Truth be told, it actually wasn’ t Ben’ s, near constant,“ The Cold Kiwi was awesome, I can’ t wait for the next one” that got me on my bike riding south to Waiouru. Back in 2017, I went with my dad and, ever since, we’ ve sworn we’ d be back. But, as tends to happen, life got in the way. Between the birth of two kids, a pandemic and Dad’ s Triumph Tiger 1050 being written off just weeks before the 2024 event, the stars hadn’ t aligned. Fast forward to 2025 and now with us both having bikes for the first time in years- a Triumph America for Dad and a Moto Guzzi V7 for me, along with my brother, Callum, finally seeing the light and following us onto two wheels, it looked as if we’ d spend Father’ s Day in the best way possible.
THE SIX P’ S As longtime KR-friend Greg Power used to say, remember the Six P’ s- Proper Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance. Words to live by, really [ in my Army days it was Prior Planning & Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance- Ed ]. For Team KR, that meant getting organised and ready to hit the road before the gates opened at the rally site 2km west of Waiouru on Friday, September 5. Prep had begun weeks in advance. Sorting a bike to ride- in my case seeing the return of Moto Guzzi NZ’ s V7 Stone to my garage on a permanent basis- along with organising
luggage and last minute purchases of camping equipment. In a first for our tight knit group, and after many years of ridicule directed my way, Ben was the first to start packing … a full two and a half weeks out. Someone was clearly excited and taking those P’ s to heart. With it safe to start packing the Guzzi ribbingfree, I followed suit, trialling multiple setups until finding one that worked for the excess of gear I wanted to take. You could get away with taking about half of what you think you need when it comes to bike packing, but I was glad to have the extra gear … like the former scout I am. It wasn’ t pretty, but I packed everything needed plus some gear Callum couldn’ t squeeze onto his Scrambler 400X. In reality, I probably only needed one third of what I took.
THE VENUE Over its 48 editions, the Cold Kiwi has called many places home. From its early days on military land, to the mud-fest of the Horipito site, it’ s seen much of the Central Plateau. The current site has been used a few years and is just 2km west of Waiouru township on State Highway 49. With the main marquee set in a wind-protected dell / valley below the camping area, those who had a need for rest after dancing to the bands and drinking merrily could get off to sleep without too much effort.
KIWI RIDER 97