Coromandel Peninsula loop.. On our doorstep.

I'm a fair weather rider which means that I take the weather conditions into account before riding. I don't mind weather changing but if there are 2 or 3 of the elements of rain, wind or icy chill likely then it's likely I won't set out to ride unplanned on a spontaneous ride.  If I've not ridden for a while I may brave going out but I do look forward to the warmer days where suiting up to keep warm isn't a drag that somehow detracts from the spontaneity of grabbing a quick opportunity.

I rode 2 Saturdays back in howling Auckland wind accompanied by the odd light rain patch and although I look back at the ride as exhilarating,  it was still only enjoyable as a group experience and I only ventured out because I'd arranged a group of us to ride down to an event at Hampton Downs and to back out would look girlie. I value the experience of riding in all conditions but wouldn't set out by choice next time in similar conditions.

So this last Saturday I was really excited to see Sunshine and my good wife and I decided to take a quick run out through the pretty waitakere forest range to Paihia and then for breakfast at Titirangi township. Auckland weather is a bit bipolar and changes fast but we got a clean ride all the way in stunning conditions on dry roads.

Then I had the day off work on Monday and,  on checking the skies,  made a snap decision to zip out to the Coromandel peninsula. I left early enough to have to navigate morning traffic but it was light and flowing and I enjoyed that part knowing I was heading to a freedom ride while others were headed to their daily grind. Looking out at the peninsula I saw cloud and wondered if I'd made a mistake but as I approached along the beautiful road turning in off the freeway that for some crazy reason has been designated a high crash road so has a 10km lower speed limit,  I realised I was committed and so pushed on.

I decided to travel through Thames and onward towards the point along a gently winding road that runs right along the sea with emerald green bays at every turn and all I can say is that the view is breathtakingly beautiful. The sea was as calm as a lake as I looked back on East Auckland I really had to allow my senses to grasp the experience. Not only is the Hayabusa a perfect bike for this type of trip but I can honestly say that I felt truly spoilt and,  based on my endless youtube searches for great bike rides,  felt that I envied very few in comparison to what I was enjoying.

What added to my sense of overwhelming satisfaction was that I was riding on my Hayabusa.  Forget what you read about it just being a fast bike in a straight line. It is intuitive around the bend,  forgiving in corners and has the most amazing front suspension over rough bumps. All this makes for the perfect blend of power and comfort and when the serious twisties present themselves it is not as difficult to lean as some blogs make out. 

At the end of the peninsula the road turns inward from the sea line and runs through carpets of forest that stretch out in every direction to the sea shores on every side.

Here there are more serious corners that can be taken slowly and carefully or quicker and more daringly. I was cruising until an adventure bike zipped past me and the rider obviously knew the road as he cornered with the most clinical lines. This was a great challenge to me and I put my bike through its paces keeping up while carefully watching and learning from him. I don't know if he enjoyed me on his tail but I enjoyed having a marker all the way into the quaint Coromandel Town.

All I kept wishing was that my wife and riding buddies were with me but I figured that I would simply use this as a good recce of the route and I have already begun to plan the day trip with them. I can't wait to enjoy this ride with friends and,  while the average speed will be somewhat slower as a group than my solo run, the fun of riding together and seeing others share this great ride is what biking is all about.

I am still surprised by the bikers I meet who've not yet done the coromandel loop and I can't fathom why. I recently watched Henry Cole's World's Greatest Motorcycle Rides on the Discovery Channel and he was travelling along desert roads in the Australian outback for hours. Well,  here I was wondering why Australian bikers are not queuing up to experience what I just have. It certainly must rival any ride in the world.

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.