Coromandel twisties take their toll..!!

The weather app said that Auckland was going to be fine and dandy on Saturday so my mate and myself made plans to hit the Coromandel loop. We got away from the North Shore at about 10am and headed out to Clevedon but took an early exit off the motorway and headed out via Howick in a bit too much traffic for our liking. After a quick fuel stop we headed out from Clevedon and, via an unplanned detour down the aptly named Tourist Road, we reached the coast hugging East Coast Road off to the State Highway 2 that heads out to Thames. From Thames we headed through the twisties of the Coramandel Forest Park ranges to Tairua for a coffee stop. 

We had intended to do the whole loop so headed out from Tairua to Whitianga but before Whitianga I took a left turn along a stunning road that unfortunately became a dirt mud road so once we turned back we decided to head back to Tairua and back to Thames instead of doing the whole loop. 

From there we headed along the State Highway 2 all the way to SH1 and back to the North Shore. 

For a rough guide of the trip on Google Maps..

Clevedon -it's a blip you may pass through easily but it's also a series of quaint shops kept in small town character and if you stop and smell the roses you discover a nice choice of eateries and cool trinket shops. 
Tourist Road - wow, I rode along here with flashbacks to places I'd seen on YouTube. I felt I'd travelled the outback Smokey Mountains down small town USA. A breathtaking meandering detour.  (About here I remember thinking that somebody had spiked me with big dose of Happy!)

To Kawakawa Bay - lovely sweeping bends with a few nice tight twisties but the scenery is so vivid you won't be using any app that enahances colour for fear of making the photos look too fake. Some parts of the road are so tree-lined there is moss so obviously not sun soaked.
East Coast Road - equal parts beach holiday feel, rural local fishing spot feel, you simply soak in the lake like ocean, the islands and the view of the Coromandel Peninsula with it's looming mountain ranges. The road is a nice mix of twisty stretches for leaning and straight for letting the machine loose. 
Coromandel Forest Park Road - A great road to teach anyone about kiwi road surfaces. You will be winding through moist road surfaces along tree lined stretches beside ravines then around a bend into dry stretches under bright sunlight with sweeping views of the mountain ranges. A warning sign for a mudslide hazard will be followed by a beautiful long, straight piece of tempting tarmac.
Tairua to Whitianga - As I said, we didn't go all the way to Whitianga but while this stretch of road has some challenging hairpins, it also has some great sweeping bends and some amazing straight stretches. You will need to decide whether you are going to cruise and take in the scenery which on one side is endless hills and mountains and on the other side the ocean, or you are going to keep your eyes on the road and floor it. We took it hard there but enjoyed the cruise back, stopping for a few photo ops with the sea as backdrop.     It is along here that my riding buddy had to stop and pop a few ginger tablets for the motion sickness he started to feel! So rider beware, if you are prone to this then remember that this road has its share of side to side that will likely result in a bit of nausea.

Thames to MW1 - we left Thames (actually just the Mobil on the outskirts) for home with the sun a few inches above the horizon and travelled half the MW2 in darkness. A stunning sunset sealed the day as a truly memorable one for us both. Our only regret that our wives hadn't made it but we now had the anticipation of sharing this world famous ride with a much better first hand knowledge to plan for next time.    

Summary - the road surface conditions were amazing. Very few potholes; The road weather conditions were excellent - wet and dry but all safe; the view and scenery is almost too much beauty for such a short distance. Explaining it in words would sound corny, but it is continual, diverse (tropical, rugged, coastal) and sensually overwhelming.

A stunning winter ride after work

I had to shoot out today during work and was amazed at how beautiful the weather was so I resolved to leave work dead on time and head straight home to hop on the Busa and grab the opportunity to enjoy the Auckland twilight by the handlebars. 

Even a spontaneous decision to ride involves some pre-ride mental preparation during which I run through the weather and time available and possible routes.  I have put off quite a few riding opportunities as winter has hit but I could see no downside tonight other than the fact that once the sun starts setting in winter darkness arrives quickly. But there was little wind and the air was crisp but not icy.

So onto my steed I leapt and off I went in my newly acquired toasty warm kevlar camo pants and into the sunset (quite literally) I rode, heading off from Albany and arriving at Helensville to see a low, dark pink skyline. From Hellensville I headed back through Kaukapakapa in darkness to Silverdale and through evening traffic on the Whangaparaoa peninsula where I had coffee with my daughter and son in law.

My ride on Google maps...

From there I texted my riding mate to see if he wanted to go across the bridge which he was thankfully keen to do else I would probably have just headed back home. He had commuted to the City across the bridge and had himself decided not to miss the stunning evening weather. So I zoomed back along Highway 1 to our rendezvous point at a Northcote gas station and from there we headed out over the bridge to a stunning, calm Mission Bay, along to St Helliers and back to Starbucks for a coffee, then back through the city to Ponsonby and back across the bridge to the North Shore.

The Auckland skyline is a postcard view from the bridge and the drive along Tamaki Drive looking back at the city is magnificent, passing yacht basins and people out strolling or running. The City, Mission Bay and Ponsonby were all alive to the sound of Aucklanders enjoying what their mother city has to offer - great vibes, good cuisine, stunning scenery and tonight - excellent weather.

I have to say that, for a mid winter's night ride, there was barely any wind and the air was warm enough to sit outdoors. 

I arrived home and am sitting writing this so hugely thankful for this amazing city I find myself in, for the fantastic bike I am so enjoying and for a great riding mate to enjoy it with, especially when my wife can't ride with me. 

Auckland in Autumn - still a joy for bikers...

The orange leaves shout that it's autumn in Auckland but I am on one of Auckland and New Zealand's many golf courses and the late afternoon is still. I return home after the game and jump on my motorbike with my wife on hers and we meet friends and all ride through to Ponsonby "international" food court for one of the numerous inexpensive Asian dishes on offer. 

After dinner we ride from the vibrant night life of Ponsonby in a convoy of four motorbikes through the pretty suburbs of Auckland into the upmarket beach suburb of Mission Bay where we have Danish ice cream and coffee before heading home along the waterfront road to the Harbour bridge that leads us back to the North Shore of Auckland where our little Saturday night jaunt began.

Every weekend for weeks now we have gotten out on our bikes because "pretty soon now the weather will change".  And every week we are blessed with yet another weekend of stunning weather.

Well,  the rain will set in and newcomers and visitors will swear that Auckland is a wet city.  And they will be correct,  it is indeed.  But life goes on,  including outdoor activities.  And in the midst of winter I have no doubt we will wake up to moments of clear, crisp skies and text our fellow bikers to meet for a spontaneous rides and golf games.  And then one day the clouds will part and more glorious sunny days will be beckoning us bikers to rediscover the breathtaking scenic routes that are Auckland in all her splendour.

A love of biking born in Cape Town and rekindled in Auckland

I have, for years and years, gazed longingly at the open roads of the grand old US of A; the breathtaking views of Canadian outdoors and the magical winding roads of Europe - all set against a backdrop of stunning snow capped peaks or lush green pines. They all have all beckoned me and wooed me for years and years and I want to go there and see them from a motorcycle and bombard my senses.

Growing up in stunning Cape Town, I am used to the “in your face” beauty, both refined and rugged.  Although the climate is Mediterranean so no snow falls except on the surrounding peaks occasionally, Cape Town still has four distinct seasons and except for a very wet mid winter, each season presents a unique experience for riders – the crisp spring mornings and evenings, the never ending dry summer days or the colourful autumn backdrops.

For a short time in Cape Town my wife and I rode motorcycles. I had a Suzuki Intruder 800cc until my wife, who started out as pillion, got her licence and claimed it and so I acquired a 750cc Suzuki GSXR and 750 Suzuki Katana. Together we learnt to ride with a group of about 6 guys and their gals who were pillion, my wife being the only brave lass to ride. Most were already bike commuters and some even raced but they never pressurised us to ride beyond our ability.

We would spontaneously arrange early morning or late evening rides so we, the only ones with kids, could set off with the kids either still fast asleep or just having been put to bed. Fortunately we had my mom living with us so we could zap out early and be home before they woke or leave after they were nicely snuggled up in bed.

Our lives were fun and exciting – an adventure of the senses! The kids enjoyed our biker friends who were mostly single, young and without kids so they doted on ours as a novelty. Our kids enjoyed being taken to and from activities on the back of dad’s bike. We did rallies with our mates and saw Cape Town as only a biker knows it – the smell of the sea or vineyards or dust as the rain starts. The overpowering beauty of Cape Town seeped into my pores as I rode along Misty Cliffs without my helmet and soaking in the misty air of the wild sea bashing off the waves, or along the most breathtaking sea views one could imagine past vibrant, white sanded beaches full of tourists.

I decided to sell my bikes after taking the longer, winding “scenic” route to work one morning and realising I had grown too comfortable with riding recklessly which is not a wise place to be with four young kids and a wife depending on me – and so began my motorbike drought and a yearning that has finally ended.

In 2003 I left Cape Town for Auckland, New Zealand and my wife and I had the sense to convert both our car and motorbike licenses. So, after 10 years here I once again bought a Suzuki 800cc Boulevard which I knew was again for my wife. After a few practice runs in car parks and a few pillion trips behind me she was confident to start riding again, so I bought a cheap ‘n nasty Suzuki Bandit 600cc which was heaps of fun to get my  confidence back and to enjoy some amazing twisties Auckland has to offer. But I wanted a newer, more reliable bike with a bit of oomph that would be comfortable out of Auckland so I have now bought my dream bike – a 2007 Suzuki Hayabusa.

Much to my delight, my closest friend in Auckland who also emigrated from Cape Town with his motorbike license, decided to take the mid-life plunge along with me and has bought himself a 2007 Suzuki C109R 1800cc Boulevard and for good measure, his wife is getting her license.

We have decided to embark on a journey of adventure as we plan to enjoy the immense and overpowering beauty that Auckland and New Zealand has become world renown for and why so many people from every corner of the globe decide to make the long trek over and then rave about it and recommend others follow suit.

Whether you simply intend to enjoy the experience from your living room or are convinced to make the journey yourself to experience what we plan to first hand, we invite you to come along for the ride! Good bikes and stunning scenery make for an eventful , hopefully memorable trip but it takes good company to create a kinship that makes every memory more special.

Thanks, and enjoy the ride…