day . We also gave a POG t-shirt to our biggest contributor on our Ducati Paso Riders NZ FaceBook group page . This was Brooksy , from Christchurch , who , unfortunately , had been called to work . The final prize , a very red Ducati Paso coffee mug , went to Dion for being our first recruit to join the Paso FaceBook group . We left Cafe Brie just before 11am , headed over the Pahiatua Track to Eketahuna and on to the Pongaroa Hotel via the twisty Route 52 . We largely had the road to ourselves under heavily overcast skies , but still never got rained on . A drink , some food and a bit of banter followed . Eventually , we boogied back to Pahiatua via the scenic Pahiatua-Pongaroa Rd for a refuel then back over the ‘ Track ’ into Palmy , with 220km under our belts . It started to spit just as we dropped into the city - 12 very happy Paso owners right there . The evening finale was a fitting visit to an Italian restaurant , Portofino , where everyone was fizzing about the gathering , the surprise
prize-giving and the ride . Plenty of pizza , pasta and P Peroni were consumed . Being the organisers , Stevo and I sat back evaluating the scene for a bit and realised we ’ d pulled off a very successful and appreciated event . What a great turnout , well worth the effort and the question was asked by several when is the next Gathering ? We are thinking , to be fair to the South Islanders , a South Island Gathering followed by a Turismo around a similar time in 2025 .
36 KIWI RIDER