Adventure Riding over PRIVATE Maori Tribal Lands - 15th September 2012

NEW: 15th September - Visit Privately-Owned Maori Tribal Lands,  Spend your day riding forestry tracks and trails, gravel roads and 4 x 4 trails.  Lunch provided along with Turangi based accommodation and dinner. 

For Registration to our ride visit our website to place your entry:

http://www.northerngraveladventureridersnz.com/new-adventure-rides.html

A flyer is now available at the bottom of the above link.

http://www.northerngraveladventureridersnz.com/sept-15thnew-taupo-tribal-lands-adventure.html

F650GS and I visit the BLUE LAKES

Beautiful, but cold day my F650GS and I make our way out to visit the historic Blue lakes. 

Team Green - The Growing "Green Contingent Amongst Us"

Team Green - The Growing "Green Contingent Amongst Us"

As our Ride Group has now expanded due to the many varied and interesting areas that we have been working hard to add into the mix for our "New Ride Group", both Jim and I have noticed the growing models of machinery that are now attending our planned events.  Wonderful to see so many varied machines onboard now.  As Our Ride Group grows, so do the colours in attendance.  High time to "Spotlight Team Green Amongst Us".......  TEAM GREEN is making a presence.  The numbers at our "NEW CONCEPT" rides is a great marker to the testament of the growing popularity of our Adventure Riders GROUP that Jim and I run.

GS Giants - BMW 1200cc attends Adventure Training

Attending our Adventure Training Course at the weekend, the mighty GS Giant was put through its paces with many varied exercises to hand.  Here, the braking power that could be tapped into was evident as we called these big bikes to undergo many braking exercises.  The big bike was bought precisely to a stop utilising the massive on-hand braking power that this big machine has to hand.  The big GS took all front and rear braking in its stride.

  Tackling those tree roots and heading into Forestry hq.

Shifting the weight on those footpegs and making light work of it also.



GS Giant seen here on the plateau heading in to complete more braking exercises
It was very overcast on the plateau with the pine forest surrounding us

visit our website for details on our upcoming Adventure Rides

www.northerngraveladventureridersnz.com

we are also on facebook

Northern Gravel Adventure Riders NZ



OPOTAKA Explore - "Jess and Sue Adventures"

Jim and Tim had left to go adventure riding with our two adventure bikes for the day which left Sue and Jess also looking for some form of adventure daytrip.

A Small WaterHole that had frozen into solid Ice

 "Where Does That Road Lead To", -  Doesn't just have to stop short as we are short on two wheeled machines.  Owning a cruiser opens another whole new world of opportunities, and most certainly provided the two of us with  tracks and trails to take in.  The four wheel drive capability of our Land Cruiser presented us with one very exciting day. 


Now, where to start.  Amazing when you drive around the countryside you start to notice those road signs that lead off out into bush covered areas, and well,   the Cruiser did some exploring of its own.   We left Taupo and headed out around the Southern side of Lake Taupo, a wonderful world opened itself up and we found many 4 x 4 trails that I was able to truck the cruiser over.  The weather conditions freezing cold and around minus four, enroute out to National Park we decided to head off the main road that led us into Opotaka and the site of a Maori pa and home for the Maori people many years ago. 

OPOTAKA - The Home of A Maori Pa Site

The days icey and freezing conditions had left their mark over this area.   Parking the Cruiser and venturing up the pathway that took us to the pa and Maori village site we found several of these patheways were covered in solid ice in parts, and many of the mud puddles we drove through were frozen over also.   The wheels of the 4 x 4 crunched and crackled over the frozen iceways.  Jess attempted to "Walk On Ice" at one point and it was thick and solid.  Amazing, I have visited these areas often and have never seen iced water holes.


One of the trails leading past the dam - frozen and crisp with ice

The views today STUNNING - cool crisp and plenty of snow on the mountains

A Gravel Road That Leads Out To A Fishing Spot At The Waters Edge

Welcome to Opotaka - Home Of Historic Maori Pa Site

Taking in some of the history before we make our way up to check out the Pa

RUA - Storage Pit - Used to store and Contain Food

Historic PaSite Looks Out Onto Stunning Views







Push Bike Adventures - Preparing For Summer

Belted Galloway youngsters basking in a patch of sunshine

Walking into my garage and looking at my road bike, the thought that we have now had our shortest day is etched into my mindset.  Time to get that pushbike out of the shed, and hit the seal....  I don't normally enoy push biking on our roads as even our villages now have become very busy with the additional population base pushing out further into our country areas also.   Where to head off out to today,  to avoid some of the traffic and start collecting kilometres on my distance meter on my bike.  All of these kilometers that I count when I am pushing down on those pedals count towards having a good fitness base for more of my gravel-road riding that I know I will be doing over the summer months. 

Back Roads Of Waitakere - Livestock in Abundance

  Heading out the back country areas of Waitakere,  it was really pleasant to come across this bunch roadside.  Belted Galloway bull youngsters, and in incredibly good condition considering the massive amounts of rain leading to sodden paddocks and the grass feed being predmoninantly kaikuia (very poor tucker).  Having a lay down and basking in a patch of sun that was shining through the natives they were astonished to see the white machine parked up against their paddock fences.  I could see these chaps had an apt to be slightly frisky by nature, as the surrounding fencelines were all taped off high with electric fencing.  A dead giveaway.  They did look friendly???   I left it at that, as they edged towards me and my push bike.  I think being able to push bike into the country areas and stopping roadside to check out livestock and what they are up to every now and then,  sort of puts a very high spin onto that daily exercise.    I know I will do this citcuit again as my new friends put me into a very good frame of mind.

Visiting A Very Good Friend at Matamata

It Was A Nice Change To Enjoy My F650 Today

Leaving Taupo and heading back to Auckland we had experienced some extroadinary road conditions on our bikes.  What is normally a very easy journey enroute back to Auckland this Sunday morning turned into something quite different.  Heavy blanketting fog made for extreme black-out viewing of any form of road surface ahead of us. 

The amount of condensation that had found its way firmly glued to my visor astonishing, and only made more so when we entered the state highway leading into Tokoroa.  This had now turned into a layer of solid ice.  The temperature here had dropped to about minus five and the grass sidings were carpets of white ice.  We cut through the slick road surfaces and the ice swished up into our faces.

 I had to open my visor as I had no visibility at all.
The dots of ice constantly flicking up into my face were now like small missiles - finding their way through the small open gap made for a frozen cheek very quickly.  My eyes were now also becoming blurred due to the frozen pellets constantly being flicked into them, like frozen meteors.  Extreme, it was indeed, and something I have not personally ridden through before.  On seeing some form of light through the gloom........  we stopped roadside and Jim said that I had done remarkably well to make it through.  Having a Conti TKC80 on my front tyre and a standard roadie on the back wheel,  the conditions were so bad this scenario just didn't even enter into the picture.  Signs were displayed everywhere on the highway "Beware Ice and Grit"  just ride it,  hang onto it and keep it in a straight line.  Not having full accomplishement of vision, the thought of just aiming for the wheel tracks of the cars in front of me was my major priority.  Making it through and being "Praised" by my husband for doing so  "PRICELESS"   and a job well done to me!!!   It was nice having a brief stop roadside and then attempting to reply to the lovely compliment of Well Done to me,  I realised my orating was not coming out so well,  the side of my cheek had frozen on me and I was gibbering as if I had just exited from the dentist after having had oral injections.  hmmmm   took a while to get the circulation going again.  Not long from our Roadside stop it was only about 30 kms on to Tokoroa township and then on to Matamata to visit a very dear friend.  WE always enjoy to stop to visit when we are not experiencing rushed or manic conditions - (another trailer story is a goodie here sometime)  so today we made it.  Hello to Garth our friend and one we very much enjoy to stop and chat to.  I was absolutely astonished by the wealth of skills my friend has,  on one visit to his home I was bundled up

One of My Special Friends   I WILL BE BACK!!!!

with a stash from his home grown vege patch.  Phew,  when a farmer presents to you a stash of home grown veges,  you will need a large area to store it all into.  I remember being loaded to the gunnels with the largest silverbeet leaves I had ever seen or ever had to find space for in the back seat of my Prado.  Normally, one just places a smallish bunch into the vehicle  .....  not at this farm............   amazing.  To follow the silverbeet came Rhubarb,  hmmm another goodie and huge leaves and stalks.  Garth and the BeanStalk I am beginning to wonder.............    I should mention looking out the back at the pumpkin patch.  At my home in Whenuapai I do attempt to grow pumpkins, but with little or NO success.  This was like a football field of,   only the pumpkins could have been the footballs,  big big and very big. 

Sunny and Warm   Very Nice - Ginger Beer   EXTREMELY NICE

Not to stop short here with amazing home-grown vege patch skills,  this visit we were presented with the very best gingerbeer you could ever hope to puchase.  Home made and topped up each and every day and the brews just keep on getting better.  hmmmm now this is country living indeed.  Having years of skills with dairy farming Garth has also turned his hand to the making of fine cheeses,  only we are told Ladies Do Not Enjoy Cheese This Strong,  move over  BLUE VEIN.    Garth has taken this one here also.   hmmm   I am really getting to enjoy stopping off here at MataMata. 



My last visit (the trailer story)  a rather delightful carrot cake had been especially home baked,  how on earth could I NOT VISIT HERE!!!!!     On this note     I WILL BE BACK !!!!!!