The trip was planned, as best as you can on the other side of the world, all I had to do was get on the plane and go. With my 16 pound backpack, with tent and tools, I caught the plane and was off to Vancouver then LA, stopping at 3am, for a 10 day stop in Fiji. I had plans for diving, so the thought of getting a bike there was not practical enough and thought with the cheap bus system running around the island it will be enough. I should have gotten a bike was my thought when I left but enjoyed every minute on the island even without one. Soon enough I would have wheels again I thought as I landed in Auckland. Within 50 hours of my arrival in Auckland I had acquired a 1984 Yamaha XJ750. In another 6 hours I had a pack rack, helmet and a tank bag. By this point the city traffic had enough of me getting use to riding on the left side of the road so I set to leave Auckland for a few days while I awaited for my papers in the mail.
Now for the people who have not heard, the roads of New Zealand are motorcycle roads. Twisty, hilly and to the point of dangerous when wet and with on coming cars in your lane you do not get bored riding here. The scenery is so incredible that you don’t know which you want to enjoy, the sites or the ride? Can you do both safely? My first, 6 day trip out of Auckland up the northern part of the island, was full of seeing the island and the back roads, which ran along the coast. The days were full, as it was possible to camp nearly anywhere, so Id ride until sunset, with the complete feeling of freedom. I went down logging roads and ninety mile beach. Now, ninety mile beach is worth a mention. It is really about 89 miles, but that is not that important. What is important is that a fair number of tourists try driving down the beach and end up getting stuck or even losing their vehicles to the sand and water. You can even run across some of the wrecks in the right tide. In saying that, when is the right tide? Well apparently it is not at 6 in the morning this time of year. As I had found my self dead ended by the tide and needing to turn around and go back the way in which Id come. Easy right? Well it is if you don’t hit the soft sand, which pulls your back wheel into it like quick sand. With a 1/2 barrier rear wheel, the tide about 2 feet away and no one in sight, I thought this could be extremely funny to someone to come across and I would have liked to take a picture of the event if the camera was not currently under the bike. Hey wait, is the water getting closer or is that just me?
As the water approached, I searched the empty beach for anything to put under the tire for traction, this yielding nothing, I look at what I had at hand and used my bag. As an end result, after 40 minutes of effort to get the bike on top of the sand and upright at the same time, I just managed. At that point I rushed to get the camera out to take a picture of the event before the water washed the evidence and me away, then getting off the beach. Thinking this was not enough excitement for one day, I thought Id head up the narrow gravel road to the most northern tip of New Zealand - Cape Reinga. Did I just mention the road is gravel and narrow, with big tour busses rushing down them at 80km/h, while Im doing 60 at the best of times?
When I got to Cape Regina, after taking pictures and avoiding being driven off the road by the busses. I stopped to talk to one of the bus drivers, who was kind enough not to try and run me over. He said that most of the drives don’t have much patience for having their time tables upset. He also mentioned that I could follow him down the beach. When I thanked him for the offer, saying I had been there this morning he was surprised I wasn’t still down there in the tide. 'You got off lucky, Id have to say' was his remark. After getting my fill of pictures and looking around, it was time to head back down the road, Id just come on. I was beating the busses this time, as they where stopping for Lunch with the tourists. Next stop Waipoua Forest, with its windy twisty road and kauri trees.
