea for a fill. While we were there a couple of elderly ladies turned up, looked confused so we explained it was an unmanned card pump, at which she looked even more perplexed and meekly asked, “Could you fill it for me please?” “Not a problem” we said, “Stick your card through the machine” and once that was done, Malcolm attended to the pump while I did the windscreen. One can’t complain about the service at an unmanned Allied Servo. On the road again and that delightful ride along Lake Hawea, then Lake Wanaka where, Malcolm managed a couple of twitches on loose grit then didn’t seem that comfy, so I thought I should give him a rest at the lead. What a brilliant ride, but the pricks that maintain this road need shooting. The number of times we would get in the groove, then all of a sudden we would come across a section of new seal with loose crap scattered about and invariably it would manifest at a corner…with no signage to warn us. I’d fly into it, having difficulty identifying a clean track so I’d have to straighten and hope. This resulted in a close shave with an oncoming car, not to mention a couple of stationary hillsides as I overcooked into corners too scared to take them….I hate it when that happens! It was still a good ride though but then we had to go out to the Cray Pot at Jackson’s Bay (Flyer 21 but our #14)…..more bloody arse numbingly straight roads. Sure the Beech forest is very picturesque, and the uneven surface bounced us around a bit, but I hate straight roads, so I clicked the pace up a notch or two. It was soon over though, we had clicked, grazed, swigged, the dysentery dog marked his space and we had chatted to a couple of riders on tour…..(but why the hell would you endure those straight roads for an ice cream?) We got back to Haast for a Pic there and fill-up and it was onto the West Coast….and that was nice! I led us on to Fox where we would encounter another 16-18Km section of road that I had been really looking forward to. Unfortunately, when we got there we encountered drizzle and the road had more of that loose stuff so I had to behave myself, but that was OK because not long after, I found myself on a sweet strip that Malcolm later informed me was Mt Hercules. (But more on that shortly) It didn’t seem too long before we were turning off for our last flyer to Okarito (Flyer 23 but 15 and the last for us). That was a pleasant wee scoot, although maybe a little narrow to let rip, we slipped in took our picky, more of the usual protocols and we were soon gone again. Have I mentioned that I love tight roads! The tighter the better and Mt Hercules had some exquisitely tight, cambered switch-backs and the ST was purring (just like last year on the Takaka Hill). It would lay down as it swooped through the bend thrusting forward as it smoothly transitioned to the next most excellent turn in the series and I reckon….that was nice!! I came around a hillside on a right hander and noticed a camper van entering the left hander 20 metres ahead. By the time he had negotiated the corner and was just starting to accelerate up the rise, I had slipped down to the corner, flicked around it and identified that the 50 metres to the next blind right hander was clear. He was lucky to be doing 20kph at this point and I was in 2nd or 3rd, so I applied the power brutally and bolted past the van, probably before he even knew I was there and I would have disappeared from view while he was still collecting his wits about him. I was surprised to find later that this must have pissed him off, generating a little road rage, because when Malcolm encountered him, he would move out to block the V-Strom from passing, even to the point our camper-van-man moved into the path of an oncoming car!! I don’t know??!! Any way, my only moment on this sweet adventure was negotiating a left hander when a truck was coming the other way. The road dropped away from the corner so I tried to give him as much room as possible by bringing the wheels to the edge and hanging over the open space, but there was a curb and I had to resort to the old off-road skills by flicking the bike up while I countered the balance and continued through the same track. Gosh I love tight stuff and the tighter the better….I love Mt Hercules. (might be something to do with the heritage perhaps?) We now settled into the tame, straighter roads that took us to Hokitika which was the all-but check point (photo of the old schooner and anchor on Gibson Quay), after which we had our last fill, then embarked on the last 250Km of our adventure…Arthur’s Pass. Once again I ended up in the lead and tried to maintain a steady, briskish pace over another of the South Island’s sweet roads as we enjoyed the last section to our Gold prize. I did have a wee moment as we descended from Arthur’s and there’s a couple of blind humps that require a little care when one isn’t familiar with where the road is going on the other side. I took one of these a little quick and braked as it peaked, so my momentum as the bike dropped away felt like it wanted to lift the back wheel and flick me off. It didn’t and wouldn’t (I hope), but it was a little disconcerting…..and then we had more bloody great long arse numbing straights to finish. We had planned our route, estimating times to the minute and on Saturday we varied slightly but ended up running to the programmed times doing about 1550Km in 18 odd hours. On Sunday we upped the ante a little, leaving Malcolm’s a half hour late, eventually arriving at Yaldhurst three quarters of an hour early at 2045, after doing about 1350Km in 14¼ hours. The ride didn’t seem as memorable as last year but I think that was due to compressing so much riding into the two days so it all became a blur, but it was awesome. We rolled in, took our last photo of the bikes in front of the pub, took the cameras in for them to dump the photos for scrutineering, had a great feed and a beer, then I had to leave for the B&B with Jim.
Once again, it was midnight before I got to sleep, awakened a bit early and we were on the road by 0830. More boring SH1 riding, but I’d dumped the 5Ltrs insurance in the tank and although Jim filled in Amberly, I tried to make the ride interesting by turning it into an economy run so I didn’t need to fill until back in Wgtn. I made it, going onto reserve at Koromiko, but I did have a problem with the GPS when it cut out and I lost my music going into Blenheim. Fortunately at the end of the trip and not on the TT ride itself. (I’ve since notified the supplier and expect to have checked on the warranty as I also found that it had dumped most of my weekend’s tracks) The ferry trip was smooth and we just chatted with other TT riders in the café. Many thanks to Mike and Robert for another great event. I managed to do 3977Km in 4 days at an average economy of 18.47 Km/Ltr, managing to burn 215Ltrs of fuel at a cost of $461, not to mention some wicked tyre wear. What a nice ride! It was nice to get gold! It was nice to do lots of new roads! It was nice to do some old favourite roads! It was nice to meet up with mates and ride with them! That was nice!!
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With this year being the fourth Capital 1,000Km Cruise, planning for the event was a bit easier as, after organising a new route, most of the stuff just needs to be regurgitated and tweeked, but that didn’t stop us making plenty of mistakes though….which we do try to learn from. After deciding that a foray into the East was in order, the route fell into place, notices were placed on forums and emails sent to subscribed riders who had previously registered or completed the run and then it was back to the daily routine and wait while registrations came in…..and wait to see what the weather gods would produce!? We had over 50 riders and even after a flurry of defections over the last week, we still had 50 on Friday, but on the day, thanks to marginal weather predictions, the numbers dropped to 36 riders (+ 1 pillion): 23 departing from Caltex Rimutaka (included 4 early risers from Manawatu), 8 Ulys departing from Masterton and 6 Ulys from Napier. As usual, in the week leading up to the event, I paid particular interest to the web rain forecasts, which varied drastically from sublime to dreadfull….but not having had to cancel or postpone the event yet….I remained optimistic!....and anyway, I know my wets still keep me dry! I awoke before the 5am alarm on Saturday morning, maybe due to the usual pre-ride anticipation, but more than likely it was the occasional rain and wind that were lashing the house. However by the time the alarm did sound, things had settled down so I departed home at about 0540 in mild and slightly drizzly conditions, but fully kitted out in ‘wets’ as the cloud over the Rimutakas looked pretty ominous. I was at the Caltex at 0600, (to see Steve and the first keen rider already there), was gassed up and we had the table and stuff setup by 0615, then waited to see what happened. We usually have riders arriving by 0615 and departing by 0630, but 0635 came and there were only a few there and no one making any moves to get away, but as the clouds over the Rimutakas cleared, riders arrived and started departing around 0645 and I was last to leave as I followed Mangell6 out at 0709. We warmed into the ride at a sedate pace in the drizzly conditions over the Hill, and stepped up to a crisp pace through to Masterton, where we passed some riders who were topping-up, then settled into the ride proper once we had passed through Te Ore Ore. Mike (a veteren Rusty Rider who completed the 10,000Kms in 10 days ride) always takes nice lines and was great to follow as he threaded our way through debris and even squeezed us around a fallen tree, then once we were through Alfredton, I opted to lift the pace a little more and moved ahead, getting to the first Pic-Stop at Pongoroa by 0900. I snapped a few pix, then waited for Bazza57 as he fluffed about with his rain-off gloves and I dribbled out when it looked like he was ready to go, but took it slow, waiting for him to catch me and when he just seemed to be holding the same pace at a distance, I opened it up and got on with the business. I skimmed through the Weber junction and as I rose out of there, found both wheels drifting through a bad line on a right hand sweeper, not a problem but a handy reminder to remain vigilant to take care on Route 52, then just before Wimbledon, I came across a confused Hawkeye as he stood behind his bike studying a map. (He should get a GPS…but more on that later!) Any way, he joined me through to Waipuk’ where I paused to see if he needed gas, which he did, so I waited…and as per normal once I get off the bike, got the urge for a natural break. At this time XP@ rolled up and announced he was pulling due to a badly frayed clutch cable, Hawkeye left with Manawatu riders as I waited to see if TaPuna was OK, which he was, and finally, I ended up following Zahria and his mate to Patangata, arriving there before 1000. More pix snapped and back on the road, Hawkeye followed me out and we were soon on the tails of the Bandit Riders, although I didn’t recognized them until I could see their plates as they were riding without the usual hairy helmets. That made the navigation through Middle Rd and onto 50A easy, but when they paused behind a car at one of the big round-abouts, I slipped through the outside lane and scooted to Bay View for my first fill. The roads had dried before Waipuk’ and we had enjoyed a stiff southerly breeze all the way which had my economy at 18.8K/Ltr prior to overtaking Mangell6, but the brisk pace had this back to 17.3 by now and as I logged the fill, I noted the odo’ was right on 100,000Kms…what a way for the bike to enjoy that anniversary! I filled, snacked, chatted and finally followed the Bandits out at around 1150, but opted to lift the pace again and rode most of this leg alone, arriving in Wairoa around 1300. Steve, Baz and Dennis were already there so after the statutory pix, I snacked and left with them and soon had Hawkeye tacked onto the back as well. Dennis led, and although I had been getting along OK throughout the day, I didn’t feel that comfortable with my form as I constantly found myself squeezing into corners a little early and often had difficulty reading if the road surface was grit free on the hump, and therefore if it was good to use all the lane or stick to the rut. Fortunately it was dry though, but now we had turned and had to push back into the southerly. It was still a good ride though and as we got back to BP Bay View, Dennis pulled in for gas as Steve & Baz continued, so Hawkeye and I pulled in to wait for him, but then Hawkeye decided to carryon so he could have a coffee in Dannevirke…..big mistake for him (but more on that later!) Meanwhile Kennif pulled in, gassed and extolled the virtues of wearing HiVis jackets whilst pissing under bee swarms (but that’s his story) and soon he led us out to SH50. We caught and passed Neale & Linda, then were caught and passed by the Four Stooges…or Musketeers ...Ccapse, Leber, Crash99 and ??...BuellBoy….but to our surprise, they decided that there was some merit to revisit Waipuk’ and turned off. You’d think that when they saw the route planner not follow them, something wasn’t quite right…but I guess one of them must have forgotten to pay for his fuel earlier and they needed to sort it…or something!!?? Anyway, we continued through Dannevirke, waving to Steve and Bazza as they fueled and Dennis and I pulled in to fill at Caltex Woodville as Ken continued through the gorge. We filled, then Steve stopped by us as Baz continued through the gorge and after a few minutes, we slipped out the back of the servo to sample the Saddle. I led through Ashhurst and lifted the pace somewhat as we flitted past Colyton, Cheltenham and Kimbolton on our way to the next Pix Stop at Pemberton…which isn’t really a place…it’s just a sign in a gravel patch at a junction (but more on that later!) Pic snapped and I led onto Ohingaiti with Steve and Dennis still in tow. The vista as one descends to the Raangitikei River on this road is truly awesome and every time I see it, I promise that next time I’ll stop and take a pic, but at this stage of a thousand Km ride I just wanted to finish and continued on. Within minutes we were pulling into the Ohingaiti Pub for the last pic and there was quite a gathering there, including the Hawkes Bay boys, so I was able to give them their certs, badges and prizes and pause for a quick chat before embarking on the last leg. Kennif departed before us, but I knew he’d need gas before the finish so we would probably pass him, but then we decided a diversion was in order so I led out again, slipping off SH1 at Vinegar Hill and diverting again past Waituna West to go through Halcombe and emerge at Sanson. I did take one wrong turn though and bought us at Ohakea instead, but that was fortuitous because as we lined up for the turnoff in Sanson, Kennif pulled out of the servo and rejoined the group at lead. The main reason it was fortuitous was that it would have been hard for me to keep the pace at a sane level after the gallop we had just had! Anyway, we pootled away and Dennis and I followed Ken but Steve decided he required one last fang over the Paekak’ Hill and he kept to our original plan, which, once stuck in the cheese-cutter lined traffic, I regretted I hadn’t taken the turn as well. We arrived at the Parrot & Jigger just before 2000 and enjoyed the usual post ride wind down as we waited for the last few to arrive, the last being Hawkeye and TaPuna…who had both got lost! Unfortunately for them, familiarity breeds contempt and when the route planner said ‘turn left on Colyton Rd, right on Kimbolton Rd and take that to Pemberton (Mangamako Rd)’ …he really meant turn left on Oxford St which leads to Colyton Rd…but everyone knows where Colyton Rd is don’t they…??? Well apparently not….but after much searching and asking, the road was found…but this Pemberton place??? Well, even though a photo or two were provided, the poor Geordie had difficulty here too and the bastard route planner should have been more specific….but why?...what self repecting rider hasn’t done the Pemberton Ohingaiti road?
Oh well…as I said earlier…we try to learn from our mistakes and Hawkeye will have a GPS next time. We had a good day though and most of the feedback was positive, even though the ride was a bit more demanding than last year. It was the strangest ride for me as I played musical bikes with all the buddy changes along the way. Usually on this type of ride, one hooks-up with their mates and encounter other riders along the way and I can’t say I ever experienced so much shuffling as this, but it did enhance the experience….except for Hawkeye who cut the deck once too often. I certainly enjoyed the day, had a great night’s sleep and enjoyed chilling with Gremlin this morning. It will be back to the maps now, to find a good route for next year. A big thanks to NAC for the prizes (that were pre-drawn and issued at departure/finish), Ann who managed the departure from Caltex and arrivals at the Parrot & Jigger solo, Affiliated Insurance Brokers for the Certs and pens and all the riders, …especially those who put up with the old fart shuffling about and disrupting there little groups. Life is a struggle….and that’s why we divert our attention from the daily grind by taking up sports and hobbies….but sometimes that can be a struggle too! The 24th Grand Challenge (my 5th) was one of those times, but I persevered and finished. I’ve done relatively little riding over the past year, partly due to weather, but mainly just circumstances because weather isn’t really a problem when one has a good bike and gear. Anyway, over the last year I’ve only done 20,000Kms instead of the usual 30,000 so I wasn’t really conditioned for a 24hour ride….but I’ve been riding well, I was as keen as mustard and the wait leading up to the event just seemed to drag on forever. There wasn’t much to do in the way of prep’ because over the years I have acquired all the bits I need, I have the purpose built bike which is kept serviced and always ready for a ride and some of my gear is a little tired but still functioning well, so all I needed was a new Nth Island map to trace the route on for the display in my Board-Room (spelt Biker-Room) at work. The bike came due for its 96K service a month out so I asked the boys at Boyles to do the usual pre-GC super WoF at the same time, then I picked up the usual supply of water, nutbars and bananas the night before I left. Steve had dumped me for the ride up on Friday, to have a date with his wife, but that wasn’t a problem because Hitcher’s partner let him go up with me instead. Waiting…waiting…10am Friday and we were off, suitably attired in ‘wets’ as it was rather gloomy, I picked up Hitcher at his place, then we scooted down the hill for our first fill at Caltex Kaiwhara’ before hitting SH1 with Mr H in the lead. It was quite refreshing to follow someone who was doing it all proper-like…indicate – head-check – change lanes…and so on and I thought to myself, “Mr H, you should be the mentor, not me, ‘cos I’m more a do as I say sorta guy”. We had flagged a cruise via the Wairarapa due to the inclement weather and decided the choice of Parapara’s or SH1 would be made at Sanson, depending on how the conditions looked at that point. By the time we got to Tawa (10Km) the weather was clear, ...by the time we got to Paraparaumu I was getting a little warm, …and when we struck red lights in Levin, I had to leap off the bike whip off the ‘wets’ jacket and change to the summer gloves because I was expiring as the temp rose through 13-14°. I also suggested to Mr H that the Para’s looked the better option and I assumed the lead from there as we nipped up to Campion road, slipped around Ohakea then on-on’d to Whanganui, where we would pause for Mr H to fill his Aprilia Shiver. I signaled him to take the lead just prior to Whanga’s (just in case he had a preference on flavours for the Shiver) and as we were stopped at a set of lights, I noted the occasional puff of smoke coming from his machine. When we stopped around the corner, sure enough, there was an instant drip, dripping of oil on the pavement….dash, bother & blast…so it was on-on to Mr Honda’s shop. It was soon established that the oil was coming from the gearbox bleed valve and whilst we were in the workshop, the eagle-eyed mechanic spotted something shiny in the tyre. It was just a shard of metal that brushed off, but a inch or two further on was a fine piece of wire sticking from the rubber…..so they fixed the bike and we went for lunch on the ST. Unlike Lemony Snickets, this was a series of most fortuitous events, as the bike got fixed before there was a problem, we enjoyed a coffee and exchanged lies whilst sitting in the sun at a roadside Café, then continued on to have a delightful ride up the Para’s and over the Ponangana Saddle, getting to Turangi before 1600hours. We checked-in, got the bikes scrutineered, settled in and chatted, went for the usual feed at the truck-stop and returned after 1900 to check the route and start planning. What a doozy….there was only one section I hadn’t been on (being the inland route from Wairoa to Gisborne over Tiniroto Rd) so I got my bits and pieces and started planning the ride and gas stops….one lot of three stops for me on the ST and another of five, for Steve on the ‘Busa, as he wouldn’t have much time after arriving the next day. Also I wasn’t sure what group he was starting in and therefore if we would be riding together or not. (As it turned out, we were both in Group two, him at No.11 and me at No.12, so it was easy for me to adapt to his fuel schedule). I turned in about midnight and was awake by 0430…bloody marvelous! …so lay there going over the route and check-points in my mind, probably managing a few more naps, but it didn’t seem like it, then arose at 0645 to get ready for breakfast. After that it was hurry-up and wait as one would stand around and chat, go for a lie down to catch a few zzz’s but that wouldn’t work, so go for a stroll around the camp and more chats…and so on, until a freshen-up shower at 1315, the Ulysses Photo at 1400, rider briefing at 1430, then dive into the gear for the Group 2 start at 1503….and we were off…but more at a steady creep than a swoop. This suited me though as the bike’s motor and tyres were cold, so we warmed into the affair as we pootled down SH1, over the Desert Rd, at a sedate 110kph, behind three other riders. Neither Steve nor I carry a radar detector but I knew that it wouldn’t be long before we were ready to get on the pace as riders from later groups passed us, at which time we would leap from our comfort zone and hitch a ride (safety in numbers and all that jazz), so we were soon scooting briskly towards Mangaweka. As we turned onto Ruahine Rd, which had a liberal coating of that awful gray clay-dust, Steve & I were behind half a dozen other riders, who didn’t look that comfortable on the unfamiliar (to them) surroundings, so we were soon past them and free to engage and a ‘spirited-pace’ that was just a notch or two below a ‘good-fang’ (after all…we had all night to go) down to Kimbolton, then around the Apiti loop and into Ashhurst for the Time-Check. Meanie was their to say ‘gidday’, we clocked in (at 2 hours for the first 200Km). I sent Steve on to gas-up in Woodville as I wouldn’t need fuel until Waipuk’ and I took the opportunity to take a couple of pix as more riders arrived. I was tempted to ride over the Saddle road but restrained myself and went through the gorge, waited for Steve, then we continued down to Pahiatua. As we left Woodville, we ended up behind a cop, following another motor cyclist…bloody hell! They were sitting on 100-110 indicated, so took the bull by the horns and passed them both then maintained the allowable limit until the cop turned off at Mangatainoka and just down the road, we slipped off SH2 to embark on Pahiatua-Pongaroa Rd and Route 52 to the first Check Point at Waipukurau. I can’t remember the last time I did this road from West to East, as we would normally come out from Pongaroa, so I inadvertently rattled onto Ngaturi Aohanga Rd but immediately realised the error of my ways, backtracked the 100 or so metres and continued toward Makuri, but my error had given Gremlin the opportunity he needed to slip past us. The road around this area was littered with ‘loose stuff’ so we maintained a good pace whilst taking care by sticking close to the centre and ‘riding the ruts’ on both sides, but bugger me, next thing we knew, the ST and the ‘Busa (big 1300’s) were being passed by a GN250. The bloody ‘Ginny-Man’ had it tapped out and wasn’t slowing for anything as he scurried through the crap and corners, because he knew it took too much to get the pace back on what is probably the most sluggish of all 250cc learner bikes. It was a marvel to behold and I thought to myself, “Damn, we better get back in front of him before Waipuk’ or we’ll never live it down”! Just to make our adventure more exciting, no sooner had Ginny-Man disappeared from sight than we started to get bombarded with vicious wind gusts, but we managed to keep the pace on and those conditions seemed to settle once we had passed Pongoroa. From there the road surface improved as we ducked and dived our way through to Porangahau, after which we enjoyed a veritably wide, smooth surface and we could resume a more spirited chase to pull in Ginny-Man… and I soon had him in my sights. I sat behind him for a bit and enjoyed the show as he seemed to maintain around 115 to 118kph, occasionally tipping 120 if he got some downhill assistance, rarely touching the brakes as he deftly nipped along. I was so impressed, I passed him and signaled for him to slot in behind so he could enjoy a draught and drag behind the ST, although I wasn’t sure if I was helping or hindering him…probably a bit of both!? We were soon gassing up and checking-in at Waipuk’, enjoying a snack and ‘natural break’ as we watched Ginny-Man shoot off and other riders come and go. Before the start, I had hummed and hawed over what to wear earlier in the day and as the temp went through 15°, I had opted to remove the liner from my jacket to start the ride with a T-Shirt and skivvy on. As we arrived at Waipuk’ on dusk, at around 1930, I figured another layer would be in order and the easiest option was to throw on the ‘wets’ jacket and swap to the winter spidi gloves. That done, we were on our way again, up through Napier, Wairoa and on to checkpoint 2 in Gisborne. I led out and we were soon crossing SH30A, but there were road works at Flaxmere, with no signage, so I looked dumbly at 30A thinking, “I’m sure I should turn there??” as I led the others into Flaxmere, but we only did an extra few hundred metres before getting back on track with Steve leading. We were soon through Bay View and onto the sweet riding strip between Napier and Wairoa, except it was now pitch black and the storms over the last week had strewn crap all along the road, so much care was required. We were barely out of Bay View when we hit a bit of fog and it became apparent that Steve wasn’t too comfortable in the front. The ‘Busa light isn’t the greatest compared to the ST’s, but it transpired that he was also having problems with his visor fogging, so I resumed the lead. It was a nice wee jaunt all the same and we were soon through Wairoa and I can’t remember why, but we paused briefly at the turn-off for Frasertown. At this point the Ginny-Man passed us again (we must have passed him when he was fuelling at Bay View), then we passed him as he was checking turn-offs just prior to Tiniroto Rd. Sure enough, our pace wasn’t sharp enough for him so we let him through... again ...and I buttoned off a bit more to let him get away so I wasn’t constantly dipping my lights. All was fine, but we were soon climbing and sure enough, the poor wee Ginny was struggling so we were soon back within 100 metres or so and it was a pain in the arse as I was constantly up and down between high & low beams......and so began ‘The Struggle’! I buttoned off a bit more to see if he’d get away again, but we still held station about 100m astern and I didn’t want to pass him, so in the end I thought, “Bugger it! I need to close-up and ride off his lights”, so with that decision made, I opened up as we descended a slight decline and lined up to follow him into a left hander.....and then it all turned to shite! Ginny-Man was deftly pushing his wee bike to the limits and of all times he picked to overcook a corner, it was right when I lined up on his tail and although I was still a healthy distance behind, I was probably up to about 110 and closing quick when we watched him enter a left hander, brake hard and twitch as he struggled to pull up and keep control. At this point my brain went into overdrive and in the briefest of moments (which seemed an eternity) I remember running options. What the hell has happened? Is the road blocked with a slip and he’s aborted? Did he slip and save it? Has he overcooked? I can’t risk taking the corner ‘cos I don’t know what’s there and he’s too close to my line. (I’m sure he wouldn’t feel too good wearing a 450Kg missile up his date!) Danger! Danger Johnny Boy! Abort! Abort! There’s a small edge and a wide grass verge! Aborrt! I straightened and hit the picks....real hard!...deploying all the stoppage that linked ABS brakes can deliver, but my speed and position in the centre of the road were against me because although I had washed off about half of my speed, I could feel grit under the wheels as I rapidly closed on Ginny-Man and the edge of the road with a proliferation of BHM’s (Biker Hail Marys-“Oh Shit! Oh Shit! Oh Shit”...or words to that effect). At this point my heart and half my other organs were in my throat because I knew I still had way too much pace on and every bikers worst nightmare was upon me....I was going off!! As soon as the rear wheel hit the verge (I was probably angling in at about 30°) it lost all traction slipping out to the right, throwing the bike down onto its left side in a spin, with the rear coming around so the bike hit the grass sideways, still doing about 50-60kph. All I remember is the back starting to go, the bike starting to drop and the next thing I was slammed onto my back on the solid verge (but I can’t remember if I bounced 2 or 3 times) and the bike came to a sudden, dead stop. I lay there for a moment assessing my condition, fearing the worst but feeling OK, then got up and switched off the bike, which also looked OK but I had to wait for the other two before trying to pick it up. Steve had managed to scrub off enough speed to safely stop on the grass and Ginny-Man sat there, stunned at his situation, when he realised that lights were bearing down on him so he booted it and took off like a scolded cat to get out of the way. He then came around and bought some light on the situation while I grabbed Steve’s pack-rack to help him get back on the road. We then picked the ST up and the only damage appeared to be the left mirror cover had popped (as it is designed to do) but the indicator had separated from the cover, so I picked them up and put them in a pannier. The bike started straight away, but it was up to its rims in water and mud, so I put it in gear by hand and we walked it back on to the edge of the road. Meanwhile Mike (another Ulyssian on an ST) rolled up, but we were right now, so we sent him and Ginny-Man on their way...I was charged with adrenalin and the bike seemed fine, so Steve & I continued on. It was a real miracle that neither the bike nor I suffered more than a scratch or bruise and I shudder to think of what could have happened. The wing on the bike did its thing to save the bike from damage and to prevent it crushing my leg...the soft muddy earth acted like a cushion to bring everything to a sudden but damage free stop...but if the bike hadn’t spun out, the front wheel may have buried in the mud and thrown me over or through the screen. I was sore but sound and able to continue. Hallelujah! We were in Gissy before 2330, checked-in, gassed-up, relieved, snacked, I donned an extra skivvy and my ‘wets’ pants (for warmth) and we departed for Karapiro via the Waioeka Gorge and Rotorua, On this leg, I started to wilt as the adrenalin wore off and I found my speed drifting on and off the pace. I was still leading (with the better lights) and I would bring the pace up to get in ‘the zone’ then find my concentration and speed fading off....I struggled! But we finally made it through the gorge, when Clive, the Xena Commander (although I have referred to him as Beemer-Boy in previous sagas, prior to meeting him). Anyway, the XC rolled up and over us, just out of Opotiki, so I slotted in behind him and that made life much easier as he dragged us through Taneatua, Awakeri, over the Rotomas and down to the lake, where he had to pause to change batteries in his GPS or whatever other electronic contraptions he was decked out with. Then we continued round the south end of the lake, through Rotorua and over SH5, where we encountered a bit of rain and rolled into Mobil Karapiro around 0345. This was a pretty good leg for economy because we were expecting Steve would need gas by Tirau, but he made the 355Kms on the tank, which was a bit of a record. I guess it was the easy pace and big downhill off SH5...the leg did get pretty cold though with the temp dipping to 8° but. As was usual on this ride, Steve and I took our time at the stop, seeing XC depart before us, Ginny-Man (and a few others) come and go, but I decided I needed to put the liner in my jacket and make sure I was right before carrying on. I felt great each time we stopped (even for just brief pause on the road), but soon wilted again once under way as the fatigue kicked in again. We got away though and soon rolled over Ginny-Man for the last time on Golf Rd, whistled through Te Kuiti and Pio Pio and got to work on one of my favouritist roads, the Awakino Gorge....but this wasn’t fun. I was still struggling at lead and the road seemed foreign to me as the glow from my lights caused an aura that gave the impression I was constantly riding into a huge cavern. I felt disoriented, struggled with my lines but pushed on and eventually caught and passed XC in the gorge...which was dumb because if I’d had half a brain operating at the time I would have slotted in behind again. (There’s no helping some people). I got confused about the Inglewood turnoff at Waitara, XC passed us again, we got back on track, slipped past him again through traffic, gassed up in Hawera, and finally made the last checkpoint in Patea. These last two legs were amongst the worst in all the GC’s I’ve done and although I just wanted to finish, I finally came to my senses enough to follow XC down to Wanganui and back up the Para’s to the Turangi, so I resisted the urge to put the hammer down. We had expected the weather to turn shitty anytime after Awakino and although the clouds had come in and the wind was getting up, so far we had missed any rain and were running ahead of it, but did have to turn to cross it as we slipped up the Para’s. It was great following XC as he pootled along keeping good lines and requiring minimal brakes, although at the time it seemed like an eternity as we crossed National Park from Raetihi. Through this area the wind did come up more and it was most odd as I would be sitting on the bike, relaxed with my left hand on my knee, when all of a sudden it would blast me around wrenching my left arm into the air and try to pluck the helmet off my head. Steve must thought I having some sort of seizures from behind, but the struggle finally finished when we rolled into the camp grounds at around 1030. I was shattered, slumping on to the tank for a moment before attempting to drag myself off the bike! My lower back ached where it had been slammed into the deck, my left hip and calf were locking up and cramping, my neck and shoulders were sore but I was still in one piece and jubilated to check in and collect the prized year bar and patch for the ride, sit down for a coffee, then recover sufficiently to enjoy the usual Rusty hearty lunch/brunch. We sat around for a bit chatting and I finally got cleaned up, I went for a nap around 1300, got awakened by a phone call from Ann at 1500, then got up for more socialising until retiring for the night at 2200, slept until 0430 then dozed on and off until being awakened by another phone call at 0700, after which I arose to get ready for breakfast, pack, gas up and depart from Turangi around 0930. We encountered gales on the way home and although it wasn’t too bad over the central plateau, it was diabolical through Himitangi and the Foxton straights. They got stronger and stronger as we came down from Hunterville, then for something totally different, …a lens popped from my glassed as we rounded onto SH1 out of Sanson, so I fixed that, then we were in for a treat. Not only were we canted out and shuffling around on the road, but we got treated to a splash of horizontal rain and hail. I could see it being blown across the paddocks as we approached and it looked like a morning mist, floating above the ground...but this was moving...wickedly. It blasted us and both pressed my helmet onto my temple and cheek, while at the same time choking me as it pulled the strap taught on my neck. I was cranking myself out to the right to keep the bike on track and feared each time a truck passed. It was a challenge taking on the long bridge just out of Levin, where I slowed to time for a truck to get off as I entered, at which time I booted it, taking the speed to 140 to get off before more traffic came, or if it did, to lessen the effects on the bike. Fortunately the wind subsided a bit after that. We stopped for a coffee in Otaki and finally finished the weekend with a gentle pootle over the Paekak’ Hill (we didn’t relish following the Mufti Car all the way down Centennial Highway). I did 2,349Kms for the weekend, clocking up 98,929Kms on the bike. Life is a struggle….and that’s why we divert our attention from the daily grind by taking up sports and hobbies….but sometimes that can be a struggle too! Brett and I encountered problems on the way to our event, 75 odd bikers started this year’s Grand Challenge and struggled through the night with 10 failing to finish. I experience the worst with an ‘Off’ but was being looked after with some Devine help and survived to struggle on and complete. We struggled over a wide range of roads, many strewn with storm damage and one poor riders struggle finished when a perfectly timed slid caused a large rock to roll into his bike as he happened to pass that spot. Others struggles finished with mechanical failures and a couple got blown over, causing enough damage to have to withdraw. We struggled through rugged conditions on the way home ....but it’s over now .....and shit I had a great time!
I’m already booked in for next year’s Long Weekend (900Km Friday and 1600Km Saturday) and I can’t wait...but I might struggle through a few more Kms in preparation for next year. Bring it on Lee Rusty and your merry band! 3 Strikes for the TT2000 and we were ‘In’! Strike 1 – We got to do a 1,000Km ride Strike 2 – We got to do 2 of them back to back Strike 3 – It was in the South Island and we were due for a treat! Sailings were organised and accommodation was booked for Christchurch and Nelson, tyres were good, the bike is always ready for a decent ride, we decided that a Bronze Flyer would suffice so we could approach the ride in a more relaxed manner and come Friday at 0725, we were ready to go on the Kaitaki, formerly known as ‘Pride of Cherbourg’, along with 40+ other motorbikes, some classics, all heading for various rallies in the South Island. The forecast for the weekend was pretty good except that we were expecting to encounter a few showers on the way down to Christchurch, but our arrival in Picton was greeted with bright sunshine, dry roads and lots of cops…5 to be precise, between Picton and Blenheim and another 3 before Ward, so we proceeded south with due care. By Kaikoura we were due for a little refreshment and paused to enjoy a pie in the balmy 26° and as the skies to the south were looking rather gloomy, I opted to don my ‘wets’ before continuing. This proved to be rather fortuitous as no sooner were we heading past the airport when we stuck our first wee shower of hailstones (about the size of marbles), but no problem, the road barely got wet…… however…….by the time we got to Goose Bay things were looking a little grim. Looking across the bay we could see a squall approaching quite rapidly and I quite literally, pulled my neck in when we got to within 100metres of the southern point of the Bay, and the front screamed around the bluff presenting itself as a wall of spray, hail and debris, stirred up by winds in excess of 100kph. Some of the hailstones this time were about half the size of golf balls, or perhaps if I continue with the marble theme, they had matured to tombolas, and they were falling with such intensity that each hit was felt through the layers of gear and some were bouncing up from my chest and shoulders inside the helmet. I guess at this point, normal people would recognise the gravity of the situation and pull over but Steve and I aren’t that mature and besides, my visor fogged instantly so I couldn’t see much anyway, apart from the fact that the road seemed strangely white. This actually made it easier to follow and fortunately a couplet of droplets ran down the inside of my visor, so I could see enough to continue. I can’t remember why, but I ended up leading, we had slowed our pace to between 20 & 40kph and about a kilometer down the road I realised the white layer was a carpet of hailstones. This realisation only came as we turned onto the Hunderlees where cars ahead of us had formed ruts in the bed of ice. I took the centre track and continued, getting showered in the wash from trucks coming the other way but as long as I stayed in the rut, the Avon Storms felt fine on the road and we even dribbled past a few cars. By now the blanket of ice was between 3 & 6 inches deep and then it happened... As we eased our way up an incline, I noticed that there was a stream of water about an inch deep flowing down the rut and right at that moment it eroded a large iceberg into my path. Sure enough, before you could say ‘slip slop slap’ I had been, and the front was gone….Bugger me!! I was back to my feet in an instant, turned the bike off and waited for Steve to help lift it. (300Kg + ¾ of a tank..say 20Kg + luggage…maybe 25Kg + bike leaning downhill = toooo heavy) We got it up, he went round to drop the side stand and I was able to reattach the mirror cover and observe that the wing cover had shattered but the steel bar underneath had done its job protecting the rest of the bike. However, a rock or the ice had managed to bend the foot-brake up slightly and tear a wee chunk out of the black skirt just in front of where my boot sits. Whew, I got off lightly…my bottom rib hurt a little but! We waved the cars past, mounted straight back up and continued on to find 6 or 8 bikers about a km further up the road, huddling under trees for shelter….we were still too dumb to stop! As we emerged from the Hunderlees, the ice had melted from the road and we were now just riding in steady rain. I guess I forgot to mention that our balmy 26° had plummeted to 6° and although it eased back up to 9°, it wasn’t very comfortable as we pressed on. When we got into Christchurch, Steve cut and run for his motel to wring his undies out, while I headed for Hampton Honda to get the bike checked and straighten the foot-brake lever slightly. This done, I checked into the Thistle B&B, sorted my gear and headed out to spend the evening with mates, after which I filled the bike and was in bed by 2200hrs…..quite knackered! I had set two alarms (cell phone and diary) for 0430, but I didn’t need them as I was awake by 0200 and thinking about the day ahead. I finally got up around 0415, packed up, checked the tyres and headed to the start by 0520, pausing in Hornby to put some air in the tyres. It was cool and as soon as I arrived, Steve informed me that we could go early, so by 0545 when we were barely out of Hornby, I realised that the T-shirt and skivvy I was wearing weren’t enough for the 3°, so decided I would fit the liner to my jacket when we stopped to take a pic in Rakaia. That done, and glove liners fitted, we were soon following 3 other bikes to Methven and as their pace was rather brisk (to say the least) I let them ease ahead but kept their lights in sight so I didn’t have to worry about navigating. Pic 2 taken in Methven and we were now in the groove, heading for our first ‘flyer’ to Lake Coleridge, to photograph the bike in front of the power station. It was now dawn, the temp was still down and the cold squeeze dictated that a natural break was warranted before heading for the first fuel stop at Springfield. At this time (0805) I needed to put another skivvy on, scoffed a nut bar and eagerly embarked on our first bit of good riding…Arthurs Pass. That was nice and all too soon we were taking the next pic in Kumara then witnessed a couple of fellow TT’ers chatting with a constable on the way out to SH6. That was rather good of them I thought, doing their civic duty and saving us the trouble so we could continue to the next ‘flyer’ without delay, which was a picture of the jetty at Lake Mahinapua, south of Hokitika. More straight and boring but we were doing well so being the hobbitses that we is, we rewarded ourselves with a coffee for elevenses, after our second fuel stop in Greymouth. On, on….and I was now onto new roads for me. Up SH7 for a pic in Ikamatua, then across for another in Blackball, back out to SH6 and yet another pic in Punakaiki. SH6 proved to be another sweet piece of macadam with mint surface and rolling curves. The sort of road that lifts a biker’s spirits as he locks the wrist and just flows…..so much so that Steve flowed right on past Punakaiki and after much flashing and tooting, I finally had to pass him to get his attention to stop. Best part though…that road was so nice I thought I was lucky to get to do it three times…..tena choice Steve! We were soon filling again in Westport before heading to Karamea and, although we didn’t need the points, we elected to sample the Denniston ‘flyer’ as it sounded interesting, “a boot scraper” they said, but not quite, as there was a bit of crap on the road and due care was required, but the view from the top was rather impressive. From here it was lots more boring straights until the Karamea Highway which was quite pleasant and we managed to maintain a fairly good pace, although I found the road difficult to read (It’s hard to tell if the mottled chip they use in parts of the South Island has loose stuff on it) on the way back out to our last fuel stop, once more in Westport. It was now 1700 and with 265Kms to go for the day, we were looking at getting to Nelson by 2000, so Steve led out through the Lower Buller Gorge….more biker ecstasy!!! We dialed in at 120 – 130 and just eased on and off the throttle riding at pace on a mint surface. We picked-up a ZX14 along the way who let us pass then tacked on the back, then we had to take a little more care on the Upper Buller Gorge but we were soon winding our way through Murchison and the turnoff at Kohatu for the last pix of the day in Motueka. At one stage we passed one of those pretty cars and he could obviously see we were enjoying ourselves so he fired us a friendly flash with his lights and waved with his finger, but he must have had other things on his mind as he decided not to hang a U’ee and join us. None-the-less we were soon in Mot’, still fizzing and I asked the others if they’d like one last fang for the day by taking the Moutere Highway back to Nelson. I explained it was a little longer but would have less traffic and also less likely to have any revenue collectors, so that was decided and once again, I led out. We scampered through there to get to Morley Honda in Wakatu at our estimated 2000, completing 1170Kms in 14¼ hours, checked in, then I retired to the Tahuna Beach Holiday Park where several others on the ride we staying as well. I went back out for a feed and filled the bike in preparation for another early start in the morning, let my son Lance know that I was in town, then collapsed into a coma…… ……only to wake at 0300! I lay around for awhile, mentally running the day’s route through my mind and finally gave-up and got-up to shower and pack. As I went to drop the key at the office, there was Lance so we chatted for a bit before I went to check-in for the ride. The first section was to Takaka and back and this was more unsampled road for me, from Mot’ onwards. I was a little slow getting ready so we were about 5 minutes late getting away, but then, others were still arriving to check-in. This proved to be the highlight of the trip and set the tone for the day as I led out, recognizing a chap with a bloody great swath of dreads hanging down his back and riding an Africa Twin. We had followed him briefly the day before and he was a very smooth rider so I decided to latch on to him and hoped that the light in my mirror was Steve. Sure enough, Dreads soon had us picking our way through the other bikes and in no time we started to climb on the most wicked series of hairpins, on a mint surface and the ST was purring….or perhaps that was me?? I was in the groove, I had a pace-setter and must have picked off another twenty odd bikes as the Takaka hill went on…and on…and on and up…and up …and up, the ST surging with power up the hill and rolling easily into the corners, laying flat as it flowed around the tightest of bends, the Avon Storms sticking to the seal like shit-to-a-blanket, never once twitching or giving rise to thoughts of ‘ease up’. It was just ‘yeehaa’ and ‘youuu beeauuty!!’ We crested the hill and by now it was just Dreads and me as we flew down the other side with him edging away. It was now time for my wake-up call as we hit a long (for the Takaka Hill) snakey section and I could see his tail light ahead of me as I straight lined through the kinks. All of a sudden I found there was no road ahead of me, but a larger kink and Dreadsy was luring me into a bloody great chasm!!?? Bloody Hell! Linked ABS brakes were fully deployed and the momentum of my 450’ish KG missile momentarily skipped onto the front wheel before the bike settled, sunk, bit-in and pulled up enough to flick through the larger kink and onwards down to the flats that led into Takaka and the statutory pic, the economy registering at 14.6K/Ltr. A couple of minutes later, Steve rocked in, we let the euphoria settle a bit…..then did it all again….and once again, tackled the Moutere Highway for desert. By the time we got to the Whangamoas we had settled back to our normal pace and the days ride ahead, but still enjoyed that piece of road too, although I was a little concerned that Steve might not make Picton on the tank. Not to worry, as we weren’t doing the Portage ‘flyer’, we decided to go via Spring Creek and could always detour to fill in Renwick or Blenheim if we had too. Fortunately, that wasn’t required and by Steve easing up on the pace and hunkering down slightly more on the bike, we made the 340’ish Kms to Picton in under 4hours, filled up, shook down and got back on the road. The next section back through Spring Creek and Renwick, then up the Wairau Valley was dead boring and it was a relief to get to Tophouse Road for some decent riding up to Belgrove. This was the first of our two flyers for the day and pleasant riding all the way through to the check point, fuel and a cooked feed in Murchison. We arrived at this half way point at 1235 and stopped for about an hour there as Steve enjoyed a rather large serving of pancakes topped with lashings of blueberrys while I had bacon sausages, tomatoes, mushrooms and eggs on toast. With the body feeling revived we were ready to take on the Upper Buller Gorge again, snack a quick pic at Inangahua, got our pic snacked as we approached Reefton (fortunately form the front), then enjoy the hell out of SH7 as it meandered through to Springs Junction and the Lewis Pass which took us to the next check Point in Hanmer Springs. This was our last fuel stop with 265Kms to go via Route 70 for the last pic in Kaikoura and the run to home down SH1. It was pretty uneventful as we controlled the pace, finally completing another 1170Kms for the day, but this time in just 13hours. Not bad I guess as on top of the hour for lunch, the other stops had to amount to an hour as well. We checked in, got scrutineered, bought our finishers packs and I got a collared T-shirt as well along with the Bronze Flyer Trophy. We then enjoyed a drink and sausage sizzle as we chatted to other riders before calling it a day at about 2030 and heading back to our digs for a well earned rest. Now I had stopped and come out of ‘the zone’, I was shattered. I slept well, rising about 0700 to clean-up, pack-up and check the bike. I was doing the tyre pressures when I noted the way the tyres had worn and even the little ‘Storm’ etched into last centimeter on the side of the tyre had incurred some scuffing. It immediately had me feeling warm fuzzys about the previous morning’s absolute fang over the Takaka Hill and all the other sweet spots that we had enjoyed over the weekend. All ready to go, I enjoyed a continental breakfast then hooked up with Steve before checking out some kit back at Hampton Honda. We then visited another mate in Christchurch, before getting back on the road for Picton at about 1300. We had plenty of time so settled down to a slow pootle, spotting and stopping to chat to other riders we knew as we passed through Cheviot. By the time we left there though, time was a bit tighter so we upped the pace through the Hunderlees for the third time in the weekend. Then came my next big wake-up call.
We were on the decent about 6-8Km from Oaro and the coast, when we caught a couple of trucks and the second (front one) was quite long, so after nipping into the gap between them, I waited for my opportunity to pass. I happened to be in 3rd when I decided to go and got a few metres up the trailer when I spotted there was a van approaching. I backed off, realising instantly I’d be stuck in no mans land, or worse, the 2nd truck would take me out, so I planted it, aiming for the quickly narrowing gap between the front of the truck and approaching van. The ST burst past the front of the truck at about 130 and if the van hadn’t given me that extra bit of space, I would have been toast, not to mention whatever other collateral. Then, as soon as I had bolted from that situation I had to hit the picks to avoid Steve and set-up for the next corner which was now looming as they come up pretty quick at that sort of pace, to say nothing of staying clear of the two trucks following. I didn’t have time to shit myself but afterwards, I was totally pissed off with my lack of judgement. I chastised myself, BHM’s were said and we settled into the rest of the ride. We had a pleasant boat trip back on the Kaitere and were chatting with another chap that had achieved a Silver Flyer Status on the ride and I noticed he was wearing his TT T-shirt, which had “I’ve done 2000Kms in 48hours” on the front. I thought, ‘that looks cool’ then got to thinking about previous rides and realised I’d done 2100kms in less than 24hours once…but hey, The TT2000 was an absolute blast. The organisation was superb and the route was primo. It was great to enjoy another foray into the south and enjoy some new roads. I finally got home at 2140, 3113Kms done for the long weekend and 89,200Kms on the bike….absolutely shattered and totally fanged out…..but I still have a wry smile as I think of the Takaka Hill and Lower Buller Gorge…..not to mention SH6 through Punakaiki….and…..and!!! Oh happy day…(Oh happy day) Oh happy day…(Oh happy day) When Johnny Rode……. What an awsome day! Great weather, great route, great bike and great mates! After Grub’s tragedy on this ride last year and the problems encountered with nearly half the field not completing, we had to go back to the drawing board to address our route setting along with other improvements to make the day easier to run. Fortunately there are a few groups out there organising events like this and they had some pretty good ideas for us to steal (borrow). With a prescription for the ride to be a ‘free flowing’ event we soon had a couple of nice options to choose from, then made a decision for riders to collect fuel receipts and photos rather than for us to check odo’s out and in, and in an effort to get more participation, we established alternative start points in Masterton and Napier (with the Manawatu riders continuing to do their 0500 start to join the Wellington riders). We also created a half hour start window between 0630 & 0700 from Rimutaka to alleviate the congestion over the hill. With this all sorted some months ago, it was then just a matter of wait for the time and everything just seemed to fall into place. Sponsors NAC Insurance and BucketsnBits.co.nz provided prizes, we ordered year bars, prepared the Ride Instructions and Briefing and waited for the registrations to come in…..oh yes, and Steve and I had to check some of the roads to ensure they were OK….I did that hard! With a week to go we had over 60 riders interested, sent ribbons to Masterton and Napier for the bikes so riders could easily identify each other on the road, sent the instructions out, kept an eye on the weather and started to print certificates. Everything was looking sweet. Come Friday, Nasty and Elle were on their way to do 70% of the route, texting their progress which was pretty depressing to be stuck in the office finalising preparations while they were out there having a ball…it was all making me pretty excited to get underway and enjoy the ride myself. Finally it was Saturday and Ann & I were up before 0500 and at Caltex Rimutaka by just after 0600 where I filled the bike while Ann set up the table and gear. One rider was so keen to get away, he was already there when we arrived, more had arrived before I finished filling and the forecourt was soon a hive of activity as riders checked in, tied a ribbon to there bikes, bought badges and collected prizes that had been pre-drawn. They were free to depart as soon as they were ready and some got away promptly, but the atmosphere was pretty casual with coffees being consumed and plenty of chatting. By 0700 we were still short of 5 or 6 riders (I got their emails when I got to work on Monday) but Ken, Barry & I decided to get away and Ann would wait a bit longer before packing up, but as it turned out, no more arrived so Barry & I were the last away at 0706. We were just in time to hit the hill amidst about 20 horse floats so caught Mike as we descended and were content to sit behind him until Eketahuna where Ken was waiting. I took the opportunity to put a skivvy on as I was finding the 8° a little cool and next thing we were scooting over the Track, through Ashhurst and onto Feilding. With Barry on an FJR and Ken & I on ST’s, I figured it wouldn’t be long before we were amongst the field as we would be good for 400+ Kms before we needed our first fill, but that wasn’t to be the case. We did pass a group of Palmy riders at the BP in Feilding, then after riding through Halcombe and onto Turakina, Mike was topping up there but otherwise….no one! We continued to Wanganui and embarked on a fun ride up the Para’s at a brisk pace, as the road was great, but we still only encountered 3 Duc’ riders having a pause, then another group of Palmy riders who appeared to be filling their faces as we passed them at the Caltex in Raetihi, so it was ‘On On’ up SH4 to our first fill in Taumaranui. It was along here that I had my only ‘moment’ for the day, just north of Owhango, when we entered some roadworks that consisted of rather large, loosely packed rocks. It was OK until the bike strayed out of the wheel rut and headed for the edge which dropped away to more even larger rocks. I puckered for a moment, too scared to try and steer the bike and fortunately, between clenched knees, subtle weight shift, willpower and BHM’s, (Biker Hail Mary’s), it drifted back onto the rut….whew! We were soon in Taumaranui and pulled into the BP to fill as some Masterton riders were ready to leave and shortly after, several of the riders we had passed earlier went through. As it was only 1130, we decided to head onto Te Kuiti for lunch and got there as the Palmy crew were about ready to leave…and that was to be the pattern for the ride. With lunch done our next stop was to get a photo of the bikes in front of the TeKawa Mobil, so we headed up SH3, maintaining our steady pace. A brief pause for the pix and we now had another nice section of the route to enjoy as we nipped across to Waipapa Road and down to Whakamaru. I’ve done this road a few times now, it’s rather pleasant and one could almost describe it as ‘understated’ when it comes to NZs better biking roads. It is in great condition and has a bit of everything, with rolling hills and sweepers through farmland and into pine forest, where it tightens up a bit as it drops through native bush to run along the Mangakino dam, then pops back to a straight run through more farms to Whakamaru (where I finally removed the skivvy as the temp was edging towards 20°) and down the western side of lake Taupo……and best of all…..I don’t recall ever spotting any revenue collectors along there!! ….So we were able to maintain our brisk pace at ease. That done, dusted and enjoyed we were soon on the run over the Desert Rd and down SH1 to a coffee and fuel stop in Taihape. I must say, I don’t mind riding the Desert Rd, or at least, it would be OK if one were able to ride it at a respectable pace which is higher than my usual 110kph limit??!! Well, for once I had a pleasant ride over the Central Plateau because Barry decided I was too pedestrian and took the lead, dragging myself and Ken in his wake. What little traffic there was, was moving quite well also and with almost no traffic heading North we were doubly blessed to encounter a van as it crested a rise and indicated to us that the road ahead might not be in great condition so we slowed accordingly. We popped over the rise to find a long straight with nothing but a pretty white car with blue and yellow trim parked on the left …..??so maybe the van driver was trying to clean his windows and pulled on the wrong stem?? Oh well, …these cars often hunt in packs so just in case, we puttered down and through Waiouru very sedately and were soon enjoying a coffee at the Exchange in Taihape, then filling at the BP where several other riders were relaxing and telling of their own adventures. We were now on the boring 2½ hour run for the finish with the temp dropping and a reasonable Westerly providing somewhat of a barrier. I was back in the lead with the economy varying between 15-17K/Ltr, depending on the intensity and angle of the gusts, as we leap frogged from cage to cage catching a small respite in their wake if they were on the pace and moving right along if they slowed. I had noticed a van that we didn’t appear to be catching though, so upped the pace slightly and did slot in behind him just south of Hunterville, the home/hunting ground of the constable affectionately known as Cash Register. With no detector, it’s always good to have a shield and this guy was great as he sat on the centreline, so I was able to park myself with a clear view through his left, right in the draft and my economy shot to 19-21K/Ltr at a quicker pace than before. Bloody marvelous, so I hitched a ride through to Bulls, then moved on through the thicker traffic flow. The rest of the ride was a non-event, until our final fang over the Paekak’ Hill then onto the Petone Workingmans Club, arriving at about 1920 which was 12¼ hours for the ride. About half to two thirds of the riders had already completed, which was good because it meant that the route didn’t provide any problems this year and the feedback from the riders was that they enjoyed it. I felt pretty good except for the dodgy hip playing up a little and we enjoyed a beer, a meal and meeting and chatting with the other riders. Nasty was there with her guests, who had come for the scattering of Grub’s ashes the following day, which was the anniversary of his death. All in all I had an awesome day which didn’t finish until I got to bed, totally shattered after midnight, with another busy day booked in for Sunday.
We arose late, dined on leftovers, tidied-up the money and stats for the ride, attended to the spa, then gave the bike a quick clean before heading off to pick-up a few things on the way to Caltex Rimutaka for the ride to Paekak’ Hill. I only arrived about 5 minutes prior to departure to find about 40 bikes there and we were soon off for Haywards. The traffic was quite heavy so I took the opportunity to nip across a small gap in the traffic which put me behind SparkyBills (carrying Grub’s ashes) and Sels1 (ride leader) so I sat there and enjoyed a nice wee fang through Pauatahanui to the summit, down to Paekak’, then back to the summit for the speeches and service. It was a lovely day and as usual, Kari had everything planned and on time and I finished a great weekend at a bar-b-que at her place, chatting with mates and meeting some KiwiBikers I hadn’t met before. I finally got home, too knackered to do anything so just blobbed out on the couch….Perfec’, just perfec’!! Some stats for the C1KC. There were no incidents (that I’m aware of) apart from a flat tyre that was dealt to promptly by Wanganui Honda. 53 bikes started (5 with pillions) 2 bikes retired (but it was on the cards prior as the pillion is due for a knee op) 26 were first timers 2 did it over 2 days (Nasty escorted by Elle, ensuring Grub finally completed one) 10 started from Wairarapa 4 started from Napier 10 started from Manawatu It was a long slow wait for this year’s Grand Challenge (my 4th), until the last month which seemed to fly by and all of a sudden we were away again. Last week I had the bike booked for a service, pre-empting the 78,000Km check at 76,500Kms, as well as replacing the Metzler Z6 with a new Avon Storm on the front, a new air cleaner, new left main bulb, front right fork seal and the usual pre-GC super WoF check to ensure no problems when Brian Rusty and his crew did their scrutineering. That lot only cost $800+ so I was happy with the bike but my wallet didn’t have the same healthy feel to it. I had organised a few things along the way, like a new map to record the route, a set of molded audio earplugs for the MP3 and to cut the noise from my crappy Shoei Helmet, a new $20 Blue vinyl waterproof jacket from the warehouse to replace my trusty $13 yellow one that was purchased for one ride….two years ago, (so this one should be good for ten years!) Then, when I was preparing my kit to pack a couple of days before, I found I was missing my torch so, along with the usual supply of nut bars, bananas and water, I purchased a new torch and a bundle of tie-wraps….I figured I had everything, but was surprisingly apprehensive about the ride….maybe that was partly thanks to the weather reports with predicted rain over the entire North Island. Friday came and Steve and I were set to depart from BP Mana at 1000, (we normally prefer to ride up through the Wairarapa but the atrocious weather put paid to that) I kitted up for the worst before I left home, which was lucky because that’s what we got heading to our meeting point. I just got pummelled by rain but Steve discovered a new lake and river had formed at the top of Haywards and the ‘Busa had to do a bit of wading. With that downpour over, the rest of the trip up wasn’t too bad with me leading out to Bulls where we would decide whether to continue travelling up SH1, or go via Wanganui then up the Paraparas. In the end, after Steve commenting on my lean angle and inconsistent tracking on the Himatangi straights, we figured that wet Para’s was probably preferable to a windswept Central Plateau. We embarked on the Paraparas with our usual gay abandon but soon discovered, after a couple of nasty twitches, that the wet surface required care and precision in picking lines that avoided even the slightest hint of a slick patch. This was to prove good practice for the GC ride itself but apart from that, our ride through to Raetihi was uneventful. We paused there to decide if we deserved a coffee but as Steve didn’t need a fill yet, we opted to continue onto the Train Station café at National Park, only to find the Overlander was in, so we ended up going all the way to the Truck Stop in Turangi for a coffee and sandwich. From there we checked into our cabins, had the bikes scrutineered, and chatted as lots of familiar faces and bikes arrived. We went back to the Truck stop for dinner and by the time we got back to the camp at 2000 hrs, the map was up and we got into our route planning and more socialising, finally heading to bed at around midnight. I awoke refreshed at 0630 to find it had poured that night but the weather wasn’t too bad as we had to fill in the long wait until the briefing at 1430 and departures starting at 1500. This is always the worst part of the weekend and I started out after breakfast going over the route and writing up little notes to stick to the dash of the bike. Then I was happy that I had it sussed, so I filled up the bike, then had to go over the route again and be sure so I’d got it, then I’d go and chat to others …and so on and so on!! Finally!! ….1506 and the bright yellow card went up on the fence for Group 3 to depart. I had kitted up after the briefing, taken a couple of photos and now I was on my way with Cowboys (Lance/ZX9) and Meanie (James/Concours), who were both GC virgins, in the same group. Lance bolted, as he is prone to do but James and I started a little more sedately as we headed over SH41 then up the Western side of the lake to Whakamaru, Waipapa Rd and onto Kihikihi. I was going to put my ‘wets’ on before the start but with the temp at 18°, I opted not to don my over-jacket and Rain-Off gloves. Dumb because I’d just passed some Group 2 riders halfway up the western arm and the heavens opened up so I had to stop and waste 5 minutes. That’s not a very big portion of 24 hours, but on a ride like this it is very easy to loose time and very hard to make it up, so one tries to avoid unnecessary stops. Good boyscout XP@ is always prepared...but what for exactly?? (a litre or 5 of gas would have served much better) Back on the road and no sooner had the rain started than it stopped and it would have been nice to take the gear off again….but that wasn’t an option and so the mood for the ride was set. I settled into a 130 kilometre-eating-pace which had me back with Meanie along Waipapa Rd, where I took the lead and dragged a couple of riders up Paterangi Rd and SH39 to Whatawhata, then out to Te Uka (just short of Raglan). I’ve never been on SH23 out to Raglan and I had a blast, as this section of the trip was dry and the road mint. I had a rider in tow who turned out to be XP@ (another James), complete with golf umbrella attached to his bike, (who knows??? ) so after registering at the Time-Check, we continued our fang up Ohautira, Waingaro & Rotowaru roads to Huntly. James had to get gas in Huntly and the big grin was still slowly fading as we passed the Mobil in search of a garage on the main drag…but there weren’t any. James expressed his concern and after realising there weren’t any but I checked my mirrors to see two bikes still there and thought he must be going to continue, to fill in Kopu, but when the Beemer barrelled past me I realised I’d lost James …..and felt really guilty about that!!?? (Dump the Transalp James and get an ST). As it transpired, he didn’t make it back to the Mobil and now I feel really bad! After getting over the grief of losing a mate, I continued solo on my spirited pace along SH’s 2 & 25 to Kopu, then up 25A and down 25 to the first checkpoint at Whangamata, arriving at about 1900hrs. I had expected to have my first fill at Tauranga or maybe even Rotorua, but the pace had my economy at 15.2K/Ltr and at 404Kms into the ride I was on my last bar (reserve) so had to fill, taking on 24.44ltrs, which is getting low on gas for the ST!......I guess I was having a good time! At this point I should have caught Steve, who started in Group 1 but would have needed a fill prior to Whangamata. It turned out, he had taken a wrong turn and did a few extra Kms so I had passed him without knowing. Cowboys arrived while I was there and having filled the bike and snacked, I continued on SH25 to Waihi, then SH2 down to Tauranga but not before stopping before the outskirts of Whangamata because with the black clouds ahead, I thought it might be prudent to put the Rain-Off gloves back on. I ended up catching another rider and following him to Tauranga but lost him as I turned down Moffat Rd as I headed for Pyes Pa Road to take me to Rotorua. I don’t remember the last time I was on this road and with warnings about greasy roadworks I took it rather sedately, getting to Rotorua at about 2100hrs and figured I was making such good time, I could afford to make a quick stop to visit my kids and Moko, but it was a bit brief and I was soon back on SH30 for Whakamaru and next Check-point in Te Kuiti. Even though it was now dark and wet, these roads were familiar and good enough that I felt comfortable to sit around 120 and as I turned from SH1 onto SH30 at Atiamuri, a rider was stopped under a streetlamp on the corner. I paused to check he was OK and fortunately he just needed reassurance that he was on the right road, so although I’m comfortable to ride alone, I was happy to have company as we flitted across through Bennydale and the 2nd checkpoint at Shell Te Kuiti, arriving about 2300hrs with the more sedate pace resulting in 17.8K/Ltr on the economy. Bike filled, card punched and partway through my statutory banana and nutbar, Cowboys & Meanie turned up so I figured I might as well continue with them but as we were ready to leave, Duncan, who had followed me into Te Kuiti, asked if he could join me. I figured that was fine so I waited for him before lighting-out after the others through Eight Mile Junction, and down SH4 through National Park, Raetihi and the Paraparas to the next checkpoint at the Gull in Wanganui. The weather was pretty crappy and Cowboys had to stop to clean his visor, after which I ended up in front to lead down through the Para’s. Duncan had gone ahead and I was trying to catch him whilst also keeping the pace smooth and both sets of headlights in the mirrors so although we would get the odd glimpse of him in the distance, we only caught up once we were in Wanga’s and it was now 0220 on Sunday morning. Even though the weather was worse, I actually found this run down the Para’s better than our ride up the day before and I was still dry warm and feeling fresh. After checking in, I popped back to the Caltex to get some gas as I wasn’t sure if I’d get to new Plymouth or not and I won’t use the ethanol fuel on the ST. At 960Kms done we were over half distance and under half time, on about a 20hour pace With that done, the usual rituals completed, we were back on our way and I opted to bring up the rear. From my perspective, in these conditions, this is actually the worst place to be because you cop all the crap thrown up from the other bikes. Also, when following another bike at night, my preferred option is to sit close behind within the range of my low beam and ride off the lights of the bike in front, however in these conditions one has to sit back because if the bike in front brakes to avoid a slick spot, you’re left with nowhere to go. This means one is riding on low beam and while trying to pick non-slick lines to ride on the road in the gloom, you’re constantly blinded by leading brake lights and an abundance of crap…bottom line…it sucks but someone’s gotta do it…or ride alone! The ride up SH3 to Hawera was OK but the ride on SH45 around Taranaki was the worst leg of the event. Disregarding that I was at the rear, even the hump on the roads through here was often slick reducing ones options for good traction. We also encountered a stiff headwind which was strong enough to bring my economy down to 16.3L/Ltr, even though we only sitting on 110-120 and this also enhanced the roar in my helmet to the extent that it was uncomfortable, even wearing my molded audio-earplugs (it was like riding at 160+ for two hours) so by the time I got to New Plymouth, I hated my Raid II helmet and replaced the earplugs with foam ones which worked much better..(naturally since we were out of the wind from here on). The other problem on this leg was that Taranaki is dairy central and therefore, large dairy tankers with trailers are abundant on the roads and these babies can really kick up the crap. Coming the other way they momentarily blind you and following you need to hang back a bit which means you miss a few passing opportunities, but one has to give the tanker drivers their due because their road etiquette is great, they make room where they can as well flicking their indicators if the road ahead is clear. Well done Fontera! We were at Spotswood Caltex around 0430 and with plenty of time to spare so from here on in we maintained our riding pace but had a more sociable ride with plenty of stops. The ride up the coast, over Mt Messenger and the Awakino gorge was good but not the usual buzz thanks to the inclement weather however, at least by the time we got to the gorge it was getting light enough to see and I no longer had to struggle with riding on low beam, so picking clean lines on the road was a lot easier. We stopped in Piopio because Cowboys needed a natural break but I think he was more desperate for a smoke, then we went on to Kihikihi for him to top-up, only to find the garage still shut so we continued over the Arapuni Dam to Putararu, by which time he was running on fumes (the ST was down to about half). From here we headed up SH’s 28 & 29 to Tauranga where we had our first encounter with the law…or at least Meanie did. We were just descending from our climb over the Kaimais when we were snapped and the cop managed a hasty but safe u-turn to give chase, shooting past myself and Duncan to stop the guilty bastard as we puttered past, stopping at a Caltex station down the road to await the result of the encounter. I couldn’t believe it when I heard they had ticketed him because there were three targets in their sights and it amazes me that they got it right and knew who to ping!!?? This resulted in a more sedate pace over to Mt Maunganui then along to Te Puke and the last checkpoint on SH33 at Gull Paengaroa. After checking in here, I continued on to Te Ngae to top up then waited for the others to come through and resumed my position at the rear of the group. We were soon repeating our scoot down SH30 and had just joined traffic on SH1 at Atiamuri when we got snapped again. This time it was just Duncan and myself that were targeted….so I knew it had to be his fault and being a good bloke, he fell on his sword and pulled over as the rest of us took the turn back onto SH30 and scooted to Whakamaru to wait for him. As it turned out though, he managed to accuse me and got off with a promise to give me a good talking too…which he tried to do…..and I tried to listen!!?? We were finally down to the last 100’ish Kms, heading back down the Western Arm of the lake and back across SH41 to Turangi. The weather was trying to improve but we still encountered a mixture of rain, patches of wet road, wet steamy road and dry road and as I followed Meanie over the last saddle before dropping down to Tokaanu, it was dry and we were enjoying our last wee fang for the ride. We were cranked right over on the right hander at the summit when ¾ of the way through the corner we suddenly found ourselves on a wet road. That resulted in a quick BHM (Biker Hail Mary) and pucker moment as I sucked onto the seat, but fortunately we weren’t pushing it too hard and were able to ease around with no incident. We were finished minutes later and I struggled off the bike but felt great. We were 4 of a kind, 4 of 84 like minded nutters attempting to ride all day and all night for a badge, a patch, a feed and a beer,….and because we could. (This field was down on the 100-120 that have started on my previous rides). I now had 4 GC’s under my belt and felt great, not suffering any of the fatigue I had encountered on my three previous rides, which I put down to doubling the dose of electrolyte in my water and all the stops we had throughout the morning. The weather was the usual crap I have come to expect at this event, but having a bike and gear that kept me dry and warm meant that it wasn’t a problem. 11 riders withdrew for various reasons and it is impressive that close to 80,000 miles (130,000Kms) would have been completed in 24 hours without incident at a time when ACC are vilifying bikers as dangerous Cretans that can’t generally ride to the shop without causing injury.
After our hearty Rusty Feed, the rest of the day was spent trading lies as we wound down, until I hit the wall at about 1430 and headed off for a sleep until 1830. Then it was back to the dining room for leftovers and more lies until heading back to bed at about 2300. Steve and I finished off the weekend with a quiet ride down SH1, getting to work after 1300 having done over 2400Kms over 4 days. It’s a pity more weekends aren’t like this! Motorbikes were Brett's passion and he and his partner, Kari, were always opening their home and hearts to total strangers who were bikers in need. They spent countless hours on KB, organising weekly rides, assisting and mentoring new riders, and were both very involved in the Victoria Motor Cycle Club who organise a series of race meetings. I've only known Brett for a couple of years, first meeting at the Ulysses Ambulance Run, then later at various KiwiBiker (KB) rides. The first time we actually rode together as such though, was last year's Capital Thousand Km Cruise (C1KC), when we started the ride together and rode the leg up to Pongaroa. This year, once again, at the same event, we happened to be riding together quite by chance. I started the ride at the back ensuring there were no stragglers riding by themselves, then gradually worked my way through the field tagging onto various groups until after leaving Waiouru and stopping to take a photo, I ended up hooking-up with my good riding buddy Steve and another Ulyssian, Trevor. We ended up riding Fields Track and The Parapara Rd with a Dozen bikes until National Park, where half continued on SH4 to Taumaranui, while the rest of us took the prescribed route to enjoy the delights of SH's 47 & 41. I was the second in line to take the turn and didn't know it at the time, but was following Brett as he lifted the pace to between 130 & 150Kph, apparently easing when he suspected any revenue collectors and we did actually encounter one who didn't even appear to blink as we whistled past at 120kph. After the Rangipo turn-off, Brett slowed a bit so I slipped past and settled the pace at 140, maintaining that all the way over the Ponangana Saddle and down to Tokaanu where I paused for a regroup with Steve and Trevor while Brett and Bryce continued for gas at the Tokaanu pumps. From there, three of us continued on to Taumaranui at a sedate 120, gassed up, then were rejoined by Brett & Bryce for lunch. Brett and I were still fizzing about the blast we had over the saddle and he declared, “We own the Ponangana Saddle”! We had lunch, chatting amongst ourselves and other riders who came and went, before gearing up for the next leg over to Whangamomona. Once again, I led out and noted that Trevor was on the phone, so we puttered along at 80-100kph to give him a chance to catch-up and it was also good to ease back into the ride after the lunch stop. Just before we entered the Tangarakau Gorge I noted that Brett & Steve's lights were missing from the group, so I slowed a bit more before deciding I better stop and wait for them and take the opportunity to photograph them when they turned up, but after a minute or two I figured something must be wrong and turned back, meeting Steve a Km or two along the road. He was visibly shaken and informed me that Brett had gone down and was in poor shape, that there were several bikers accompanying him, but they couldn't get any cell coverage and the only houses in the vicinity were empty so we decided that I would go on to raise the alarm and he would return to the scene. I took off like a startled rabbit, worried shitless, but not really knowing what the situation was, just that it was urgent. I kept an eye out for any dwellings and soon found myself flying over the unsealed section of road at up to 100kph and thinking, 'you dumb ...., if you come off, what good are you going to be to anyone'! But continued on nonetheless. I was soon out of the gorge and in Tahora, noting the front door on the first house was open so I lept off the bike and ran into the house yelling if anyone was about, only to find it was long abandoned, so I retreated and ran across the road and up a driveway to another house. This one had a couple of kids home but no phone and they informed me the people behind and up the hill were always home. I ran back to the bike noting the lights were still on, so I had left the key in the ignition and on. I went up the road and whipped into the next house. Finally, a phone, the lady called 111 and what a relief that they reported a call had already been logged. At this point, I asked where the nearest cell coverage was and was directed to the top of the Tahora Saddle, ending up at the Kaieto Cafe, which is owned by Rusty Nut members who I have met at the Grand Challenge. There was no cell coverage but they loaned me their phone to call Kari to come and get the bike. I couldn't offer any other info except that an ambulance had been ordered and with that done, I headed back to the site, which I then found was actually 20-25Km back down the road. I finally got back to the scene (about an hour after the incident) as the chopper was hovering, looking for a place to set down. Brett was still in the middle of the road, with Jane (a pillion from one of the bikes who happened to be a GP) trying to comfort him. I went straight over to find he was still lucid but struggling for breath and the paramedic and Jane were soon at work, cutting off his gear to get a look and preparing oxygen. We stood around, helping where we could but their efforts proved to be in vain and we were soon confronted with the gutwrenching situation of a mate's life slipping away. Trevor appeared numb, Steve doubled-up in anguish and I wandered off a little to shed a tear while the medics strived to revive him, but to no avail, and sometime later they were forced to call the situation. From there on we just had to wait around for the serious crash unit, as Steve was the only witness and we were totally helpless to advise or update anyone of the situation, particularly Kari. The three of us finally got away at dusk, heading for Whangamomona. We travelled at 60-80kph, not feeling very great and by the time we got to Whanga' we needed to pause for the guys to clean their visors when the publican insisted that we come in to get a coffee down us, which was on the house. We continued on, finally able to pick up the pace as we approached Stratford, then Trevor took the lead to take us to his daughter's home in Eltham for a feed. At this point my bike felt like crap and had moments where it seemed to float and wobble but I thought it must be my imagination and it wasn't until after our feed and finally reaching Hawera for a refuel that I actually checked if something was wrong. As it turned out, there was only 15psi in the rear, so I pumped it up and we took off, checking it again in Wanganui to find it had only lost a couple of psi so topped it up again and headed for home. By this time the temp was falling from 10° to 8°, but it felt much colder as we were feeling the effects of the day with the knowledge that we wouldn't be home until 0230. As we approached Wellington, the temp continued to fall to 5° and by the time I got to bed, I was chilled to the bone and it was about 0330 before I finally slipped into a coma. I spent today chatting with different ones about the tragedy yesterday and Ann and I visited Kari. She had reported the loss on KB and the comments and condolences were flowing thick and fast and were a testament to what Brett was really like. That his passion for bikes and caring nature had made him somewhat of a Biker Evangelist, spreading the good word and doing his utmost to help anyone in need. He died living his passion and in full knowledge of the risks involved, but wasn't deterred by it, even though he was on medication to thin his blood. Some would say he was crazy but I believe he was just living his dream and sharing it whenever and with whomever he could. I didn't really know Brett very well but I did share his last few hours. The buzz of pushing ourselves and our machines to high boundaries, the camaraderie that bikers share on a ride and relaxing over a burger and a drink, then the anguish and tragedy of his loss. I have been blessed to meet a man of his character. Cheers mate. What a day! Where to Start??? After the successful day last year in which we ended up with 19 riders and lot's of positive feedback, we thought about what had gone right and wrong in order to improve the event and over a period of time, thought about interesting prospects for this year’s route. In the end, we decided that SH43, or the Forgotten Highway should be the focus of the ride and then it was a matter of filling in 1000Kms, getting there and back on roads that the riders wouldn't find boring and in the end, we thought we had a great ride that would be even better than last year. Other changes we made were to have ribbons tied to the back of the bikes so riders could identify each other and wouldn't be inspired to follow non-C1KC riders off-course, we organised to finish at Petone Working Men's Club which would provide a good place for food and refreshments afterwards, and as a last minute thing, we organised a badge for the event. With our route and date finalised, ride instructions written, flyers placed and the event posted on the KiwBiker and Ulysses forums, it was sit back and wait for the registrations to see if the positive feedback from last year would translate into a bigger turnout. Naturally enough, the first response was from an excited SweetP and from there a steady stream of entries were received, right up until the day of the ride and we ended up with a field of 50. The long range forecast for the day was good and during the week before the ride, I emailed the Ride Instructions out on Monday, was itching to go and finally 0500 Saturday 08 November was upon us. I lay in bed, listening to a couple of songs before getting cleaned up and away from home at 0530. The morning was very crisp for November (5°) but a clear warm day was promised for most of the ride, I'd checked the tyres the night before so just needed to swing by the supermarket to pick up some water and nut bars before heading up to Caltex Rimutaka, arriving at 0550 to fill-up, set-up and be ready for the first riders to pull in. Sure enough, no sooner did we have the table out of Steve's van and they started filling up the area to the side of the forecourt, gassing up, getting odometers checked, buying badges, tying yellow and black ribbons to their bikes and chatting. What a crowd, it was awesome and I only remember seeing a few that I knew from previous rides, but I guess we were a bit preoccupied. By 0650, we were running out of time, but fortunately the badges had been sold (including all but one 2008 year bar), the odo's checked and we started the briefing by drawing the spot prizes. With that out of the way, I mentioned a couple of areas to be wary of etc, and we were off. As per last year, I waited until the last rider was away to ensure no one was left straggling and we got on the road at around 0715, taking it easy as we headed up the Rimutakas. Once we started to descend, at times we would catch glimpses of the long snake of riders ahead and by the time we got to the bottom of the hill we caught the rear of the main group. Mike, the Rusty rider I was with at this time, latched on with the last couple of riders as I moved ahead from group to group until slotting in behind about 20 riders as they wound through the Masterton Bypass, across the Loop Line and up through Mauriceville before getting back onto SH2 just South of Eketahuna. At that point I slipped ahead of them to give myself a free run at the Pahiatua Track which offered the first blast for the day. I treat this road with the greatest of respect but managed to pass a few more riders through here, finally catching Ken (a Ulysses mate) and Alyson along the Aokautere Road as we headed for Ashhurst and up the Pohangina Valley. These guys would sit on a nice pace, so I sat behind them and was enjoying the ride so much, we nearly missed the Pohangina Valley East turnoff, but that was made and we settled down to business and struck the first problem of the day. We arrived at a junction and Ken and Aly stopped and I stated, “we go right and stay on Pohangina Valley East Road”! “Well that's not what your instructions say”! Replied Ken......and I thought...... “Bugger”!!! This was the only section of the ride that neither Steve nor I had checked and I realised immediately how the error had occurred when I created the instructions off the google map, not noticing that it took a short-cut. Oh well, I couldn't do much about it now, we were about half way through the field, I hadn't been on that road, so opted to check it out, rather than stay at the corner to direct the rest of the riders. Big mistake, this road was a few Kms less but 90% (about 15Kms) of reasonably loose gravel so we lost heaps of time. Fortunately many of the riders were following the Manawatu crew and took the intended route but quite a few didn't. Oh well, chalk that lesson up for next time. We finally arrived in Apiti to find the pumps were open so Aly filled-up, Ken headed on and I enjoyed my first of many 'natural breaks' for the day, thanks to the cool air which was only now started to climb into double figures. That done and I led on for Rangiwahia and Mangaweka. and just before we got there, we caught up to the others as we were flagged down where one of them had a wee oopsie on some very loose road works. No damage done and we were now in a group of six as we headed on for a coffee stop in Taihape. This wasn't a planned stop for me as I had only used just over half a tank but I topped-up with the others, enjoyed a pie and drink and we relaxed before finally heading out again on Spooners Hill Rd for Waiouru. Once again, I left by myself and settled in behind a half dozen other riders for a bit, before moving ahead. The mountain looked spectacular today with a full load of snow and crystal clear skies, so I was on the lookout for a good photo op', which I found just out of Waiouru on the road to Ohakune. I stopped to get the bike in the picture, then waited for a couple of riders to come by and I captured them as well, then Steve and Trevor arrived so I slotted in behind them and headed for the next sweet section of the day, Fields Track and the top half of the Parapara Rd. We caught a group shortly after turning onto the Whangaehu Valley Road, swelling the numbers up to 12 and we snaked our way through at a leisurely pace, enjoying the scenery, but once we were on the Para's I didn't want to waste the opportunity for another blow-out so a couple of us made our way ahead of the group and nearing Raetihi, we set-up on a corner to capture the riders on film as they came through. That done we slotted back in behind and followed through to National Park where half continued on SH4 to Taumaranui while we took SH47 to Tokaanu then SH41 back to Taumaranui. I was 2nd round the corner after Grub, with Bryce, Steve and Trevor behind me and we ramped the pace up somewhat, flying through to the Rangipo turnoff where Grub eased up slightly and I took the lead over the Ponangana saddle. We were honking and I was really surprised to see Trevor, keeping in contact on the ME109, with Steve having a good fang on his GS1100. I paused at SH41 (exactly half way on the ride) to regroup with Steve and Trevor, while Bryce and Grub headed on and we passed them while they gassed up in Tokaanu as we headed for Taumaranui at a more respectable pace, arriving for our next fill and lunch. Once again we were joined by Grub and Bryce and enjoyed a relaxing feed, drink and chat and a few other riders as they stopped. It was time to move on once again and I led out but Trevor was still on the phone, so we took it easy for him to catch us as we pootled through Ohura and the next stop at Whangamomona. Just before the Tangarakau Gorge, everything turned to custard as Grub dropped back slightly and I found myself just riding with Bryce. I eased up as Bryce went ahead, and stopped for another photo-op but after a minute of two, realised something must be wrong and I headed back. I met Steve, who was looking for a house or cell coverage and he outlined that Grub had offed and needed an ambulance, so I went on to Tahora to raise the alarm while he headed back. After getting through to emergency services and advising Nasty that her mate was down, I headed back, arriving just before the chopper and we had to wait as they set to treating Grub. Unfortunately, despite their efforts, he didn't survive and the three of us were finally able to continue our journey just on dusk. We were pretty shaken so took it very easy, stopping at Whangamomona to clean the visors and have a coffee before heading onto Eltham for a feed at Trevor's daughter's home. On the way into Eltham I noticed that the ST felt a bit 'floaty' and odd but didn't think too much of it. After the feed and we were on the way to Hawera for gas, it was worse and I found I had to straight line the corners as much as possible, using all the road and after filling-up I checked the front before noticing the rear tyre was down a bit. On checking the pressure, I found it was down to 15psi and I'd chewed a fair chunk of life out of my lovely Storm so I pumped it up and we hit the road with the plan to check how it was holding up in Patea, but it seemed OK so we continued all the way through to the Gull in Wanganui. At that point it was only down by 3psi so while I pumped it up again, the others topped up their fuel and we got back on the road. By this time it was 0030, the temp was falling back through 10°, we had been on the road for 17½ hours, were getting tired and the trauma of the day's events was starting to impact. We puttered off down to Sanson and SH1, I had 3 layers on under my corduras, was squirming to keep warm and I was noting the temp still falling down to 8° and finally 5° as I pulled into home at 0230. I was so shattered and frozen, I just hopped of the bike and went straight up to bed but as Ann was away for the weekend, the bed was off and I had to grab her blow dryer to warm it up. It smelt like something was burning so I hopped in but was still cold and shaking so I grabbed it again and cooked myself some more, rang Ann to fill her in on the day, finally conking out at about 0330. Sunday dawned another great day and I got on the phone to Ron and Jim. Ron had helped at Caltex Rimutaka in the morning and both he and Jim were at the Petone Working Men's Club to greet the riders and issue certificates after the ride. I found out that only about half of the field had checked in and Ron had stayed there, sitting in his car after the place had shut, until 0130. So it had been a tough day all round. The feedback has been generally positive though and having noted our errors again this year, we plan to organise another ride next year. I'd like to thank all the riders who participated, all seemed to enjoy the day, albeit being a bit tough. Then the helpers, Cheryl and Ron in the morning who also took care of things after we left, Kari and her trailer for being oncall as the recovery vehicle if needed and Jim who helped out at the end of the day. This year FMR Magazine sponsored us by producing the flyer for the local bike shops and putting it on the inside front cover of the last issue, NAC fronted with some promotional items for spot prizes and Affiliated Insurance Brokers provided the certificates and assisted in getting the badges done. This ride is just a social ride and intro for many riders who have never sampled the delights of endurance riding, but the helpers and sponsors have all contributed to make this a popular ride and if the numbers continue to rise next year, we will have to look at how we can manage...or how many we can cater for. Grub's demise was most sad, and put a big damper on the day, but these things do happen, there was no alcohol or speed in the equation and it was just an unfortunate event. All our best wishes and prayers go out for him and Kari. Thanks all, it won't be this hard next year. Some Stats for the day: 50 starters (2 with pillions) 30 finishers (or at least checked in - eg Steve, Trev & I managed 1000+ but didn’t bother trying to check in at 0230-0300) 6 ladies started this year (only 1 in 2007) 5 completed (and I put Elle’s withdrawal down to Mechanical failure) Well done ladies Bikes Suzuki 15 Honda 11 Kawasaki 7 Triumph 6 Yamaha 5 Buell 2 Hyosung 2 (both 250’s – 1 of the riders on a Restricted Licence) BMW 1 Harley 1 1st & 2nd home were FJR’s, laying down the challenge for the ST riders to ease up on their coffee stops…..or sort the navigating and keep off the gravel. As usual with this sort of riding, those that maintained a steady, continuous pace finished in a reasonable time. 40 badges (with 2007 & 2008 bars) were sold ($10 per badge and $5 per bar) raising $272 for presents to children with muscular dystrophy. I have just completed my third Grand Challenge (GC or 1000miles in 24hours) and this was to be my first ‘normal’ one because my first was the 20th anniversary of the event, so it had a bit more hype with a film crew videotaping the whole affair and my second was the 21st anniversary so that had a 500Km extension added to mark the occasion with 2100Kms. So, hopes of doing ‘Just Another GC’ were put to rest this weekend as I believe, there is no such beast! I registered early in the year putting me at #16 and in the 2nd group to depart at 1503. That done I forgot about it (sort of) while I enjoyed the Mini’s Return and whatever followed, until a few weeks ago when I made arrangements for a new set of Avon Storm tyres and the usual pre-GC check-up for the bike. Then, a week out, I got a new Nth Island map and started to collect the necessary bits and pieces I would need for the ride, including a new Shoei Raid II helmet as my HJC is 3 years old, needed a new visor and the Shoei was reputedly quieter. I picked the new lid up a couple of days before the ride, only wore it once and couldn’t believe the roar when I first tried it. It was very snug and fortunately I also bought some noise reducing earplugs for the MP3, which meant I could still hear my music because my first reaction was….this helmet is crap!! It wasn’t until about 300Km into the trip up to Turangi that I had closed the visor and was fiddling with the vents when I was suddenly plunged into a ‘cone of silence’! It turns out that the roar was coming from the vents atop the helmet, but in order to draw air through the visor vents, you really need the top vents open….poor form Mr Shoei! Anyway, I planned to ride up with Steve again and we thought we would take a scenic route so I was packed and away from home by 0915 on Friday, picked up Steve, fueled at Caltex Rimutaka where we departed at 1000. We had a loose plan for the ride but that was flexible to bypass any inclement weather, so we ended up going to Masterton where we stopped for a cup of tea with my mum before continuing via Mauriceville, Eketahuna, and over the Pahiatua Track to Ashhurst for lunch at the Fusion Café. The Pohangina valley looked very gloomy so after lunch we continued through Colyton, Vinegar Hill, more fuel for Steve in Taihape, then diverted at Waiouru to sample the Whangaehu Valley Road and Fields Track These roads were in great condition, providing a magnificent appetizer, followed by the northern section of the Paraparas, National Park and SH47 as the entrée to the weekend’s big ride. We had ridden up rather sedately, but the pace did pick up as we got closer to our destination and the Te Ponangana Saddle Road was a real blast, leaving us on a bit of a high as we arrived in Turangi to check-in at 1710, having done 515Kms for the day.expect the unexpected. We put the bikes straight through scrutineering, checked into our cabins, then headed off to the truck stop for dinner at 1800 getting back to the camp about 1915 to find the route up and a copy of the ride instructions available. It looked like the ride was planned by tracing the route where a fly had wandered about the page……it was all over the place, but looked reasonably familiar, except for an early section between Piopio and Mangakino, so I headed off to the cabin for my map book, pen and paper to prepare my route notes. I soon made sense of it all, planning for 3 fuel stops at Taupo, Masterton and Rotorua, chatted with some familiar faces from previous rides and finally hit the sack at about 2300 for a good 4 hours sleep……….yes, as usual, the excitement/worry of the occasion, tight sleeping bag and unfamiliar bed all worked to keep me from sleeping, so I lay there, trying to relax, enjoying fitful dozes until 0600. The weather for the weekend predicted rain everywhere, but Saturday dawned with clear skies, as per my previous two GC’s (on which the weather turned to absolute crap), so I got my ‘wets’ ready to put on, had breakfast, then had to kill time until 1500 by chatting, dozing, fueling the bike and buying water and a lotto ($30M Powerball), reviewing my route notes to memorise the turns, and taking a few photos until it was finally time for briefing at 1430. Then it was into the gear, on the bike and ready to leave when the group 2 beige card went up on the fence. The 1st section was across SH41 to Taumaranui, then north on SH4 to Ramaroa Rd where we diverted through Mokauiti and Aria before coming out on SH3 at Piopio. I settled in behind another chap who was sitting at a nice pace but he slowed at the 1st section of tight corners, so I left him to it and continued by myself, catching the tail end of Group 1, just before Mananui, then a group of 7 riders, with Steve at the tail on the northern side of Taumaranui. Having now hooked-up with some familiar riders and my riding buddy, Steve, I settled in at the rear of this group and enjoyed a brisk pace through to Piopio where 3 pulled off (to check their directions), but I had the route fixed in my mind so I passed Steve and rode up Mairoa Rd, onto Oparure Rd, finally latching back on with the other 3 riders on Fullerton Rd before riding into Waitomo, where they paused and we headed on the first Time Check at Te Anga. (219Kms done) We now had to head across the Kawhia Harbour to SH’s 31 & 39, turning off at Tihiroa for the first Check Point at Mobil Te Kawa. I should have studied the map more carefully for this section, because between focusing on ‘Right at 31; Right at 39 and Left at Te Kawa Rd’, as well as following the earlier 3 riders, who led us out of the Time Check, we soon found ourselves confused, at Taharoa, and had to retrace back to Te Waitere Rd, which was about 30Km and 20-30 minutes added. Once again, I took the lead with Steve right behind me over some great roads, until I hit a particularly curly section on SH31 and the ST just let rip. What a blast, but by the time I came to my senses and checked the mirrors, there was no Steve in sight (which was most odd) but I continued onto the check point and he pulled in shortly after. It turned out that his fuel light had come on and when he filled, he had to put 19.6Ltrs in his 20Ltr tank…that was close! (It was now 1845 with only 331Kms done and the ST was still a ¼ full but I topped-up too as the economy was down at 15.8k/Ltr – I had obviously been having a bit of fun!). The next leg took us 346Kms down to Taupo, around Napier, onto SH50 to Tikokino, across to Waipawa and Check Point 2 at Waipukurau. We followed a couple of Beemers out of Te Kawa, along Wharepuhunga Rd, left on Lethbridge Rd, then took the lead when they almost overshot Seafund Rd. Along Waipapa Rd, we had to detour on 7Kms of gravel, eventually making it down to Mangakino and SH30. By this time it was getting on for dusk and Steve had still had his lights off so I determined that if he didn’t put them on before the turnoff at Whakamaru, I’d better remind him, but as we approached the intersection, he flashed me with his hazards to stop and informed me his main beam had gone and just his tail lights and fullbeam were going….Bloody marvelous with 11 hours of night riding ahead of us!! There was no one around at Whakamaru so I told him to stick close and we’d check it out in Taupo. That was interesting, or at least, it must have been for Steve, but I dropped the speed a bit and we made to the Mobil in Taupo OK, then while the owner was trying to track down a bike dealer, we found the connection to the back of the light had come off. With that fixed. Another half hour lost, a top-up for Steve and we were off again and heading over the Napier-Taupo Road. By this time it was pitch black with intermittent drizzle and wet roads, for some reason, I was still in the lead and we were passed but latched onto another ST rider who was sitting at a more interesting pace. That was until we caught up to a couple of other riders that slowed the group down as we entered the windy bits, so once again, Steve and I pushed on alone, taking the turn-off at Glengarry Rd, to bypass Napier. Along here we came across Max who was struggling to get his V-Strom back onto the road (with a little superficial damage), assisted him and continued on via Puketitiri Rd, but as we ended up catching and following another rider, we missed the Puketapu turn and ended in Taradale. We took the opportunity here to don our wets before heading for SH50 with Steve in the lead, but when he inadvertently turned early at Omahu onto the Taihape Rd, I ended up back in front for the quick scoot down SH50, across Tikokino Rd to Waipawa, pulling into Checkpoint 2 at Mobil Waipukurau at 2330, having covered another 360Km for this leg but at a slightly more sedate pace as the economy was now up to 16K/Ltr. After the usual activities of refuel, snack, slug of water, empty bladder and review the notes for the next section, we were off again, heading for Porongahau, Wimbledon, Pongaroa, Alfredton and the next check point in Masterton. Steve led out and as this section was well known to us as being tight and potentially treacherous, with the wet road our pace was down to very sedate. The first bit through to Porongahau is rolling country, but from there it tightens up and after we had passed the longest place name, about 10Km out of Porangahau, Steve had a wee lapse, losing his line on a corner. It was wet and off-camber so he opted to abort, straightening, breaking and squeezing it round, just making it through when his front just edged off the seal and it was all over. The bike slipped out from underneath him, sliding 5 or 6 metres into the wire fence while Steve slid headfirst alongside it, ending up on a bed of pine needles......venting his annoyance with himself. He rolled over and it was difficult to tell if he was hurt or just really pissed off and a little stunned, but it was soon evident that Steve and his bike were going no further so being out of range for cell coverage, we waited for the next bike to come along to head back and call for an ambulance. An hour later, Steve was being attended to by professionals, the local fireman and a mate were extracting the bike and I was back on the road at what I assumed was the very back of the field......I did forget to ask where they were taking him but! I was a bit stunned to see a better rider go down in front of me and thought, maybe it was because he had spent to long behind me and picked-up my bad habits, but I soon got back into a rhythm and caught a couple of stragglers. I slotted in front of them to see if they'd lift their pace if they had someone to follow, but they wanted none of that so I continued on, passing a few more as the weather worsened. I soon worked my way into the middle of a group of about 8 riders when we entered Pongaroa and I needed to put my wet jacket back on, so I stopped under a street lamp to do so. The group paused then carried on but I soon caught them again and it was quite funny as each of the two or three at the front appeared to be trying to pass off the lead, so I nipped to the front then kept the pace down for them to slot in behind. I soon noted at least four lights in tow and upped the pace a bit to the point where I still needed only minimal breaking and made for the turn-off at Alfredton. Of all the times I have been over this road, I realised that this was the first time I had ever travelled it from North to South and soon tried to lead them all astray by mistaking the Tinui/Castlepoint road for the Masterton turn. Fortunately they didn't follow and I was back in the rear of at least 10 bikes as I pulled in behind another group returning from the same mistake. The pace was now on and we were soon checking in at Shell Chapel St. I was a little concerned on the time at this point as we were only 842Km into the ride and past halfway on time. There were too many bikes here to fill-up so I just had a snack and a natural break and departed with the Bandit Riders for Palmerston North. We left Masterton at 0330 and it was an easy ride up SH2 for Pahiatua, (I was surprised at the number of bikes heading down SH2 for Masterton) then over the 'track, fueling on Rangitikei St. (It was now 0440 and the economy was up to 16.4k/Ltr) We then headed out via Newbury to Vinegar Hill and SH1 to Taupo and SH5 to Caltex Te Ngae in Rotorua for Checkpoint 4. The Bandits and their two mates stopped again in Taihape but by this time, I was getting very weary and just wanted to finish so continued over the Desert Rd alone. I called into the Camp, to update Lee Rusty on the way, and had an uneventful ride to Rotorua, arriving at 0830, had my last fill for the day then called in on my daughter and grand-daughter for a few minutes before heading out on the next leg of the journey. This leg took us out of Rotorua on SH30 to Atiamuri, through Whakamaru, Mangakino and Bennydale for Shell Te Kuiti. These roads are OK to open it up a bit, which helped to zone in and focus to alleviate the fatigue that was setting in. At this point, being alone after my mate had gone down, the whole ride seemed pretty dumb. Riding alone, pushing oneself to the limits of endurance isn't really fun, but I was too pigheaded to give up because I had a bar and patch to collect......and only 340Km to go!? (about what you might do on a Sunday ride!!??) I was soon in Te Kuiti, check-in, snack, relief and gone...just two stages and 183Km to go) It was back through town, down SH3 to Eight Mile Junction, then across SH4 to Taumaranui and the G.A.S. At National Park for the last Check Point. I felt I had to keep the pace within the allowable limit (or just a tad over) through here and the fatigue was getting worse. I had to start singing, so thank God I had the MP3 and good earplugs in, and I would also vary the visor and vents to keep changing the wind and noise in the helmet, pulling into National Park about 1145, stayed on the bike to get the card punched, then headed for the finish in Turangi, via Rangipo and SH1. I finally arrived at 1220. 1677Kms racked up for the ride, which was a little over the planned 1609Km. The economy was now up to 16.8K/Ltr for the whole run so it had recovered OK after the big fang on the first leg when it was as low as 14K/ltr. I was absolutely shattered!!.....had the usual Rusty Feed, chatted for a bit then fell into a coma between 1400 & 1600, arising to have a shower and freshen-up. The rest of the day was spent checking in with Ann, then Steve who was on his way home from Hastings, reliving parts of the ride with some of the crew and finally getting to bed at about 2300. I was up at 0615, packed, checked the weather forecast, had breakfast, fueled up and headed for home by 0830. I decided to do the Paraparas again on another 'economy run' so I was a model citizen as I travelled. By the time I got to Raetihi, I was up to 19.3K/Ltr and just on the 100kph average speed so the challenge was now to keep both up. It was a great day, with little traffic so I rode the 'pace' and did quite well, getting to Wanganui on 19.1 and only losing 18 minutes off the 100kph target (or down to about 90kph) I got home at 1230, on 19.8K/Ltr with 52,522Kms on the bike in 21 months.
I had a another great Rusty-Run weekend, experiencing some new roads and revisiting some old favourites, met up with some new faces and chewed the fat with the regulars. Apparently the stats were 104 entrants, 103 starters (40 1st Timers) and 75 finishers. Most of the 28 retirees were due to falling too far behind the time and apparently the previous record was about 15. My problem with fatigue was shared by others on the run, so although I felt like crap, at least I wasn't alone. This was to be 'Just another GC', a walk in the park, so to speak. Yeah right! I should have known to expect the unexpected. When this run was advertised in Feb/March 07, I, like many, thought it would be a good way to kill a few K’s, however, I did nothing at the time and although my intentions to participate fluctuated, my interest in the event never faltered and I keenly kept an eye on any info about it…..That is until Malcolm (Jantar), posted on KiwiBiker that he needed to sell his entry due to health problems. Well, being a ‘Good Samaritan’ and all, I now had all the justification I needed and promptly set about organizing sailings, accommodation and the OK from Lee to transfer the entry to myself. Once I had made the decision, I was impatient to go, so it was probably good that I delayed for so long. I soon organized a set of handlebar strops and tiedowns for the ferry sailings, planned and printed my route options to and from the event and printed off the route for the four legs. I keep the ST current on all its’ servicings so it was good to go but as the 36,000Km service would come due half-way through, I pre-empted that along with a new Avon Storm for the rear. The Storm on the front only had 2,000Km on it but the Pilot Road on the rear had 8,000 and although it looked like it would be OK, for the sake of a bit of ‘peace of mind’, I decided to replace but keep it, to go back on at a later date. By Saturday 15 March, I was all set and rearing to go!! DAY 1 - 16/03/08 - Picton to Motueka: I had booked on the 0825 Interislander and arrived by 0720 to board. It was a dreary day and only 14˚, but that changed and by the time we were out in the Strait the cloud had cleared but the wind was up. It wasn’t too rough and I spent the time going over my route notes again, watching a bit of league on TV, wandering about impatiently and finally settled down to chat with Lloyd Rusty and his wife. We arrived late in Picton as we had to wait outside Mabel Island for the Bluebridge to dock and I was finally let off the leash at about 1200 and promptly set-off for Nelson along Queen Charlotte Drive. It was now 19˚, beautifully sunny and the ride was generally sheltered from the wind except for the odd gust. That road is a bit tight and I had to contend with a few big Campers (or maggots – as they are white and crawl everywhere) but I made good time and when I arrived in Havelock about 35 minutes later the temp was up to 23˚. From there it was over the hill to Nelson and the road had a few spots of new seal but as always, was a great ride. I had planned a few visits to friends in Nelson, but ended up heading straight for Woodstock/Dovedale to visit a cousy, arriving at 1400 and departing about 1620 for Motueka where I was to spend the first night with my son, Lance. The Woodstock Hiway and Motueka Valley Roads were good rides and I filled in Mot’ ready for a quick getaway in the morning. 207.7 Kms for the day Total Kms: 207.7 DAY 2 – 17/03/08 – Motueka to Christchurch: I was up early and on the road by 0830. It was another great day but the temp varied a bit between 11˚ & 14˚ before finally settling at a very comfortable 20˚ once I was in Canterbury. My wee moment for the day occurred quite early as I made my way back along the Mot’ Valley Hiway with my screen and visor up and was splatted by a bug between my helmet and right temple. Next thing I new there was a sharp burning sensation and when I tried to dislodge it, I only managed to dislodge my glasses, nearly losing them, and then had fun doing a one handed emergency stop as I tried to retain my spec’s. I soon had the helmet off and managed to discharge the rest of the venom into my face as I removed the sting, which was all that was left of whatever little beasty it was that had caused all this discomfort. (This was to get a bit puffy the next morning and was visible in my peripheral vision, which was quite funny because riding with the visor up it would jiggle and shake in the wind). Back on the road and I was soon enjoying the thrills and scenery of the Lewis Pass, except for when I had to stop for the odd lights or lollipop at roadworks and the comfy 20˚ wasn’t so comfy when you’re in Corduras and not moving. I arrived in St Albans (426Km done) to visit an old school mate at 1255 and chewed-the-fat with him until after 1700, when I headed for an ex-Air Force mate near Lincoln, where I would stay the night. I filled up on the way and all in all had another magnificent day on the road and with good friends. 439 Kms for the day at 17.4 K/Ltr Total Kms: 646.7 DAY 3 – 18/03/08 –Christchurch to Invercargill: I was up early again and ready to depart by 0755 and after dressing for another 20+˚ day, this day dawned with fog and was only 13˚. I had arranged the night before to meet-up with Jym (Highlander) in Geraldine between 0900 & 0930 and after going through Lincoln and heading for SH1 the temp bottomed at 10˚….not very comfortable but about 5Km south of Burnham, I rode out of the fog and things started to improve. This section of road is one of the most boring straight bits in the country, so I made it interesting by drafting cars to conserve fuel (as well as to help keep the speed down to avoid tickets). I was ambling along at around 110Kph until I latched onto a Ford Focus that was in a bit of a hurry, cruising at 120 but his speeds in the passing lanes got up a bit more until I turned off onto SH79, arriving in Geraldine at 0915 with the economy at 18.5K/Ltr. I soon spotted Jym and his CB750, we introduced ourselves, I enjoyed a natural break after the early ‘cold-squeeze’ and we were soon on the road for Fairlie, Lake Tekapo and Twizel. Some years ago, I actually lived in Blenheim and Christchurch for a total of 12 years, but the roads from here on in were totally new to me as I never got around to traveling much in those days. What a dumbarse!….These roads were great and I guess I should have stopped for a few more photos but we only stopped as Lake Twizel and the top of the Crown Range, looking down on Queenstown for Photo Op’s. We filled at Wanaka and Jym left me at Lumsden to head for Gore as I continued straight for Invercargill. I spent most of the day rubber-necking at the scenery as we pootled along, generally within the allowable limit and only occasionally letting the speed gather up a bit. This leg of the trip was extremely economical as we seemed to spend most of our time going downwind &/or downhill and the temp just kept rising as we headed south, the bike gauge peaking at 32˚ around Winton, although talking to Brett (Hitcher) and Jane later, they reported 38˚ on an electronic display in Winton shortly after I had passed through. Once again, we were treated to some magnificent riding roads, the highlights being the Lindis Pass and the Crown Range (except for having to stop for road works coming down the Devils Steps and in about 25˚, it was worse than the day before. Apart from the odd road works, the only other negative was, I found in places, the roads were sealed with a mottled chip and it was difficult to discern whether it was wet or dry and if there was any ‘loose bits’ on it. But no worries, I had a great time! I arrived at the Top Ten Holiday Park at about 1650 and it was still 27˚. I checked in, cleaned up, briefly chatted wit the Hitchers and Bandit Riders, then headed off to visit another ex-Air Force mate that I hadn’t seen for 15years before attending the Rusty Club Night at the Eagle Tavern in Bluff. I never arrived there until about 2100 and soon met with several other Grand Challenge riders. I enjoyed a beer and a chat, bought my club night badge and a run T-shirt, then went back to Invercargill, filled up for the morning and settled in for a hot night of nervous anticipation, sleeping with just a sheet and the windows and door to my studio unit open. 744.1 Kms for the day at 19.1 K/Ltr Total Kms: 1390.8 DAY 4 / Leg 1 – 19/03/08 – Invercargill to Greymouth: After a crap nights sleep I was finally able to get ready for the big day and left the camp with the Hitchers, only to witness Mrs H nearly get taken out by a cage. There was only about 10cm in it when she pulled out from the curb, as the car came out of nowhere from behind me (on what was a clear, straight road moments earlier) but we managed to get to the Invercargill Cemetery safely just before 0800 to sign in and get briefed. My strategy for the week was to hook-up with a different group each day and for this leg I decided to ride with Andrew and Mark (Bandit Rider & Blue Bandito) who had departed before I was ready. It was 14˚ when I got away at 0810 and soon reeled them in along with three other riders, tacking on the back of the group. We were soon caught by another group of 16 or so and our wee convoy turned off at Mataura to wind through Clinton, Balclutha and Milton before stopping to collect our first pennant at the Octogon in Dunedin at 1020, by which time the day had started to warm-up with the temp now at 19˚and the first 226Kms under our belts. After signing in and taking a couple of photos, the three of us headed back to Mosgiel, then on to Middlemarch for our first fuel stop. Andrew led through this rolling section at a crisp pace and by the time we had completed the 308Kms to Middlemarch, it was 1120, we were cutting through a strong westerly crosswind and it was getting hot at 25˚. We carried on with Mark leading, and Andrew and I both trying to shelter in his draft, but that would have left me in the middle of the oncoming lane so I had to settle in behind. The temp started hovering over 30˚ by the time we went through Ranfurly and the Bandits' both got a little excited as we passed the Chatto Creek Tavern, then carried on through Alexandra, past the Clyde Dam and rode along the banks of Lake Dunstan to our second pennant at Cromwell. We got there just before 1320 when the temp peaked at 32˚, we had a quick snack then headed for our second fuel stop in Wanaka, which was also a brief lunch stop. Continuing on with Mark in the lead, we slipped past Lake Hawea which was really beautiful, (the hills really do look painted on) then stopped for a photo op' by Lake Wanaka. I led out from here and had a moment past the top of Lake Wanaka as I cruised round a left sweeper which had the mottled seal and the bike started to drift sideways on ice grit. It was totally invisible and the bandits only warning of it was by observing it spray off my rear. With the heartrate up and the temp dropping, we motored on to Haast where we had to stop to don our wets before crossing to the West Coast and finishing the day on wet roads in drizzle. The Bandits stopped in Fox for gas but I figured I'd go close to getting to Greymouth on the tank, so continued on alone over a mixture of curly and rolling roads that completed a long but satisfying day. I decided if I went on the last bar before Hokitika, I would fill there but if it came on after that, I would continue to Greymouth and as it turned out, the last bar started to flash as I entered the hoki' town limits, so I filled there before finishing the last 40 Kms at a sedate pace. Checked into the Top Ten Holiday Park and settled in for a good night's sleep. 1020.1 Kms for the day at 17.3 K/Ltr Total Kms: 2410.9 DAY 5 / Leg 2 – 20/03/08 – Greymouth to Wellington: Another early grey morning and down to the train station just after 0730 to chat prior to setting out for the day. It was at this time I heard the quote of the week when IanF asked the Bandits and myself, “Which is the more scenic route?” Classic, as I wondered when Ian ever had time to look at any scenery!! (He's led in about 4 of the last 5 GC's). Anyway, today I decided to ride with the Brett on his FJR and Jane on her Hornet and we departed with Jym just before 0800, heading for Stillwater and Lake Brunner. Brett led out and would stretch a small lead from Jane, which she would close-up on the straights then open up on the next curvy section, so I passed her to ride at the more consistent and economic pace. We made brief stops as Brett took out a Pukeko and decided to check his radiator was clear of feathers, then we paused to don our wets around Kaimata. I slowed to check on Jane and Jym, when it turned out he stopped for a photo op' by Temple Basin, then had a blast climbing to Arthurs Pass and catch Hitcher before stopping there to remove our wets again as we could see the clear skies ahead, over Canterbury. Brett led out again as we headed down, until I passed him and two cars near the bottom. The front one was quite slow and the second was following, right up his chuff and I found the pace frustrating. We stopped again in Springfield to remove more gear as the 17'ish˚ started getting over 20˚. I led out again, leading the group into the Christchurch Square via Russley road, Memorial Ave and down Colombo St. We had to rush through there after getting our pennant and taking a quick pic as there's no parking on the square, so we were soon back on SH1 for fuel and lunch at Amberly. We got there before 1220, it was 24˚ and we had completed 356Kms for the day, enjoyed a great lunch and continued on at 1325. We were encountering more traffic now which spread us out a little and when I got to the Hunderlees, I decided to blow the cobwebs out. I hadn't ridden over this road for over 20 years went a little crazy, enjoying the shit out of it, but was a little perplexed to find the coast had an 80Kph restriction on it. Based on the fact that the traffic had been travelling at up to 120Kph, I figured that it would be OK to pootle along at the limit +20, then waited for Brett and Jane just before Kaikoura, where we were to stop for a coffee break. We were very relaxed when we continued on for the ferry and were soon to witness a wee moment for Brett as he shuffled out to pass a car as Cam came up and started to pass Brett, who hadn't seen him coming. That was as close as you want to get but no problem except for the heart rate and it was on-on through more heavy Easter traffic through Ward, Seddon and Blenheim (where we came to a standstill), finally arriving in Picton at 1740. boarded the Blue Bridge with the Bandits and headed for a good nights sleep in my own bed, arriving home at 2245 659.6 Kms for the day at 17.9 K/Ltr Total Kms: 3070.5 DAY 6 / Leg 3 – 21/03/08 – Wellington to Wanganui: This was a cruisy day to allow everyone to get to Wanganui over a wide range of ferry sailings and I took advantage of the break to do my washing, charge the MP3 which cut-out just before Koromiko the day before (50'ish hours of play/road time), and clean-up the bike which had a very liberal coating of bugs and road crap. After doing all that, I filled up at Caltex Kaiwhara' and got on the road at 1225. Traffic was quite heavy and I lost about 20 minutes filtering through it to Levin, where it thinned out and I was able to sit at a comfortable pace, arriving in Wanganui at 1445, the temp up from 17˚ to 27˚ and after filling up, I spent the rest of the day with whanau. Most pleasant and relaxing 196.9 Kms for the day at 18.2 K/Ltr Total Kms: 3267.4 DAY 7 / Leg 4 – 22/03/08 – Wanganui to Kaitaia: This was to be a mixed bag day, spending much of it on SH1 and my strategy for this day was to head out early for a clear run through the Parapara's, then pootle along until I could latch on the back of a new group to ride out the day. I was up before 0600 to get ready and meet by the Victoria Ave Bridge for departure at 0700.We signed in and received our pennants and I was second on the road, heading down Taupo Quay and across the Dublin St Bridge then out of town. I was pootling along here, letting the tyres warm and slowly building up the pace until I hit the windies North of Upuk' and let the ST have her head. What a blast! ¾ of the way up, my econonomy had dipped to 13.5K/Ltr and I managed to get to Raetihi in 45 minutes then followed Simon into National Park for our next pennant at 0805, only to find my water bottle had leaked and everything in my top box was saturated, including camera, maps and papers....bugger! From here I eased back within the allowable limits and dawdled on through Taumaranui, pausing in Te Kuiti for a natural break, (thanks to the 11˚ cold squeeze experienced through the Central Plateau) before continuing on via Otorohanga and SH31 to Ngaruawahia, then up SH1 for fuel and the next pennant at Pokeno. I arrived there at 1055 with the temp climbing through 20˚ then hopped on the Motorway for the last pennant at Fort Street. I wasn't hurrying but still no groups passed, so I headed on through Orewa, Whangarei and the finish, striking huge traffic jams heading into Orewa and Warkworth. I can't believe that people are happy to sit for hours in queues like that, but I didn't lose too much time, finishing off the ride with another blast when I got to the Mangamuka Gorge, which must be the last remaining fantastic ride on SH1. It was great to dispell the very bad first impression of this road I received in the atrocious conditions on the GC in October and I finally pulled into Kaitaia and Collards tavern at 1520, temp still at 25˚. After receiving my badge and T-shirt I went back into town to check-in, only to find I wasn’t booked in…!!??@#*&. They had booked me from 21-23/03 in error and when I didn’t turn up the day before, my room was let and there were no vacancies…..I was steaming…..nearly 800Kms and no shower for Johnny, but fortunately a phone call across the road got me a ‘just cancelled’, last vacant room at the Northerner….whew!! I got cleaned-up and laid out all my papers etc to dry before getting the courtesy van back to Collards for a few beers, a great feed and good company, finally hitting the sack between 2300 and midnight to sleep like a baby…..But that’s not all!….I still had to get home. 792.3 Kms for the day at 17.2 K/Ltr Total Kms: 4059.7 DAY 8 – 23/03/08 – Kaitaia to Rotorua: As had become par for the course on this ride, I awoke early, cleaned and packed and was on the road again by 0540 in a very cool 13˚, filling-up at the local Mobil station, before my return attack on the Mangamuka Gorge, but this time in the dark. It was a great start to the day but I had barely gone 50Km before the cold squeeze required I stop for relief and to grab a skivvy and heavier gloves. That was enough to get me through to Whangarei where I needed another natural break and took the opportunity to warm up with a Mrs Macs mince and cheese pie and hot chocolate before swapping back to the light gloves, but with liners on as well. After this, the sun came up and took the chill off the day…..except where the road dipped into the gullies and my screen, visor and glasses would all fog-up until rising back out to the warmer air. No problems though and with no traffic I made good time through to Bombay for a fill-up, before heading down SH27 to Tirau and Rotorua, arriving at 1140 in a nice 24˚, to spend the rest of the day with my other son Frank, my daughter and mokopuna. Then stay the night with Nanny Ann in a motel as she was there for a national tennis event. Life is great! 578.9 Kms for the day at 17.2 K/Ltr Total Kms: 4638.6
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