"Reloaded"



Some spectacular vistas of New Zealand

Some spectacular vistas of New Zealand
These are just a tiny sample of the views I experienced during my last visit to New Zealand in late December '05 and January '06. So it is easy to see why I am drawn back to this beautiful country ...

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

The Last Girl Guide …

Saturday, January 27th

So today is the last day of Ellen's near month-long stay in New Zealand. And the weather is perfect.

After waking up we soon start nursing our older - and then discover a few newer - overnight mozzie bites .. :o( :o( .. we then head back eastwards along the mainly coastal SH10 road to The Bay of Islands and pass straight through Paihia Township to the Opua-Okiata ferry; arriving at Opua just in time to ride straight on to the tail end of the ferry, without so-much as a stop. The Trannie is the very last vehicle to squeeze onto the busy vessel, which is skippered and conductor-attended by two very sunburned middle-aged Gestapo-type women - who you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley - if ya get my drift! .. ;o)

Around five minutes is all it takes to cross the narrow stretch of water to Okiata, where most tourists would then typically turn left into Russell Township.

But we turn right and travel along the mostly coastal 'Russell Road', which offers a variety of twisting scenic tarsealed motorcycling.

We stop for a [eh-hem] 'breath of fresh air' .. and ...

.. simply admire and take-in the glorious views





Yunno, you can have just too much of a good thing sometimes. The 90-minute ride (including a couple of breaks) along the Russell Road to meet-up with the much busier southbound SH1 again involved full-on concentration, as the twisties just didn't stop coming. Corner after corner ~~> bend after bend ~~> turn after turn. I'm almost ashamed to say that it was good to get back onto SH1 just to travel for more than 250 metres in a straight line - Phew! What a relief!!

IMHO – The Russell Road is highly recommended for motorcyclists. It's very demanding; offers some great scenery; BUT watch-out for the loose gravel - of which there is plenty - AND the road kill. I've never seen so many dead opossums in a 66 km (41 mile) stretch of road before.

The last three days' riding around the Far North of Northland. colour-coded for your convenience. 700 km (435 miles) in total.

BLACK for Thu-25
RED for Fri-26
BLUE for Sat-27

Click-on this link for a more blown-up view that'll be easier to read. Hit the F11 function key, if you want to be a real smart-arse .. ;o)

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Later in the evening, back in Ruakaka, we pack the bike with all of Ellen's possessions, and an overnight bag for me; then make the 2-hour ride down to Auckland International Airport, where we say our goodbyes.

Her Air NZ flight takes off on time and I return to the very same nearby motel in which I stayed during my first night in Auckland back on Saturday, the 2nd of December last year. Nearly two months ago.

Now I face the prospect of the next two months ahead - riding around this fine but remote country again for a second time ... entirely on my own.

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We've just done the 'Beaten Track' all around New Zealand. I hope any reader of this blog-journal took at least a litle enjoyment from the adventure.

Now, for me, it'll soon be time to go 'Off the Beaten Track'.

So stay tuned, as I'll be back on the road again after a few restful days here in sunny Ruakaka.

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AND WHO'S GONNA DO ME WASHIN 'AN IRONING NOW ... AN' EVERFING - HUH?? .. JUST WHO, THAS-WOT I WANNA UNDERSTAND?? .. As I've just lost the best Girl Guide I know!! .. :o(

BTW - Does anyone know if they have a 'Bob-a-Job Week' down here in Kiwiland?

Treaty Ground Treat – and Paradise thereafter

Friday, January 26

The following morning we awoke to a mixed bag of weather; certainly unsuitable for a snooze and swim at the close by beaches, so we decide to head southeast and down across the top of the Far North region, via SH1 - the quickest route - to the Bay of Islands and the Treaty Grounds of Waitangi Township in particular. The purpose of this excursion was not to see the locality, as we had visited Treaty Grounds last year in January ('06).

The pictures immediately above and below are from last year's visit.



Instead it would be good idea - so we thought - to see the resident Maori cultural group entertain and inform us with 'a journey' in traditional and contemporary story and song. We wanted to attend the 2.30pm performance.

We mistakenly believed that we were to be entertained in the Maori Meeting House, for a 2-hour long dramatic, live musical - but sadly we were wrong .. :o(

The BIG cultural show occurs during the evening - and oddly, for some reason or other, not on Fridays.

So, what we saw was a cut down version - to just 30 minutes - of what we wanted to see, but nevertheless it was still well worth the NZD $12.00 (GBP £4.26) admission fee.

.. Haka

Immediately after the show had finished we then decide to re-visit what is probably one of our most favourite regions of New Zealand - the Doubtless Bay area - especially the township of Mangonui and its wonderfully peaceful nearby sandy bays & coves - and where here at Coopers Beach ...

... you can fish from the shore ..

... or go swim in the warm sea .. or ..

.. just do - well? .. bugger-all! .. :o)



We check-in to the motel in which we stayed last year - the Acacia Lodge - and ..

.. then make the short walk to the self-proclaimed "World Famous" fish 'n chip shop, which served us up two helpings of ultra fresh battered and deep fried Blue Nose (WTF?) fish and a couple of side orders of spring rolls and salads - but sadly the dozy-cow shop assistant forgot about our helping of chips! and I gets right teasy!! .. :o(

Dusk approached fast as we walked further into the village centre ...

.. and order a Crème Brûlèe dessert (for Ellen) and a bleak-woite coffee (pour moi) from another restaurant

On our return the motel we passed these highly perfumed white trumpet-shaped flowers hanging over the pavement from a roadside garden tree. Just what are these sweet-smelling flowers? I certainly would love to have a tree like this growing in my back yard. What an astonishing fragrance the flowers emit! .. :o)

SUMMARY: Sub-tropical Mangonui is definitely still one of our favourite places in the whole wide world.

Shame about the mozzies though! .. :o( :o(