BACK AT BULLS
AND 2745KM
ADDED
By lunchtime I was flagging a little. But Fasi’s
irrepressible spirit gave me a much needed
boost, and we shot out towards Raglan for
the run home up the Waingaro, on 22. This
winding, circuitous route through the hilly
Waikato region remains one of the best kept
secrets in Auckland, and is a fantastic way
to come home. The riding is active and tight,
and it kept this saddlesore rider well-focused.
I will forever be grateful for the care given
by my fellow rider, in seeing me safely
home. In all, I covered more than 3600
kilometres. Circumnavigating the country on
a motorcycle is a great thing to have done,
but I’ve realised that there are vast tracts
of minor roads in NZ that lead to amazing
places everywhere, and, rather than satiate
my desire for exploration, this tour has only
whetted the appetite for greater discoveries
south of the Bombays.
I am finding myself increasingly grateful to
be a biker at this time in this country. The
roads are generally very well sealed, the bikes
are equipped with great modern technology,
offering excellent brakes and superb
reliability (at least from my terrific Triumph
T120) and I doubt there’s a better all round
bike with which to to see New Zealand. I have
seen many roads, that lead off enigmatically,
90 KIWI RIDER
that are beckoning like sirens, to ’come and
play’ down here...
Above all this ride re-seeded the notions of
self, gave me another glimpse of life, and I
am very grateful to have had the opportunity
to do it. We live in a blessed place. It’s so easy
to take it for granted, and it can be so hard
to get out of daily traps and get amongst it
sometimes, but here’s my takeaway from
this:
Magic happens when you move.
The universe seems to put extraordinary
things in your path - gems - but only if you
go out and find them. Explore. Standing still
is a state of mind. We are made to move,
and when we do we experience the sheer
unbridled joy of dawns beside rivers and
lakes, of evening light crimping the shadows
into blue and purple hills, blowsy black
clouds pregnant with fat rain over schist-
coloured mountains, the brilliance of sun
suddenly breaking out, the cool of dappling
creeks, the white thrash of clean surf breaks
on untrodden shores. It’s all still here, if you
move to it.
New Zealand. I love it with every fibre of my
soul. As Kath Hemi once said to me, “Wairua,
that’s why we are here”.
Kia Kaha.