The ferry service between Picton and Wellington is a 92 km [57 mile] three-hour journey. It is a truely iconic Kiwi experience .. and has even been described as, "one of the most beautiful ferry rides in the world".Well today, Sunday March 1st, it's a truely very windy (like gale force) one! Spent plastic cola bottles getting whipped-up from the outside overloaded waste baskets .. and all too often then sent whistling across our observation deck, around head height, like out-of-control missiles at 30-40 mph [48-65 km/h] .. 'INCOMING'
.. 'DUCK!'
Rounding Pencarrow Head & Point Halswell, Wellington, on the InterIslander. A VERY windy experience indeed on this particular occasion.
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Late afternoon: safely docked at the ferry terminal, and we're soon unlashing the the Alp's tie-down straps from the lower car deck's greasy metal floor-base .. then fire-up the V-twin engine .. and gently roll into the wake of a small procession of other similarly ferrying motorcyclists - around 6 bikes in total. We all bounce and rumble across and down the ferry's steel ramp onto the tarmac sealed road outside. Ellen & I quickly get our street bearings, as we have been here several times before - and within seconds we're travelling along Aotea & Waterloo Quay Roads .. passing-by the Westpac Trust Stadium on our RH side, and speed directly towards the City Centre. It's all too familiar - in a comfy sorta way ...
.. as we head straight for THE BEST Bed & Breakfast establishment in the whole wide world
4¾ km [3 miles], about 10 minutes later, we arrive at the Oriental Bay B&B in Hay Street, Wellington .. :o) :o)---------------------------
Things have changed around this property quite a bit since last we were both here back in early January 2007 .. there's been a whole lot of building work going on ...
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.. indeed, to the extent that our super hosts, Warren & Bev Charlton, have built a brand spanking new luxury house in their front yard!
We get an extended guided tour of this spankingly new high-end dwelling ..
.. with the expectant sensational views across Oriental Bay
Later that evening the four of us go downtown to Courtenay Place, which is located right in the heart of the inner-city district of Te Aro.I think we then visited the Hummingbird Bar - a class joint by anyone's standards .. so-much-so that it's been nominated three years in a row for the "Best Ambiance Award"
Busy as ever, with my ever-present camera .. during a lull in the conversation, I turn on my bar stool and snap a shot of the bar area behind. Then immediately a strange blonde-haired woman marches across from the other side of the lounge and complains to mine hosts that we had no right to take pictures of the establishment's patrons without their permission.Huh? .. WTF?!
I really had no idea what she was ranting-on about?! BUT it did occur to me afterwards that this particularly paranoid female was either (a) in a place that she shouldn't have been in, or; (b) on drugs of some sort; or (c) .. BOTH!
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After that quite amusing little skirmish we strolled down Blair Street for no more than a minute or two until we reached the Monsoon Poon Asian Restaurant (motto:"Love U Long Time" .. :o), where the best curries and other IndoChinese fare in the world can be savoured. Trust me, they serve-up a 25 Herb & Spice Indian Lamb Curry here that would be definitely on a condemned man's last meal wishlist. It's THE best curry I've ever tasted .. by far!
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Monday, March-02
After a great night out yesterday - and after an equally great night's sleep - it's time to say goodbye to our terrific host & hostess-with-the-mostest. I expect we'll meet again one day though .. if not here, then maybe somewhere in the northern hemisphere one day.
Before we climb into our riding gear, Ellen trys on the Alp for size .. cuz if we ever do get the beast all the way up to England (as planned) then it will become her main ride .. and it fits!So it's goodbye to Warren & Bev .. thanks again for all your kind and generous hospitaily. See you again soon, we hope .. :o) :o)
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Prior to setting off for the Taranaki Region, we slip down to Wellington Airport, a distance of approx 7 km [4½ miles], about 15 minutes south from Hay Street. The purpose is to visit the Qantas Airways desk to see if we can re-arrange our flights outta Auckland in 3-4 weeks' time - both the actual departure date and the route via destinations.
But we get an uninspiring 'No go' from the Qantas clerk at WLG. Hmmmm? .. we could be in trouble here?! This is not what we were told - and assured in writing - from our UK-based travel agent. We were under the certain impression that our tickets could be changed, albeit for an admin fee of GB£50 [c. NZ$125] each. Needless to say we won't be using Travelmood 'the long-haul travel specialists for 25 years' .. AGAIN!!
Rant Over!
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Around 90 minutes [85 km - 53 miles] up State Hwy 1, we pass through the township of Otaki; 2-3 km later we get an instant reminder of our first trip to NZ during Dec '05 - Jan '06, when we stayed over for one night in Otaki on January-8th with my son, Mark, and ate dinner in this very European (Swiss) restaurant, Stephan's Gasthof (translation = "Guest place"). Fabulous food served there too, as I re-call. Ahhh .. the memories. It's closed here today though .. :o(An hour later we're passing through the oddly-named township of 'Bulls' and stop at the Information Centre in the main drag at 113 Bridge Street to drop-off a package for Warren & Bev. Delivery made - NZ AA North Island Accommodation Guide picked-up (and South Island Guide dumped) - we continue down the road for just 100 metres; turn right here and you continue up SH-1 .. but we carry-on and find ourselves heading northwest along SH-3 towards the heavily Maori-cultured City of Wanganui .. and the Taranaki Region beyond.
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Well 45 km [28 miles], about 35 minutes later, we get completely lost in Wanganui. On reflection, we must've missed our correct exit on one of the SH-3 town roundabouts, and found ourselves searching for a way out of a Commercial Industrial estate! [wish we had a GPS unit handy in these circumstances].
Around 20 minutes later, luckily we're back on the SH-3 track and heading northwest again .. PHEW!
90 km [55 miles] about 1 hour 10 mins up the road, involving some quite unremarkable riding and scenery (by Kiwi standards), Mount Taranaki - aka Mt Egmont - comes into view. We had reached the township of Hawera .. and as the time is approaching six o'clock we decide to call it a day. FYI - we find nowadays that we prefer to be 'settled-in' for the evening/night by 6:00pm.
RECOMMENDATION: If you ever find yourself in Hawera looking for motel-type accommodation, then we can highly recommend the Mount View Motel (169 Waihi Rd). Quiet location, comfortable & spotlessly clean, and fair value-for-money .. and the owner-managers, Ron & Paula, just couldn't be more obliging. Here’s a true little anecdote to describe just what I mean:
ME: "Any good places in town to eat mate?"
RON: "Yis Yis .. no worries mate .. you thinkin' of havin' a drink too? .. cuz I can drop yuz both in town, and pick ya-up too, if ya loike"
ME: "No, just some food for us tonight"
RON: "Well no worries then mate .. here, take the keys to m'car .. git yerselves downtown and back in yer own time"
ME: "Cor blimey Ron .. you serious?"
RON: "Yeah No Worries .. Sweet As". He then tosses me the ignition keys.
So there we soon were, unexpectantly driving ourselves the short distance into town in a family saloon motor car. First time in more than two years that I found myself sitting behind the wheel of a Kiwi car. UNBELIEVABLE!
Ron mate .. "SWEET AS"
:o)
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Tuesday, March-03
After a fry-up breakfast, by mid-morning [10:30am'ish], we're away from Hawera Township in fair-to-middling weather conditions and continue our coastal-hugging journey, northbound on Taranaki's 'Surf Highway' - State Hwy 45.
Just under an hour later, 64 km [40 miles], we turn left at Pungarehu and ride for 10-15 minutes down the short [5km / 3mi] track called, not unsurprisingly 'Cape Road', which leads us westwards across to Cape Egmont. Noteworthy for me to be here, I guess, as I've now visited the four 'corners' of this country that can be reached by road, i.e. (1) Cape Reinga in the far north; (2) Lookout Point at Bluff, in the far south of South Island; (3) East Cape, in the far east of North Island; and now (4) Cape Egmont.
Ellen wants to take a look around the lighthouseFrom Cape Egmont it's no more than another 45 km [27½ miles] - just under an hour's ride ..
.. around the northern face of the 2,518 metre [8,260 ft] high Mount Taranaki, with its marked resemblance to Japan's Mount Fuji, through predominantly agricultural and dairy farmland, until you arrive in the thriving city centre of New Plymouth. It's significant for me to be here too, as this city was primarily established, during the mid 19th century, to attract emigrants from England's West Country region .. which is my corner of the world, of course.Indeed, you can find familiar names like: Devon Street, Cornwall St, Somerset St, Dorset Ave, Torbay Street and Exeter Street on the New Plymouth map - which is bound to bring-on a smile to a died-in-the-wool West Countryman like me!
It's worth mentioning that in 2008 the City of New Plymouth was judged "the best place in New Zealand to live, love, work and raise a family"
Gotta love New Plymouth .. ;o)
The real bonus for us during our half-day visit to New Plymouth was the successful outcome we had when we popped into The Flight Centre to see if they could change our Qantas air tickets. We weren't holding out much hope in this department, as Qantas Airways themselves advised, just the day before, that our particular class of ticket was of the 'not negotiable' type.However, THE most charming, friendly and helpful Flight Centre advisor, Miss Jay Toa [a local Māori girl - and proud of it], spent easily the next 1½ - 2 hours, right through her lunch break, persistently making calls to Qantas Airways Head Office to see if our tickets could indeed be re-negotiated.
After the two hours Jay is reasonably certain that she can cut a revised ticket deal. She'll let us know, for sure, within the next 48 hours .. so we give her our [Richard Mansell's] mobile cell phone number. We then go around the corner and grab a cuppa tea/coffee + some cream cakes to celebrate.
It's now late afternoon and we should be on our way in the direction of where we came, that is to say, back south around the western slopes of Mt Taranaki.So we consult Peter Mitchell's book 'New Zealand Motorcycle Atlas' for an inspired alternative to SH-45. PM suggests his Ride #15 [quote]: "Whilst SH45 provides a pretty coastal route from New Plymouth to Hawera, my preference is to take the relatively quiet and narrow roads of the inland route."
The 'inland route' it is then.
We follow the Carrington Road, just south of New Plymouth, through comparitively open scenery past meadows of grazing cattle, horses and ponies that leads us into dense native forest ~~> and poorly sealed tracks that cut through a mesh of overhanging tree branches. In short, we ride straight into a maze ... and get completely bloody lost in the process, of course. Bugger!Oh my word .. for the love of a GPS unit, in these circumstances!
So we can do nothing other than ride towards the direction of the quickly setting sun, when we can see it, and attempt to keep it stationed progressively more-and-more over our right shoulder. We should be able to navigate our way back to some semblance of civilisation by adopting this approach.
Eventually the road network opens-up again and we start seeing signs for tiny hamlets named 'Makaka' ~~> 'Rowan' ~~> and 'Cardiff' .. so we know we're heading in the right direction along the very rural Openake Road, which will lead us to our preferred overnight destination of Stratford Township.
We roll into Stratford just as dusk is forming. The dormant volcano of Mt Taranaki/Egmont, looks on fire in the dwindling twilight behind us. It's been another successful day.---------------------------
Wednesday, March-04
Well I can prounounce 'Toko' - that's about it!
Just a cuppa or two of coffee/tea this morning .. and by 09:30am we start the 151km [94 mile] ride along State Hwy 43, the famous 'Forgotten World Highway' Heritage Trail. We have been told that for a taste of genuinely rural New Zealand it is hard to beat this stretch of road; it is definitely 'off the beaten track'.
Just before reaching the halfway mark we stop at the historic Whangamomona Hotel & Pub - I can pronounce only the second and third words of this place (plenty-a-practise .. ;o) - and tucked into a tray full of mid-morning coffee/tea and muffins. We needed the break by the time we reached this spot!
A little further on and we had to negotiate about a 15-20 km [9-12 mi] stretch of gravel. In these sunny conditions though the surface was well compacted and hard, so it really didn't present us with any dodgy moments.
The beauty of the Forgotten World Highway is astounding. Set against the bluest of skies on this fabulous mid/late-summer morning, the varying shades of green throughout this very rural countryside was nothing short of stunning. AND I guess we didn't encounter more than about a dozen vehicles - 20 max - during the whole 3-hour, wonderful experience.SH-43 provided us with some of the tightest and twistiest riding we encountered in North Island. Join us for 3 mins + 50 secs by watching the video above and you'll see what I mean.
[Music: 'How We Operate' by Gomez]
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After a light lunch in the quite unpronounceable (for me) township of Taumarunui, we top-up the Alp's tank and set off again, northbound.
2½ hours later - 190 km [118 miles] - we finally get to and find our overnight's accommodation in the Tasman Seaside township of Raglan.
We just missed Raglan during our whistle-stop tour of Dec '05 - Jan '06 (ran out of time), so it made sense to drop-in here on our way up to Auckland. We have heard that the sunsets hereabouts are fantastic.Anyway, around early/mid-evening we choose a restaurant on the corner of Wallis and Bow Street, which is about as close to the seashore as we could find. At 7:00pm this was the view (above). It looked like a 'so-so' sunset could be shaping-up.
By the time we had finished our meal - around 1 hour + 10 mins later - we're back on the bike and parked-up just around the corner from the restaurant on Cliff Street .. and the view has changed to this (above), which is just about THE deepest red'est sunset I've ever seen. I take a picture of the Alp, with Ellen under a tree .. she is snapping a picture too.
This is how her photo turned out. See how her camera's flash has back-highlighted the foreground (tree branch & fence) at perhaps the expense of the glorious background.Or maybe it's just that our cameras are so different (mine: Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 - Ellen's: Sanyo VPC-T700) and therefore capture colours differently .. I dunno?
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Thursday, March-05
Today, Thursday-05, we're riding the comparitively short distance of 170 km [106 miles], about a 2½-hour journey, up to the Browns Bay area of Auckland. We're gonna go see and stopover with our good friends, Paul & Gill, who live in that particular North Shore region of the City. We set off in overcast conditions. The weather forecast is predicting rain by mid-afternoon.
On the way through we stop at Meremere to grab a bite to eat and re-fuel the Alp. Then it starts to drizzle .. :o( :o(
By the time we reach Auckland's Harbour Bridge the wind has whipped-up in strength to near gale force and the rain has really started to lash-in good'n proper from the west. We then completely miss our Browns Bay slip road turn-off along the Northern Motorway! .. which means riding up the dual carriageway for another 15 km before we're able to exit and turn around at the Silverdale SH1/SH17 junction. So we travel a completely unecessary extra 30 km [17½ miles] in torrential rain & wind before finally arriving at Paul & Gill's place .. looking like a couple of drowned rats!
For the rest of the day - and the whole of the following day (Friday the 6th) - we do very little apart from lots of catching-up and socializing with our friends in their nicely appointed home, complete with private swimming pool. Just the ticket! .. :o) :o)
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Saturday, March-07
Shopping .. more socializing .. and sightseeing
Another 'free day' in the City of Sails area, so Paul takes us out, in one of his family cars, on a round-robin excursion of some of the outlying areas of Auckland.
First stop though is just down the road in the Takapuna region where Ellen and I purchase new anti-fog visor inserts for our Nolan lids at Cycletreads Bike Shop in Barrys Point Road. The originals are quite badly scratched, having seen better days with the wear & tear of riding thousands of miles during the last 2-3 years.
On the way out of the city we do a drive-by outside the Emerald Inn Motel, just to remind ourselves of the location where we stayed-over during the night of Tuesday January-10, 2006.
About 15 mins north of 'town' we by-pass the brand new Northern Gateway Toll Road, which is the last stage of the realignment and extension of the Northern Motorway between Albany ~~> and the ethnic, bohemian village of Puhoi ~~> and the Northland Region beyond.Paul takes us for visit to the Puhoi Pub, which is always well patronised by bikers, especially at weekends. It's just like walking into a party that's always well underway! .. :o) :o) :o)
Great hospitality and ambience. Nice one Paul .. we can see the reasons why you patronise this excellent establishment from time-to-time.
About 65 km [40 miles] to the southwest of Puhoi we park-up at the cliff head overlooking the wind-swept and rugged black sand coastline of Muriwai Beach. Guaranteed to blow the cobwebs away!
It's a harsh coast. Paul explains the dangers of fishing and surfing around this particular stretch of shoreline, where fatal accidents occur on a fairly regular basis. But on a more positive note, he goes on to point out that the main attraction here for many is the gannet colonies; one of only two mainland gannet colonies in New Zealand.
3 x Muriwai Beach ice creams, plus some more kilometres later, we stop-off at Paul's daughter's [Marie] new home. Dunno quite where we are at this point, but it is indeed an idylic rural setting. Marie's fiancé [Aaron] shows us around his dragster car, which is a piece of kit the likes of which I've never seen this close-up before ..
.. and it's quite a machine. I think of the fillings in my teeth .. and reckon this is one sport that is probably not for me!---------------------------
Sunday, March-08
We are heading north today - to see my son, Mark - and revisit some of our most favourite locations up in the Northland Region. So by mid-morning we bid our temporary farewells to Paul & Gill (we'll be back again in around a week's time) and set off along the very familiar northbound territory of SH-1.
Coffee/tea & muffins in Wellsford to break-up the 120 km [74 mile] journey, and two hours after leaving Auckland we pull into the car park at Bream Bay College, Ruakaka, where Mark works as a teacher. We suspect that he'll typically be working on a Sunday morning. We spot his black 'ute' ['utility vehicle', or light truck with an open body and low sides]. Kisses & hugs all round, Mark then hands us the keys to his new house in the small settlement of Kara.
A ride of no more than about 45 minutes all told through to the centre of Whangarei City, and then westwards for 13 km [8½ miles], brings us to Mark's home. He rides a motorcycle too nowadays - and that's the reason for the third helmet in the picture above.Settled into the spare room, we then go back down the road for a quick scoot around Whangarei ..
.. before Mark's return home during the late afternoon.A lot of chatting ensues through till bedtime, as we haven't seen each other for more than two years; there's a lot of news to catch-up on.
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Monday, March-09
The only friend that I haven't seen again since my last NZ visit a couple of years ago is Darryl (Applegate); one of the three riders I met during the sunny afternoon of Saturday-17 February, 2007. Paul down in Auckland, of course .. and Cap'n Stan from Vancouver BC, were the other two.
So this morning - Monday-09 - we call-in at Darryl's Whangarei-based model & hobby shop .. and have some lunch together. Another good rendezvous and link-up .. :o)
Two hours northbound riding after lunch - 142 km [89 miles] - and we arrive in Mangonui Township, Doubtless Bay, which is probably our favourite place in the whole of New Zealand. The weather is quite perfect. We soon hunt down some decent accommodation - The Waterfront Motel - and arrange a two-night stopover there. A brief excursion to Whatuwhiwhi Peninsula - and some pesky gravel roads - soon brings us back to Cable Bay ..
.. just west of Mangonui.---------------------------
Tuesday, March-10
We received final confirmation this morning that our Qantas Airways tickets had been successfully amended; albeit for an additional charge significantly more than the GB£50 /ticket we had budgeted for .. BUT this extra cost, however, is certainly a lot less than securing brand new airline reservations from scratch. We then stroll along the waterfront for an early lunch at The Galley Restaurant, 112 Waterfront Drive, Mangonui, to savour THE best fish chowder of the trip so far.---------------------------
Evening
Time for more fish .. at the 'World Famous' Mangonui Fish Shop. "Fresh as" fish ..
.. on the shop's all-weather deck. Terrific grub.
The evening view from our bedroom's private veranda at The Waterfront Motel. Darkness soon falls and we go grab a couple of DVDs from the motel's reception. One of them being Mamma Mia!, starring Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan & Co. We couldn't work out what all the fuss was about! .. ??---------------------------
Wednesday, March-11
Bike all packed-up and we start our post-breakfast journey by heading southeast back along SH-10.
Just under an hour later [60 km or 38 miles] we arrive in Keri-keri (.. so nice they named it twice! .. ;o), which is the township where I bought and acquired the Transalp back in December 2006.
I guess you could say that, after covering around 21,000 km [c. 13,000 miles] up and down New Zealand, the Alp had returned home. BUT it has been, of course .. eh-hem slightly 'modified' since it left here 2¼ years ago. For instance, 2 x new sets of tyres; new drive-chain and sprockets; 2 x new windshields; a new saddle; and nearly a completely brand new suit of black plastic!
We immediately look for a café .. and end-up in the local Subway sandwich bar in Cobham Road, which is handily almost right opposite the local Info Centre & library .. where we also catch-up for an hour or so on all our internet-related jobs.
Fully Subwayed and Internet-fixed, we get back on the road .. and 25 minutes later we arrive in Paihia, where we intend stopping-over for the night. We eventually book into a Spanish looking motel appropriately named The Casa Bella, which is obviously of a slightly better class than we were used to. Not only was there the usual milk, tea, coffee, sugar, salt & pepper .. but also chocolate coated peanuts & cashews/raisins, salted cashews etc.
FWIW, decent kiwi motels are much of a muchness, e.g. king-size bed, TV, table & chairs, double ceramic hot plate, microwave, cooker, fridge/freezer plus all the usual bright crockery and loads of cutlery; separate bath /shower room etc. The majority also have a laundry room .. and a good number have pools/spa.
Ellen's words [from her journal]: 'Having arrived at Paihia just after lunch, we unpacked the bike and headed into town, walking along the silky golden sand, the blue/green sea softly lapping the shore and glinting in the hot sun showing the many small islands in all their glory, another idyllic location. After a couple of beers we booked our tickets for a half day tour next day sailing on "Wild". We spent an hour or so walking through the busy town and then headed for a seafood only restaurant - yum yum, more chowder followed by scallops en-croute, washed down with a nice dry white wine, was expensive but very nice.'
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Thursday, March-12
Apart from a walk around the nearby Waitangi Treaty Grounds, a visit to the Bay of Islands really should include spending some time out on the water .. that's what it's all about up here. With this in mind, read on ..
Morning
We check out of our Casa Bella Motel room by 08:30am; the proprietor allows us to temporarily store our packed luggage at the back of the reception area. We then take a quiet moment on Paihia's shoreline .. anticipating our "Wild" ride in an hour's time.
We join the crowd at the embarkation point on the quay at Paihia .. BUT unlike all the rest of them ..
.. this bewdy will be our exclusive vessel for the next 4-5 hours or so - the 52ft racing yacht named "Wild"."Wild" was built to take on the offshore race circuit. She finished the notorious 1998 Sydney Hobart race and attained 1st place in her division ..
.. so no overloaded touristy motorboats for us today; we were in for some hairy sailing around the Islands.
The tour of the Bay was easily up to expectations .. and included an hour-long stopover on one of the many pretty islands ..
.. with great views .. and where
.. we eat our lunch onlooking a group of canoeing schoolkids, who are obviously part of an adventure party.
Our two young crew were very energetic pulling on the sheets, then our skipper - Tony - shouted that there was some turbulence in the waters ahead of us .. and all of a sudden we were amongst a pod of large Bottle-nose dolphin, who were enjoying playing around the boat and were spectacularly jumping out of the water in the process.
Apart from our very competent young crew, we had the whole boat to ourselves. Normally such an exclusive charter like this would cost three times as much as we paid. We just got lucky, I guess.What a great day .. :o) :o)
Well satisfied with our choice of activity in the Bay of Islands, later that afternoon we ride the 85-km [53-mile] journey back to Mark's place where we stay the night.
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Friday, March-13
There's a special family living 'somewhere' in the Auckland area who I've wanted to look-up for some time now. Maybe they've moved on again since emigrating to NZ from England's South Coast region way back in 2002 .... I dunno? .. but during this visit I'm determined to find out, one way or another.
I'm refering to the Massingham clan, whom I lodged with in their Bournemouth-based hotel from November-1997 -to- March-1999. Should've only been a temporary accommodation arrangement for maybe 2-3 weeks during which time I intended searching for another apartment/flat to rent; but my stay with the Massinghams ended-up lasting 17 months! And good times they were too .. :o)
I have fond memories of living with Bob & Rose .. and especially the many times I spent socialising with their son, Jeremy. Plenty of laughs and rib-tickling always going on back in those days. Indeed, I guess it would be fair to say that we all lived together as one extended family at the time.
'Massingham' is not an overly common name, so tracking them down shouldn't be too difficult, should it? .. that is, IF they're still living in or around Auckland. The North Shore area of the City is where I remember Bob telling me they intended moving to .. a brand new house as I re-call that backs onto a golf course, with uninterupted sea views out front. So NZ's White Pages phone book would be a good place to start my investigations!
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163 km [100 miles] after leaving Mark's home up in Northland .. by early evening, we locate an address in up-market Gulf Harbour along the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, just north of Auckland, which we think is THE place we're looking for, as it matches the only Massingham listed name in the phone book. With sea view frontage - and right next to a golf course .. gotta be a good bet, right?!
We'll try a make-or-break surprise visit tomorrow morning.
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Saturday, March-14
The following morning, Saturday 14th .... BINGO!
What a reunion .. :o)
Sadly Jeremy is not around though, as he is, quite naturally, now living with and spending all his time alonside his Melbourne-based finacée, Carol. It's understandable, of course, that Jerry should be with his sweetheart, especially as their wedding day is now less than three months away .. an event that will take place in early June .. they obviously have much to plan and organise beforehand.
Nevertheless, maybe someday in the not-too-distant future, we can all finally get-together again.
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Sunday, March-15
Last night, after too many alcoholic beverages .. and too much Chinese food .. and a lot of reminiscing over previous times shared and what has occurred during our respective lives since ..
.. we awake the following morning from a wonderful night's sleep in a king-sized bed (formerly Jeremy's private en-suite bedroom).
This is the first time I've ever seen, let alone experienced, a two-person shower room .. what sumptuous luxury!
Then we get to enjoy another couple of servings - just like the countless others we ate back in the late 1990s - of hugely-proportioned full-on English breakfasts.BUT HOW Rose longs for a decent British banger (sausage) that, for some reason, Kiwi butchers just don't seem to successfully make down here. Bob & Rose clearly do miss some of England's querky and uniquely British traditions .. hand-made Cumberland pork sausages are obviously near the top of their list!
Hugs and kisses all round .. and heartfelt promises to keep in touch more regularly from now on, we say our goodbyes around 09:30am and head-on down to Paul & Gill's place in the Browns Bay area of the City (Auckland).
Thank you so much for the wonderfully warm welcome, Bob & Rose .. we hope to see you again one day soon.
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Shortly after meeting-up with Paul we both ride down to the Whitford area of the City where Paul has kindly fixed me up with a new temporary home for my bike. Within a couple of weeks she'll (probably) be living, for maybe up to 12 months, in a fellow biker's - Rob's - huge workshop in southeast Auckland. So one more will join his stable ..
.. just at the bottom of this very steep approach lane down into Rob's work den.Paul & I then ride back to Barrys Point Road, Takapuna, Auckland where, despite this being a Sunday, we have nevertheless pre-arranged the fitment of new Continental 'Escape' tyres on the Alp at the now familiar Cycletreads Bike Shop. My Bridgestone 'Trail-Wings' have justabout had it. I've read some good reviews about Conti Escapes, so I thought I would give them a go. Let's hope they're an improvement over the Bridgestone rubber.
Later - around lunchtime - on brand new not-yet 'scrubbed-in' tyres, and not a half kilometre from Paul's home in Browns Bay ..
.. I collect my first Kiwi speeding ticket - that comes with a whopping great fine of NZ$230.00 [c. GB£95.00]!
[feck]
Maybe I should have gone to church this morning instead of kicking around with tyres? At least the b?stards can't endorse my UK driver's licence with penalty points, we all agreed upon that, including that nice Police Officer number SCY619.
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Later that afternoon Ellen & I rode back to southeast Auckland, the Howick district in particular, for some late lunch at the Barrel Inn, Cook Street ..
.. and to see Donna (& mum Val), another one of my former landladies. I lodged with Donna & Val, for four weeks back in December 2006, during which time I looked for a bike to buy and sort out my itinerary for the next four and a half months. I also spent a further one week in April '07 before I left New Zealand during that particular long-stay visit.
Good kind folks. More good memories.---------------------------
As the warm afternoon was drawing to an end, and as all of our business and visits were well sorted, we then headed-on down south to the Coromandel Peninsula, which is another one of our most favourite regions of NZ. We arrived quite late in the evening in the old gold mining town of Thames; and being a Sunday evening everything including the restaurants and pubs etc closed at 8:00pm on the dot, it was like a ghost town by the time we arrived. Luckily we managed to secure our accommodation in one the local hotels - The Imperial Hotel - just before they closed for the night.
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Monday, March-16
The Coromandel = Great motorcycling country.
Although only 125km from Auckland the Coromandel Peninsula provides a mecca for bikers; it offers loads of twists and turns, convoluted hills and pretty bays with challenging varieties of corner-carving delights. The east coasts beaches are easily among some of the best in New Zealand. The route from Thames follows the pretty Pohutukawa-clad coastline, bay after bay, corner after corner hugging the seashore after which it then begins to climb inland providing splendid views over the Firth of Thames to the township of Coromandel .. which is the only place we know of that plants the town's telegraph poles in the sea or on the beach!We then headed for Whitianga for a two night stay.
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Tuesday, March-17
In the morning we ride out to the clifftops leading to Cathedral Cove; a visit to which ultimately entails ..
.. a 45-minute walk up hill and down dale ..
.. to reach the steps that lead down to the golden sandy Cathedral Cove beach with rollers crashing in. It was well worth the walk though.
We were surprised at the number of people that had bothered to make the effort on this really hot day. We made sure, of course, that we had smothered ourselves in SPF 30+ to prevent sunburn, which can be vicious (and dangerous) in these southern - near Antarctic (ozone hole) - latitudes.
The cathedral cave is quite impressive ..
.. but you cannot walk through it until after high tideCathedral Cove in motion
The equally long walk back .. too much darn 'up hill' in this direction! ..
.. so we stop for a breather at Stingray Bay.Stingray Bay in motion
If you've got a couple of hours spare, then it's definitely worth the trek to Cathedral Cove and its annexed bays. You get an air of the grandeur to this whole stretch of coastline.---------------------------
About 10 km [20-25 minute ride] south we arrive at Hot Water Beach .. bidofa clue in the name as to what this place is all about!
It's 2½ hours after high tide, so we hire a spade from the local shop ..
.. and wander across the beach to the cliff rocky outcrop and join the gathering group of around 50 other people (mainly young travellers /student types) where hot springs allegedly filter-up through the sand.
We've heard that steam can be seen here rising from the open sea at high tide. 
Hot pools can be dug out of the sand and in the right places you can create your very own own geothermal-heated beachside bath. Find the exact right spot .. twist down six inches or so (like you did last summer ;o) and you can end-up actually scalding the soles of your feet. OUCH! .. Unbelievable!Hot Water Beach is also known as a good surfing venue; indeed, there were a handful of surfers out catching waves during the afternoon. But the self-dug hot mineral pools - a legacy of the area's geothermal past - is what this place is all about. It's definitely worth a visit.
Towards the end of the afternoon we ride back to our motel in Whitianga.
'Tis been another grand day out.
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Wednesday, March-18
Our two day stay in Whitianga completed .. and this morning we were on our way eastwards, along the shore-hugging road of SH-2 ~~> across the Bay of Plenty, to yet another seaside township ~~> Whakatane.
Upon arrival in Whakatane, during the early-mid afternoon, we booked into a super little motel and Ellen straightaway reserves her ticket to travel out the following day to volcanic "White Island".
That evening, we 'retired' to the local sports bar that occupies almost the entire ground floor of The Commercial Hotel .. and strike-up a really fascinating conversation with the Chairman of regional finance firm 'Maori Investments Limited', Mr Tamaoho Waaka Vercoe. I couldn't help remarking to Tam that his surname 'Vercoe' was a proper good ol' Cornish name. He knew this, of course .. and then recalled his past visit(s) to my home county in remarkable detail. Indeed, the bloke was more knowledgeable about Cornwall than I was! Top geezer though .. and funny too; we really enjoyed his company for an hour or so.---------------------------
Thursday, March-19
Ellen's own words [from her personal journal]:'We have been so lucky with the weather, and our luck was holding out once more. Keith had already visited White Island, so he had a lazy day in the Internet cafe whilst I caught my boat out to New Zealand's only active marine volcano. I climbed aboard PeeJay V for a six hour Eco-adventure; we came across a pod of Common Dolphin on our way out who were jumping and diving around the boat, they stayed with us for around 10 minutes and were fascinating to watch. It took one and a half hours to reach White Island - hard hats and gas masks were essential pieces of equipment and if not worn you could not step foot upon this unique volcano'..
'.. I discovered an ever evolving landscape of hissing fumaroles, glittering crystals, unusual rock formations and hot thermal streams, we also ventured to the edge of the spectacular crater where our guide explained the workings of the volcano and pointed out evidence of past eruptions and lahars. We explored the ruins of the historic sulphur mining factory and learnt about the catastrophes and the final demise of the mining operation, this guided tour took around two hours, then we were back on the boat and were served with a packed lunch whilst we sped back towards Whakatane. Another super day.'---------------------------
Friday, March-20
Time to get going again; this time southwest['ish] and ultimately towards the lakeside township of Taupo. We stop off in geothermal Rotorua along the way, just to take another look around. Dunno why really, as Rotorua is without doubt THE major destination of North Island - perhaps the whole of NZ - for both domestic and international tourism. It therefore has all the usual commercial trappings to cater for a BIG turnover of tourists. Yunno what I mean.
But we stayed the night in Rotorua in any case.
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Saturday, March-21
Late the following morning (Sat-21st) we scoot the short distance across to Mount Ngongotaha and take a gondola ride up to Skyline Skyrides .. and just missed [too late] the reportedly excellent buffet luncheon. Bugger! So we eat sandwiches + packets-a-crisps instead .. :o( :o( .. whilst watching others race down the mountainside luge track.During the afternoon we travel the short distance - 80km [50 miles], just over an hour's ride - southwards to the township of Taupo.
Taupo is principally another tourist centre, particularly in the summer, as it provides the perfect outlook for panoramic views across Lake Taupo .. and to the volcanic mountains of Tongariro National Park in the south. It offers all the usual summertime activities you would expect, including sky diving, jet boating and paragliding.
This glorious Saturday afternoon, as we walk alongside the town's northern lakeshore, I try to persuade Ellen to 'have a go' at paragliding .. almost convinced her too!BUT determinedly unconvinced, Ellen & I wander into the town's street network and impulsively book a ride on a jet boat instead.
Around 4:15pm we're kitting-up for our 80 km/h [50 mph] ride with Hukafalls Jet Co.Nerves start to tingle[?!]
Before opening the throttle our skipper gets all the passengers to pose for the firm's camera .... then WE'RE OFF .. on a half-an-hour's worth of thrills, fun and excitement alongside the native bush-lined river bank ..
.. often spinning 360°
.. sometimes incredibly close to sheer rock cliff faces .. 
.. before getting the best vantage point, at water level, to view the Huka Falls.
BRILLIANT FUN! .. :o) :o)---------------------------
Sunday, March-22
An 'at ease' day today ..
.. just relaxing and strolling around the lake shore ..
.. with not a care in the world.---------------------------
Monday, March-23
Back in mid-January 2006, during our first whistle-stop tour of NZ, we stayed over in a homely Bed & Breakfast in Te Kuiti; a township located right in the heart of 'King Country'. Our hospitable and obliging B&B hosts at that time were Margaret and Graham.
So this time around we were very please to learn that Margaret and Graham are still in the B&B business. We had the perfect place to head for from Taupo.
FWIW, Te Kuiti promotes itself as the "Sheep Shearing Capital of the World" and is host to the annual New Zealand National Shearing Championships. We wanted to return to Te Kuiti, however, specifically to pay a second visit to the Glow Worm caves in nearby Waitomo. By two o'clock in the afternoon, after a nice little 132 km [82 mile] northwest run from Taupo, we're parked-up in Margaret and Graham's driveway. They're both just as warm and friendly and helpful as the first time we met them more than three years ago.
M&G have made some significant improvements to their property since our last visit. This becomes obvious as we're ushered into our nicely refurbished bedroom .. complete with a brand new northeast facing fully-decked veranda.Even the cat remembers us from last time!
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TIP: Rather than visiting the highly commercial 'Waitomo Glowworm Caves' complex (the place we went to three years ago - the typical "tourist" icon), M&G suggests - indeed highly recommends - that we go with the alternative tour operator, 'Spellbound'.
We agree, of course. After all, if the 'Spellbound' option was good enough for Sir David Attenborough to feature in his BBC TV series 'Planet Earth' and 'Life in the Undergrowth', then it was good enough for us too!
And so by four o'clock we start our 3+ hour duration 'off the beaten track' tour.
Ellen's own words [from her personal journal]:'Again a fantastic experience, the glowworm cave did not disappoint, the boat trip through the first cave was amazing and was such good value for the money, our guide Russ then walked us to ..'
I wish I were a glow worm,
A glow worm's never glum.
'Cause how can you be
grumpy, when the sun shines
out your bum?!
'the second cave tour, so not only in the glowworm cave but also a further dry limestone cave which was choc-a-bloc with all sorts of formations from stalactites to curtains to all sorts, Russ's knowledge of the area was so informative and made the whole trip really enjoyable.'---------------------------
Tuesday, March-24
Back to Auckland.
The obvious, and quickest, route back to the City is to head north up SH-39 for about 100 km [62 miles]; then pick-up SH-1 just south of Huntly and scoot further north all the way into Auckland.
However, we were looking to make our way back via a diversion to Matamata Township specifically to look around 'Hobbiton', the mythical village and home of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins where Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings' movie trilogy begins. M&G, however, rate this idea as 'so-so', because the location has now been more-or-less restored to its original natural state and is just a mere remnant of the film set layout. Bidofa tourist 'rip-off' really.
So we take their advice, of course .. bid our farewells, and head across that way in any case, as Ellen wants to visit the precious gem factory in Ngatea.
175 km [107 miles], around 2½ hours later, we arrive in the little township of Ngatea. Ellen is not impressed with the gem factory /warehouse though. Good job there was no entry fee involved, I s'pose.
Anyway, it doesn't matter. We have plenty of time on our hands .. and it was a nice ride .. and good to pass through Te Ahora (first time) - and Paeroa (second time, at least).
A further 1½ hours riding brings us back to Paul and Gill's place in Browns Bay on Auckland's North Shore. It is indeed good to see them again. By late afternoon Ellen is cooling off from the heat of the day in their private pool.
English pub grub in the Speakers Corner Ale House later that night. :o)---------------------------
Wednesday, March-25
Our last full day in New Zealand .. well, at least for the next 11-12 months or so.
A few last minute chores to take care of before we catch our big silver bird across the Tasman Sea to Australia tomorrow morning. In advance of her winter's hibernation, the bike needs a good wash down before handing the keys over to Paul; she'll be in his care and safekeeping until our return next year. He takes the opportunity to threaten me with a hose-down shower during the process .. [mental note: must change my deodorant!]One or two more final jobs; like posting back Richard's [Mansell] mobile-cell phone to him in, down in Christchurch, South Island. Nice loan that was Richard, many thanks mate .. ;o)
As our Trans-Tasman flight takes-off early tomorrow morning at 05:45, Thursday-26th .. there seems little point in going to bed! .. particularly as we need to check-in with the carrier, Qantas, a couple of hours earlier at 03:45.So at around midnight Paul drives us down the motorway, passing the Sky Tower en route, to the airport.
I just can't explain, in the right words, just how much of a bloody good bloke Paul is. A real diamond, that's all can say.
Paul & Gill, thanks for all your priceless help and support ..
.. and Paul, see you in less than three months' time, up in Blighty, on Midsummer's Day - June-21 (Summer Solstice); and the longest day - right in the middle of our northern hemishere summer, at the 2009 Horizons Unlimited Meeting, Lumb Farm, Ripley in Derbyshire. 'Tis gonna be good .. :o)
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Move with us to Western Australia
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