Cape Reinga Cruise - June 2010

It had been quite a stressful week. I had been checking the Metservice weather reports regularly, hoping for some good news in the 7 and 3 day forecasts – hoping that somehow, the weather reports were wrong. By Friday, I had resigned myself to a wet weekend hoping that we would get a few breaks in the weather when we really needed it.



As we woke on Saturday morning the day promised a lot and we hoped for the best. We met at the Caltex at Fanshawe Street and huddled under the canopy has a very heavy shower came down. We steeled ourselves for a wet ride – changeable, at best. We reminded ourselves that this was a winter ride and that riding in the wet was part of it. As Chopper says: Harden the F@$k UP!!!



The plan was to ride to Cape Reinga and back to Kaitaia on Saturday (via SH1) and back via Sh10 on Sunday. The challenge was to do the 550-odd kms on Saturday during before dark (approximately 5.30pm). None of us particularly liked the idea of riding remote Northland rural roads after dark.As we rode along the motorway, the skies cleared, and although the roads were wet, there was no more sign of rain. We picked up a few more riders at Orewa and took the free route. If NZTA thinks I will pay the same rate as a car to use the toll road, then they can kiss the pink fleshy bits of my ample posterior!



The weather held, and although the roads were still wet, we made really good progress northwards. The Brynderwyn Hills stand as an imposing barrier between the Auckland Region and Northland. On this ride it also represented the difference between shit weather and the fabulous climate of the winterless north. As we reached the summit and took in the spectacular views, clear blue sky and dry roads stretched out before us. No sign of the thunder storms and rain at all.We hooked up with Nonie at Whangarei (and a couple of her friends who rode to Kawakawa with us) and Rick and Julie joined us a bit further north – 10 bikes in all on our ride to the Cape. We stopped for lunch at Kawakawa and lapped up the northland sun.



I have to admit that each time I have travelled to Kaitaia, I have gone via SH10 and had never done journey on SH1. This route is pretty bland and does not match up to the coastal views along SH10. However, the twisty route between Mangamuka and Mangatiore was challenging and scenic enough.We had a good break at Kaitaia, gassed up and headed north at about 1.30pm. That allowed us 1.5 hours to the top – a good 30-45 minutes there and enough time to get home in fading light. The weather was still fantastic, the road was in pretty good nick and the views were spectacular. The last few kms to the Cape were awesome, with exposed sandy beaches coming into view on the left and right and the wonderful feeling of splendid isolation and independence that you get in Northland, especially on a bike. The Cape had changed quite a bit since the wife and I had last been there with the construction of a large landscaped carpark, eco-toilets, new walking tracks and plenty of interpretation. While this is fitting for an iconic cultural tourism site, I miss the dinky little post office that used be there, where you could send a post card, buy an ice cream and digest a mince pie. Ah nostalgia – it’s not what it used to be …





The ride back to Kaitaia was sweet. The wind and the sun was on our backs and this allowed us to ride with our visors up for the most part. Kevin lead the ride back and in typical fashion he insisted that we stop for a quick beer at the Waipapakauri pub where we were made very welcome by the locals. I’ve never enjoyed a beer more. Back at the motel, we reflected on the ride over a few more beers feeling that we had had a pretty special day.



This ride will definitely become an annual pilgrimage – albeit, at a time of year with a bit more light. On Sunday, we realised that the weather was going to catch up with us and we caught some pretty ferocious squalls between Whangarei and Puhoi, where we stopped for one last refresher and bid farewell to each other.

This was a great ride. We took a chance with the weather and it paid off. Thanks to everyone who was able to make this trip, we enjoyed the company and the relaxed riding style and hope to do more rides like this in the future.



















Attending were (in no particular order):

Scottie (Rob and Helen)
9Rider (Kevin and Kathy)
Possum1 (Alan and Liz)
TC (Terry)
Rolobiker (Elmer)
Nest4U (Nick)Nonie (Fiona)
R&J (Rick and Julie)
Traken (Colin)
Rosso (John)