Tuesday 23rd & Wednesday 24th JanuaryThe weather prospect for today, Tue-23-Jan, is not good at all. A flabby low pressure system originating from the east coast of Australia has extended a long occluding trough across the Tasman Sea, which is effecting the middle areas of New Zealand – just where we’re located! .. :o(
A high pressure system, however, is dominating the northern half of North Island – just where we’re heading .. :o)
So we decide to make a run for Ruakaka – Mark’s hometown – in the Northland Region, which is around 800 km (500 miles) away directly up SH1. Far too much ground to cover on a TransAlp over the course of just a single day, particularly through dodgy weather conditions, but a comfortable distance for two-day ride.
So we aim to get up as far as at least Taupo, or more ideally Hamilton, by early evening. We’re under way and leaving the City of Wellington by 09:30am; but within half an hour the drizzle starts – accompanied by quite a blustery westerly breeze. As I’m fed-up with getting soaked through to the skin, we soon decide pull in to the roadside township of Waikanae – the petrol tank needs refilling in any case.
After refuelling we head straight for the local ‘Warehouse’ Store and look for some cheap but robust waterproof overalls for me. Ellen is managing just fine, as I’m acting as her very own private ‘barn door’ shelter when we’re on the move. After about another 45 minutes of oohing and aahing and ‘ow’s-yer-fathering, I finally pull-the-trigger and cough-up for the cover-up gear I’m looking for. Then the rain abruptly stops? … typical! But the westerly wind starts to get viciously strong.
To cut a boring story short, we arrive in Taupo by around 5:30pm. Not really wet – but a little bit ‘damp’. I’ve had enough of leaning precariously nearside to battle and counter-balance against the gusts, so we book into a ‘value’ motel and go for a late lakeside dinner.
This being the menacing view of the weather as we look southwards across Lake Taupo … but it’s the clearest sky we’ve seen all day.
Sat-24-JanA very early start (for us :o) – 07:30am – with some light drizzle, but by 09:00am we’re drinking tea and eating blueberry muffins at a roadside café with a quarter of the 428 km (266 miles) already behind us.
By midday we’re passing through Auckland and notice the temperature rise and the general weather conditions markedly settle and improve, as we feel the effects more northerly anticyclone system.
The last 140 km (87 miles) represented some of the best riding I’ve had for days, no doubt because I’m now very familiar with the territory and roads; almost (but not quite) in the sacred rider’s ‘Zone’ – Flying like the wind; cornering as if on a Formula One race track; and yet feeling completely safe and secure .. there’s no other feeling like it.
The 1:00pm lunch at Warkworth, just 80 km (50 miles) from Ruakaka, was splendid too: Medium-rare Surf ‘n Turf, with a crisp salad and home-cut chips - followed by ...
.. Apple and Berry crumble with cream & ice-cream – Ellen has the Citrus Tart.Tomorrow we head back up to the far north of Northland towards the more [hopefully] settled weather for three days, before Ellen's return to the UK late on Saturday evening at 11:00pm.
My apologies for the lightweight amount of photographs, but the weather has made picture-taking over the last couple of days largely pointless
The first tour .. so far
