is always a great way to start the day. With the sun shining again, it was a magical trip into Waihi. However, in Waihi we were greeted in a most unusual way by riding directly over a swarm of bees on the road. After some erratic lane changing and running a stop sign, no one was stung so we safely carried on to Ohope via Welcome Bay. Now we were on the local roads for the Whakatāne section of the crew. So, Theo and Ian treated us to some of the back roads they ride. Stunning orchard-lined roads included the Old Coach Road and dropped us off on the Matata straights within touching distance of the ocean. Staying at Theo’ s for the night gave us a chance to check the bikes over and catch up on some housekeeping.
DAY 5: Ohope to East Cape to Gisborne, 434km Three riders from the Whakatāne Ulyssess Club joined us for the trip to Te Araroa along the Pacific Coast Highway and onto our next cape, the East Cape. After riding with only three other bikes so far, it felt strange to be sharing our journey with others, but nice to follow locals on roads they know. When travelling up the west side of the East Cape its almost compulsory to stop at the Anglican Church of Raukokore. This breathtaking church is perched at the headland south of Waihau, and no stop is complete without visiting and grabbing a photo of the little shop made famous by the NZ movie‘ Boy’, The Waihau Bay Store. The road from Te Araroa to the Cape is 20km long and about 80 % is sealed and 20 % coarse gravel but utterly stunning. A local told us the road to the cape was open, but the final walking access track up to the lighthouse was still closed from the damage of recent extreme weather. Originally, the lighthouse was constructed on nearby East Island but was moved to the mainland in 1922. The last lightkeeper left in 1985 when it became fully automated. We parked at the bottom of the hill and took a group photo there. Two capes down and two to go. We headed back to Te Araroa and down the eastern side of the East Cape, past Tokomaru and Tologa Bay into Gisborne. This part of the journey highlighted the devastation caused by Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 and the mammoth
East Cape
effort by all those involved returning this part of the country back to normal again.
DAY 6: Gisborne to Cape Palliser to Lake Ferry, 670km Up early, we had a big day ahead of us. We departed Gisborne under a blue-sky, with the rising sun peaking over our mirrors. Moving quietly out of town and into the countryside we pointed south, passing Gisborne’ s seemingly endless orange orchards. Leaving early meant little traffic and by the time we hit the open road we pretty much had the road to ourselves, which was an absolute blast with loads of fast flowing corners on fresh bitumen. Arriving in Napier in time for breakfast, we were already 200km into a 700km day. Continuing south at Waipawa, we veered away from SH2 and headed towards Porangahau to visit the town with the Longest Place Name in the World … Taumata whakatangi hangakoauau o tamatea turi pukakapiki maunga horo nuku pokai whenua kitanatahu. Glad to be off the monotony of SH2, we happily settled back into some spirited back road riding. We reached Alfredton, where the sky to the west
KIWI RIDER 31