28th March 2017
I wake after a good night's sleep to the sound of the subdued hiss of tyres on wet tarmac. I look out of the window and see thick fog and wet roads, although no-one is using their wipers - which a take as a good sign. So much for the daylong sunfest the forecaster predicted yesterday evening...
I turn over and go back to sleep for an hour. When I wake, the sun is out and the fog lifted - it has clearly rained overnight, but there is little cloud about now. I check the forecast and it says there will be some showers in the afternoon on my route, but I should be dry otherwise.
I quickly pack the bike up and get on the road heading north...
Whangarei is right on the coast, and I can see the sea mist is still hanging on over the harbour...
Initially, though, there's no problem with my route. I am booked into a motel in Kaitaia this evening, but if the weather looks favourable, I'm going to go up to Cape Reinga - the northernmost tip of New Zealand - and then return to the hotel. I stay on Highway 1 to begin with, as I did the loop through Tutukaka yesterday. I'm also keen to do some miles, as this is going to be a fairly long day, distance wise...
As expected, I run into the occasional troughs of mist lying in the valleys. These will burn off as soon as the temperature gets high enough (although a check reveals it's already 78°F) - in the meantime they are nothing more than a minor nuisance, as the mist is not thick enough to need a reduction in speed...
There doesn't seem to be much traffic heading north, so I can easily keep up 100-108kph...
Hey-ho...
The sun has dried the road - and it's a great road-surface - I encounter several sets of roadworks where the teams are putting in passing lanes and straightening roads, rather than the repairs I've encountered thus far...
At the unfortunately named Whakapara, I turn onto the "Two Coast Highway" and head towards the Bay of Islands...
A beautiful spot...
Sort of makes you hungry, doesn't it?
Well it did me. So I stop at the Al Fresco Café for a spot of breakfast.
Whilst waiting for my order to appear, my attention is drawn to two young bikini-clad ladies trying to get a surf canoe off the roof of their people carrier, with much running about and jumping. It occurred to me to go and offer to help, as I was much taller than them, but I decided against it for two reasons: firstly, they might take offence at me offering to help them with a job they'd rather do themselves and secondly, because I was pretty sure that every man in the café would have given me a good kicking...
Well, how about that? Hotcakes (small but perfectly formed), Mascarpone, banana, rhubarb coulis, bacon and - a balsamic dressing(!). I start eating - might as well, they'd got the canoe down...
It was great
The Café owner arrived as I was paying my bill...
Onward!
It's 80°F and very humid - it feels like there is a storm in the air, and I keep a reasonable speed up just to stay cool (I have all the vents in my jacket open)...
There's a huge cruise ship on the horizon and I can see a multi-coloured dot near it as someone is parascending...
The road takes me back inland for a while...
...along some long sweeping bends that are a lot of fun, even if you're restricted to 100kph...
On a couple of occasions I get a smattering of rain from the edge of a shower, but I manage to bypass most of it...
I decide to take the risk and ride up to Cape Reinga - if it's raining tomorrow morning, or foggy, then I will never get a chance to see it...
So, I'll fuel up at the next station, do a quick run up there and back - should be at the hotel by about 1530...
Hmmm - that's a lot of cloud...
...and there's that shark to consider...
The road takes me along the shore again...
I fuel up. I've noticed that there is a special catch that you have to release to remove the diesel dispenser form the pump...
Apparently it's to give people an extra warning in case they are about to put diesel in a petrol vehicle...
I head up Highway 1, towards Cape Reigna, some 95km distant...
This very smart memorial at the roadside commemorates all that served at Waipapakauri airfield - sounds like a pretty remote posting...
That's not very subtle, is it?
I turn down a road to "90 Mile Beach", as there is an unmade road marked on my map. It turns out to be - the beach. Not on this bike and solo, thanks...
Back on Highway 1, it keeps clouding up and clearing, clouding up again - I convince myself I'm in for a soaking...
...in fact I can see storm cells dumping heavy rain on the countryside north of me...
...but someone up there is looking after me - I only get a few spots from the edge of showers and never enough to consider getting kitted up...
One advantage to this weather system is that - so long as you're not getting rained on - visibility is terrific, because the rain has taken all the pollen and crap to the ground with it...
Nearly there...
The Adv is burbling away happily, the road surface is great and there's no traffic...
A little low cloud is blowing through as I look to my left...
We're very nearly at the Cape...
In fact, here we are...
There's a footpath that takes you to the lighthouse and the end of the headland...
...but I'm not walking there in this heat and humidity - and in bike kit...
I'm really glad I opted to come here this afternoon - I wouldn't have wanted to miss this...
After taking a couple of dozen pictures, I turn the bike around and start heading south...
As I ride a feeling of slight melancholy slowly overtakes me...
I now exactly what is causing it...
Every mile I have ridden so far has been a mile away from my 'normal' life and from my comfort zone...
I'm now heading back towards it...
It's time to go, without a doubt - I'm tired and ready to go back. Plus I have a great route tomorrow, weather permitting...
Anyway - I'd better get back to the hotel before that big bruiser decides to drop his rain...
I arrive at the hotel at 1530 - start uploading 200pics on their wheezing Broadband connection and have a shower...
Great day...
I wake after a good night's sleep to the sound of the subdued hiss of tyres on wet tarmac. I look out of the window and see thick fog and wet roads, although no-one is using their wipers - which a take as a good sign. So much for the daylong sunfest the forecaster predicted yesterday evening...
I turn over and go back to sleep for an hour. When I wake, the sun is out and the fog lifted - it has clearly rained overnight, but there is little cloud about now. I check the forecast and it says there will be some showers in the afternoon on my route, but I should be dry otherwise.
I quickly pack the bike up and get on the road heading north...
Whangarei is right on the coast, and I can see the sea mist is still hanging on over the harbour...
Initially, though, there's no problem with my route. I am booked into a motel in Kaitaia this evening, but if the weather looks favourable, I'm going to go up to Cape Reinga - the northernmost tip of New Zealand - and then return to the hotel. I stay on Highway 1 to begin with, as I did the loop through Tutukaka yesterday. I'm also keen to do some miles, as this is going to be a fairly long day, distance wise...
As expected, I run into the occasional troughs of mist lying in the valleys. These will burn off as soon as the temperature gets high enough (although a check reveals it's already 78°F) - in the meantime they are nothing more than a minor nuisance, as the mist is not thick enough to need a reduction in speed...
There doesn't seem to be much traffic heading north, so I can easily keep up 100-108kph...
Hey-ho...
The sun has dried the road - and it's a great road-surface - I encounter several sets of roadworks where the teams are putting in passing lanes and straightening roads, rather than the repairs I've encountered thus far...
At the unfortunately named Whakapara, I turn onto the "Two Coast Highway" and head towards the Bay of Islands...
A beautiful spot...
Sort of makes you hungry, doesn't it?
Well it did me. So I stop at the Al Fresco Café for a spot of breakfast.
Whilst waiting for my order to appear, my attention is drawn to two young bikini-clad ladies trying to get a surf canoe off the roof of their people carrier, with much running about and jumping. It occurred to me to go and offer to help, as I was much taller than them, but I decided against it for two reasons: firstly, they might take offence at me offering to help them with a job they'd rather do themselves and secondly, because I was pretty sure that every man in the café would have given me a good kicking...
Well, how about that? Hotcakes (small but perfectly formed), Mascarpone, banana, rhubarb coulis, bacon and - a balsamic dressing(!). I start eating - might as well, they'd got the canoe down...
It was great
The Café owner arrived as I was paying my bill...
Onward!
It's 80°F and very humid - it feels like there is a storm in the air, and I keep a reasonable speed up just to stay cool (I have all the vents in my jacket open)...
There's a huge cruise ship on the horizon and I can see a multi-coloured dot near it as someone is parascending...
The road takes me back inland for a while...
...along some long sweeping bends that are a lot of fun, even if you're restricted to 100kph...
On a couple of occasions I get a smattering of rain from the edge of a shower, but I manage to bypass most of it...
I decide to take the risk and ride up to Cape Reinga - if it's raining tomorrow morning, or foggy, then I will never get a chance to see it...
So, I'll fuel up at the next station, do a quick run up there and back - should be at the hotel by about 1530...
Hmmm - that's a lot of cloud...
...and there's that shark to consider...
The road takes me along the shore again...
I fuel up. I've noticed that there is a special catch that you have to release to remove the diesel dispenser form the pump...
Apparently it's to give people an extra warning in case they are about to put diesel in a petrol vehicle...
I head up Highway 1, towards Cape Reigna, some 95km distant...
This very smart memorial at the roadside commemorates all that served at Waipapakauri airfield - sounds like a pretty remote posting...
That's not very subtle, is it?
I turn down a road to "90 Mile Beach", as there is an unmade road marked on my map. It turns out to be - the beach. Not on this bike and solo, thanks...
Back on Highway 1, it keeps clouding up and clearing, clouding up again - I convince myself I'm in for a soaking...
...in fact I can see storm cells dumping heavy rain on the countryside north of me...
...but someone up there is looking after me - I only get a few spots from the edge of showers and never enough to consider getting kitted up...
One advantage to this weather system is that - so long as you're not getting rained on - visibility is terrific, because the rain has taken all the pollen and crap to the ground with it...
Nearly there...
The Adv is burbling away happily, the road surface is great and there's no traffic...
A little low cloud is blowing through as I look to my left...
We're very nearly at the Cape...
In fact, here we are...
There's a footpath that takes you to the lighthouse and the end of the headland...
...but I'm not walking there in this heat and humidity - and in bike kit...
I'm really glad I opted to come here this afternoon - I wouldn't have wanted to miss this...
After taking a couple of dozen pictures, I turn the bike around and start heading south...
As I ride a feeling of slight melancholy slowly overtakes me...
I now exactly what is causing it...
Every mile I have ridden so far has been a mile away from my 'normal' life and from my comfort zone...
I'm now heading back towards it...
It's time to go, without a doubt - I'm tired and ready to go back. Plus I have a great route tomorrow, weather permitting...
Anyway - I'd better get back to the hotel before that big bruiser decides to drop his rain...
I arrive at the hotel at 1530 - start uploading 200pics on their wheezing Broadband connection and have a shower...
Great day...
, Its sure made me want to go. Roll on 2018/19 winter.
