Monday, November 5, 2012

Cape Reinga...Part 1.

Now here is one for the books.....I did it in a car, yep....My partner Fei  had never been there,so I  offered to take him on the bike but considering he had actually never been on a bike   I thought the prospect of 16 hours riding over three days may have been a bit much.  So being the nice guy I am, and the fact I had no plans  (interpret that as crap social life) I decided we would go in the car.

We left Friday and our first place to stay for the night would be Opononi  on the Hokianga harbour.  We bailed out of work just after three and headed north.   Sitting in the passenger seat and actually looking at the scenery was a bit of a shock, I am normally focused on my next corner, vanishing point, while exiting under controlled throttle before the rinse and repeat process begins....






In Dargiville we stopped and had a look at th the wood turner there that uses old kauri and turns  the wood  into the most beautiful items.  Many years ago Northland was covered in giant Kauri, very few remain.  Most of the Kauri now comes from the swamps where over 4000 years a go a giant Tsunami buried the Forrest.  The kauri is preserved and is now dug up and used.  No more standing kauris are allowed  to be cut down.  It is a beautiful wood, and I personally love it.









On the road again we stopped at Tana Mahuta...of King of the Forrest.  I have shown pics of this before, but thought it wouldn't hurt to show some more.  It really is a big bloody tree and the pics just don't do it justice.

We were almost at our destination for the night.   I was so enjoying being in the car for a change and noticed stuff I had just never seen before.  Although it never compares to road trips on the bike it was a pleasant change.  As the sun set we were greeted to a magic sunset Opononi is only a small town but being located right on the harbour it has it s own magic about it.   My friend Jase went wild with the camera and I have stolen a few of the best to post here....I think the pics says it all...













I think these pictures say more than I can, as usual click on them to enlarge them....they are brilliant.
We stayed in the Copthorn Hotel.  Loved it, and the food and the cooked brekkie...,man I love hotel cooked brekkies...and then we headed north...

Part  2 looked some thing like this.........




View Larger Map

21 comments:

  1. Nice pics Rog, sad there's no bikes :(

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    1. I feel your pain...infact I felt every time we went around a corner...it was great to do it in a car for a change , but you can't beat biking.

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  2. I find it kind of fun to take a road trip in the car once in a while. I know it's a strange thing for a motorcyclist to say, but I sometimes think I see more when traveling by car than by motorcycle.

    Great pictures. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. You do see a great deal more Erik, I am with you on that. But that sense of freedom is missing.

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  3. Fabulous pictures Roger.

    Some days you just need to take the car. You do get to sight see on the drive a lot more.

    And that Kauri wood is gorgeous.

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    1. Thanks Brandy. I am a great lover of our native timbers and Kauri is one of the best. I will see if I can bring you some when I visit...a little bit of NZ.

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  4. Better a road trip in a car than no road trip at all. (I certainly wouldn't mind one in a nice convertible...).
    It does look like paradise, doesn't it? I haven't been up North Island. Now I know what I missed out on. Just another reason to return one day. More pics? Keep 'em coming please.

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    1. Sonja: I am sure the mad eccentric coromandel pensioner will be along shortly to promote the advantages of convertibles over hard tops.....

      The North is well worth a trip, over three days you can cover a great deal.. I always enjoy it there...but then I enjoy just being on the road. U do realise that if you ever come back to NZ you are welcome to stay with me...bring hubby next time!.

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  5. Beautiful scenery. I like the kauri wood bowls. In some way they resemble burl bowls they sell around here.

    Any road trip is a good road trip.

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    1. Thanks Richard. I agree any trip away is great/plane/bike or car....

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  6. Awesome Rog!

    Love the photos - the Far North is such a cool area. It's 7 years since I've been up there on a bike and plans are afoot for a non-IAM standard ride *grin* with the lads next March to make up for missing our annual get-together this year.

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    1. Mate the road from Rawene to Kaitai is pretty shit to be honest, patchy and lumpy, but that would be the worst . Everywhere else is pretty good and the road to the cape is excellent. Well worth the trip. I am guessing from your comment that you will complete the 110kms from Kaitaia to the Cape in about.....43 mins...:)

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    2. Nothing wrong with that road - you shoulda been on the bike!

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  7. Beautiful scenery and fantastic photos. It is nice to take the car once in awhile to admire the scenery, until you find a nice twisty road and start making motorcycle noises wishing for the bike.

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    1. Even though i enjoyed the car ride....I missed the bike!

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  8. Beautiful. I say the same as everyone else. You just get to see more things. Actually...just different things. :)

    Wonderful pictures. Glad Jase took over...hehehe

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    1. Lori. I certainly noticed more...unless I was snoozing.....ah the joy of car travel!

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  9. Been to the Kauri Museum at Matakohe Rog? Some very cool stuff there. Also the Kauri shop at Awanui - you can by a nice dining table there for $50,000+...

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    1. Mate...It is ridiculous how much it cost now......

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  10. Those photo's are fantastic thanks for sharing them Roger. The wood turned vases and bowls look beautiful, I can see why you love that wood.

    Doing a trip like that in the car is actually not a bad idea I reckon, I can relate to seeing more and just relaxing a bit more than if you were biking.

    Part 2 is looking interesting too, cant wait!!

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    1. Thanks Brenda, glad you enjoy the pics....looking forward to seeing some of your adventures during the summer in Oz!

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