PETE ’ S PEOPLE

burnt-out old bike , and a few portraits of us all . He with his fingers over the lens . A wonderful encounter with a genuine Kiwi bloke in the countryside ; he rides a 999 Ducati on country roads , so , gotta be a good guy . I absolutely love this about motorcycling in our country . If I ’ d stopped in a car there ’ d be suspicion , but on a bike the door is open and chat free and easy . Later , checking the map , we discovered the area was called Oeo . Yeah . We were heading for the bikes when Tony muttered “ that guy would have a job any day , as a double for Jason Momoa ”. Aha ! That ’ s who ! Damn right , the guy was his spitting image . Best you get an agent , Brent ! It was clear at times that even in the west of the island the recent rains and cyclones have caused major problems , and the tour was often held up at traffic light along the way . It was heartening to see how diligent and cheerful the crews remained in spite of dealing with frustrated drivers all day long . We lunched in Whanganui then headed north , through the winding twists of the Parapara ’ s . The roads that afternoon were simply glorious , and the road from National Park to Turangi has to be one of the best in the nation . We were stunned however , by the forestry devastation in that region . Thousands of hectares of pine forest had been shattered , splintered and tossed , broken off at around eight to ten metres off the ground , like so many twigs . It was inconceivable how powerful the wind would have been to do that . We rode

into Turangi a little chastened and tired . We ate at Rust and departed to our billets ; the couples at the Sportsman ’ s Lodge , and myself at a friend ’ s house . I was woken at 2am by a terrific downpour that continued until I left at 8am .

Next issue we take a look at Tony Drayton and John Shepherd , as the two couples make their way back up the North Island .

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