A little bit of NZ

dougman1

Part of the furniture
Here's a few pics of recent travels to the best little country in the world.
The weather, was good and bad. But mostly good. The beer was cold and the sights were glorious.

Inward bound to Auckland, views of Waiheke Island:

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Our transport soon had us on the North Shore where just down the road from our digs, was the most magnificent establishment.

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The beer map had me intrigued and I instantly dreamt of a cunning ride to all these places :scull:

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With 40 beers on tap, I was feeling anxious. Have we peaked too early? Will this be the pinnacle of the trip. How could anything be so magnificent as this... the head was spinning! :chug:

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These 2 chaps were equally stumped. Nirvana!

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The tucker was divine as well!

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Nasty fuel prices in Auckland. I think Aucklander's have the joy of paying an extra 10c per litre. Still it's exxy aye!

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dougman1

Part of the furniture
The second morning I met up with a mate who had this on loan from Honda NZ.
The other lads took a van ride out to the west coast beaches, and I had to suffer being pillioned to breakfast.

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Then it was off to the bike hire to pick up my Chariot for the trip. An oldie, but a goodie!

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Then that afternoon, the Beer place lured us back again.

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It was a beautiful evening arriving back at our digs .

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The next morning however... RAIN! :thun

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We set off for a rather damp motorway run through Auckland. It didn't really matter, we were off! :clap: Clear of the city the clouds parted and out came the sun. Life was GOOD! :thumbs:

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dougman1

Part of the furniture
We were on track for Thornton Beach, about 16km out of Whakatane on NZ's East Coast. And the sunshine had been replaced as we passed through Rotorua.

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A sunken jetty at Lake Rotoiti
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One of the 2 cabins we had for the night. Cosy spot as the rain hammered down throughout the night.

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It was still pleasant out on the verandah in the evening. 1st day successfully done!

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dougman1

Part of the furniture
Moutohora Island, just off the coast, looks moody with the showers and low cloud passing by.

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We were riding the Motu Rd for the day! The Motu river is a popular river for white water rafting. The conditions were such that we didn't see the river!

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I knew there was a river, other than the one running down my spine at this point!

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See Australia, you could be lush and green like this too, if you'd just let it rain!

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Made it to the township of Motu. :clap:

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dougman1

Part of the furniture
For crying out loud! This in Matawai... go on check it out on google maps.
In the middle of fekking nowhere. An E charging station. Checking to see if there was a plug on the DR! I mean you've seen the price of petrol!

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So we were feeling green, and took a detour to an Arboretum. Unfortunately they wanted $10 head to see some trees. Were like, these trees are good!!

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Location supreme though!

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We were heading for Tuai and Lake Whakamerino where we had some accom for the night.
Stopped at a nice waterfall along the way.

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And there we were, Lake Whakamerino!

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dougman1

Part of the furniture
Lake Whakamerino Lodge, an excellent choice to stay. Former dam workers accomodation, now run by the local Maori trust. A cooked dinner, and cooked breakfast, kinda heavenly really!

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A snore pit, fit for a King! Old school but very comfy accomodation!

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Early morning on the lake.

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We needed fuel, the closest was at lake Waikerimoana about 20 kms away.

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The views made up for the fact that our incredible wealth, had in fact been diminished completely at that last fuel stop. :bs

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It's wild, raw and spectacular.

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So peaceful in the lee of the Harbour

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dougman1

Part of the furniture
And you leave one spectacular place, and guess what. There's more!

Riding the Ridge Line!

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You can imagine this corner, a rally car drivers dream. Thankfully we didn't encounter any!

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A quick regroup to contemplate the awesome gravel roads.

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Every valley has a river running through it.

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And the road was blocked. Road works! Nah bro, just go up that way, it's awesome. And it was!

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Taking us to the main road into Napier. Interesting Whare eh? Thats where you'd store your Kai. :bt

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dougman1

Part of the furniture
We then checked out Napier, NZ's Art Deco capital. Just a quick ride through so no pics. Then on to Te Mata Peak, just out of Hastings.

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With the Te Mata Peak Winery on the valley floor.

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We had a pleasant time chatting to the locals and admiring the views.

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There was even a hang glider launch ramp, for those that were eager to get to the winery for lunch!

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We pressed on for the township of Waipawa. Stopping for a pint at the Patangata Tavern. A very cosy spot too I might add. :scull:

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Then on to our digs at Waipawa.

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The sun sets in Waipawa as we ready for dinner.

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dougman1

Part of the furniture
Now Waipawa isn't the liveliest town. We just made it to the Takeaways before they closed at 7 pm. Nice evening for a stroll though!

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Next morning we found a coffee shop that was open. Man these places smell of cooking fat. Luckily, we choose to sit outside.

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Then we were off to the beach. Blackhead Beach to be precise.
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Country lanes to mesmerise you as you drive to the beach.

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An unscheduled stop, while Daisy and her mates were being relocated to greener pastures.

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asphalt

Tassie...where tyres are flat and nights are long
Pretty nice.... Doug!
Thanks for sharing. Can't wait for more pics:gday:
 
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