20th March 2017
A good night's sleep. I wake to a cloudy and warm day - but rain is not forecast.
I pack the bike slowly. Every time I fully unpack it, there seems to be more room when I repack it. I'm either leaving stuff behind everywhere or just getting better at it...
I press the starter at 0945 and ease myself into Tauranga's Monday morning traffic...
I like this road sign (apologies for the clarity), which encourages motorists in two lanes to merge into one in turn 'Like a zip' - I wish British drivers would take this on board...
To begin with, Bettie steers me along some urban dual carriageway towards Auckland...
Spotted this pastel-coloured pensioner at the roadside - any guesses?
Pretty soon I'm on a more pleasant route - although there seems to be a lot of traffic about...
...but at least I'm seeing some old cars - they have been noticeable by their absence since I arrived on North Island...
Any guesses on these two?
The cloud is dissipating a little as the temperature rises - my thermometer now shows 78°F...
In need of a spot of breakfast, I drop in here...
...where they have a range of pancake-based meals. I opt for the savoury pancake with cheese, onions, avocado(!) and bacon...
It's excellent. As soon as the bacon arrived at my table, so did this chap...
...feigning interest in the zip toggle on my jacket, but clearly hoping for some bacon...
He collapses to the floor in hunger as he realises his quest is futile...
Sufficiently refreshed, I get back on the Adv and Bettie steers me across country on some small roads for a few miles...
It's lovely morning and it's a good place to be on two wheels.
Unless your vehicle has more than two wheels - then being on two wheels would probably be bad.
The clouds in the pics look a bit more threatening than they did in reality - it is a fine morning...
The little sandy hillocks remind me I'm not far from Hobbiton, though...
I'm soon turned left onto Highway 2 towards Paeroa, through the Karangahake Gorge...
...where the river to left of the road is atypical of most of those I have seen in New Zealand - and is quite beautiful (the standard model NZ river is one that meanders on a wide plain of gravel)...
How about this for a bridge?
I think I may have to have a lie down after that...
In the town of Paeroa, I do a double take as I catch sight of an old car in a showroom...
The owner isn't around, but I manage to charm the girl stacking shelves in the filling station to let me in to take a couple of pics...
Couldn't get a decent shot of the front of this one. The gold car was clearly fully restored, but this Mercury apparently only had two owners, and I have a feeling it was original...
I return to my bike and see another pensioner has turned up - great number plate...
Apparently, Lemon & Paeroa (or L&P) is a popular NZ soft drink, comprising lemon juice and carbonated mineral water from Paeroa. It's now owned and marketed by Coca-Cola...
I'm tripping over old cars all over the place today - this one's quite unusual, I think (it was a new one on me) - any guesses?
The clouds are quite heavy ahead on the hills, but it doesn't feel like rain...
I cross the bridge at Kopu and enter the Coromandel Peninsula...
After passing through the small town of Thames, Bettie routes me directly to Highway 25...
...which clings to every twist and turn...
...of the west side of the peninsula...
It's absolutely beautiful - with a gentle breeze blowing from the ocean...
Shags sit on the rocks drying their feathers...
The road continues like this for about 20 miles...
...and I love every yard of it...
I should imagine that a Bach along here is going to cost a lot of money...
...but I think it would be worth it...
I am working out pensions and mortgages in my head whilst taking this picture...
Eventually...
...Bettie steers me inland, presumably to avoid the rock headland that was too difficult to cut the road through...
...and I say goodbye to the Firth of Thames for a while...
...as I make my way...
...northeast towards the town of Coromandel...
...which is only about 5km away now...
I'm soon on finals for my hotel....
...pausing only to refuel (the fuel light has been on for 20 miles)...
I check into my very pleasant room, put some laundry on and then start to upload the 190 pictures from today. This is right at the end of a remote peninsula, so I am not expecting a fast internet connection, but the Olive Motel surprises me with the fastest broadband I've yet experienced in NZ! All pics uploaded in four minutes!
I open a cold drink I bought at the garage and start typing the journal...
Great day...
A good night's sleep. I wake to a cloudy and warm day - but rain is not forecast.
I pack the bike slowly. Every time I fully unpack it, there seems to be more room when I repack it. I'm either leaving stuff behind everywhere or just getting better at it...
I press the starter at 0945 and ease myself into Tauranga's Monday morning traffic...
I like this road sign (apologies for the clarity), which encourages motorists in two lanes to merge into one in turn 'Like a zip' - I wish British drivers would take this on board...
To begin with, Bettie steers me along some urban dual carriageway towards Auckland...
Spotted this pastel-coloured pensioner at the roadside - any guesses?
Pretty soon I'm on a more pleasant route - although there seems to be a lot of traffic about...
...but at least I'm seeing some old cars - they have been noticeable by their absence since I arrived on North Island...
Any guesses on these two?
The cloud is dissipating a little as the temperature rises - my thermometer now shows 78°F...
In need of a spot of breakfast, I drop in here...
...where they have a range of pancake-based meals. I opt for the savoury pancake with cheese, onions, avocado(!) and bacon...
It's excellent. As soon as the bacon arrived at my table, so did this chap...
...feigning interest in the zip toggle on my jacket, but clearly hoping for some bacon...
He collapses to the floor in hunger as he realises his quest is futile...
Sufficiently refreshed, I get back on the Adv and Bettie steers me across country on some small roads for a few miles...
It's lovely morning and it's a good place to be on two wheels.
Unless your vehicle has more than two wheels - then being on two wheels would probably be bad.
The clouds in the pics look a bit more threatening than they did in reality - it is a fine morning...
The little sandy hillocks remind me I'm not far from Hobbiton, though...
I'm soon turned left onto Highway 2 towards Paeroa, through the Karangahake Gorge...
...where the river to left of the road is atypical of most of those I have seen in New Zealand - and is quite beautiful (the standard model NZ river is one that meanders on a wide plain of gravel)...
How about this for a bridge?
I think I may have to have a lie down after that...
In the town of Paeroa, I do a double take as I catch sight of an old car in a showroom...
The owner isn't around, but I manage to charm the girl stacking shelves in the filling station to let me in to take a couple of pics...
Couldn't get a decent shot of the front of this one. The gold car was clearly fully restored, but this Mercury apparently only had two owners, and I have a feeling it was original...
I return to my bike and see another pensioner has turned up - great number plate...
Apparently, Lemon & Paeroa (or L&P) is a popular NZ soft drink, comprising lemon juice and carbonated mineral water from Paeroa. It's now owned and marketed by Coca-Cola...
I'm tripping over old cars all over the place today - this one's quite unusual, I think (it was a new one on me) - any guesses?
The clouds are quite heavy ahead on the hills, but it doesn't feel like rain...
I cross the bridge at Kopu and enter the Coromandel Peninsula...
After passing through the small town of Thames, Bettie routes me directly to Highway 25...
...which clings to every twist and turn...
...of the west side of the peninsula...
It's absolutely beautiful - with a gentle breeze blowing from the ocean...
Shags sit on the rocks drying their feathers...
The road continues like this for about 20 miles...
...and I love every yard of it...
I should imagine that a Bach along here is going to cost a lot of money...
...but I think it would be worth it...
I am working out pensions and mortgages in my head whilst taking this picture...
Eventually...
...Bettie steers me inland, presumably to avoid the rock headland that was too difficult to cut the road through...
...and I say goodbye to the Firth of Thames for a while...
...as I make my way...
...northeast towards the town of Coromandel...
...which is only about 5km away now...
I'm soon on finals for my hotel....
...pausing only to refuel (the fuel light has been on for 20 miles)...
I check into my very pleasant room, put some laundry on and then start to upload the 190 pictures from today. This is right at the end of a remote peninsula, so I am not expecting a fast internet connection, but the Olive Motel surprises me with the fastest broadband I've yet experienced in NZ! All pics uploaded in four minutes!
I open a cold drink I bought at the garage and start typing the journal...
Great day...