Where did you ride today?

[Notty]

Usual Sunday trip to Chepstow for coffee and bacon roll - 90 mile round trip - a very enjoyable slow ride today as our normal pacesetter was busy - not much over 50mph ( ok sad old gits I know !! ) 

How are the new brakes ?

awesome to be honest Chris - I never complained about the 6 pot except for the corrosion and continuous maintenance - very happy 
@GSXKING

[Pommeroy]

Usual Sunday trip to Chepstow for coffee and bacon roll - 90 mile round trip - a very enjoyable slow ride today as our normal pacesetter was busy - not much over 50mph ( ok sad old gits I know !! ) 

Not sad gits at all...I get my jollies from riding as smoothly as I can, and enjoying acceleration (rather than speed) when I feel like it.

I prefer to ride alone and let others be daft.

[grog]

I just ride, today was perfect day, prob didnt get over 120,sometimes i like a quick run, not always. Bike feels so diff with bars back a bit. Its like im in the middle now, seems easier to turn, anyway im enjoying.👍

[Phill P]

Been a few biker deaths this past week or so in Sussex, one guy I believe in his late 70s had a heart attack whilst riding and hit a telegraph pole, the other guy was hit head on by an Amazon van pulling a stupid overtake. Neither involved speed but plenty of accidents do, I tend to bimble with the odd bout of hard acceleration.

[GSXKING]

300km round trip, MtCotton to Boonah for breakfast with 2 other hardy/brave souls, some wet some dry and lots of Damp patches in between. Tried a new cafe called Revival. It turns out the owner was the original guy at Flavours. Both food and coffee were exemplary as was the service.
Came back via Amberley and MtG the roads were quite treacherous and a high level of concentration was required. I experienced a massive downpour 10kms from home and was very happy with my new wet weather gear.

[Pommeroy]

120km early morning ride to Pahiatua and back. 6C when I set off, but once sun rose it soon took the edge off.

This was my first ride along the Pahiatua Track (name of the road) which I'd describe as a lovely, winding, undulating rode through pretty scenery...sorry, no pics as I didn't really see see somewhere to stop and take any decent ones. I think Roo knows this road well, so he may have a suggestion.

We have a friend staying for the weekend, so I snuck out early before the rest of the household woke. I'd checked online for cafes, and its website said that the Thyme 2 Ryes cafe was open...disappointingly, it was not. I got a very average pie and coffee from a small bakery/cafe in the township.

There was little traffic and only very small areas of bike-unfriendly road works...and no wandering livestock, pets or deer this weekend was a bonus.

I toyed with coming home via the Saddle Road (similar to the Track in many ways), but local drivers spank along it like knobs. Can't wait for the new Manawatū-Tararua Highway to open later this year, after which traffic on the Saddle Road will lessen significantly and it will become another nice local route.

After tomorrow I'm off for almost two weeks, so weather permitting I'll venture further afield on the days that aren't public holidays. Tempted by the Forgotten Highway and a visit to the Republic of Whangamōmona.

[KiwiCol]

Did a usual run for me, Home to Fox River & back via Cape Foulwind & Carters Beach. A bit of everything in this run from open straights to 25kph hairpins.

[Pommeroy]

Did a usual run for me, Home to Fox River & back via Cape Foulwind & Carters Beach. A bit of everything in this run from open straights to 25kph hairpins.

Have had several good evenings at the Star tavern, and also stayed a few times at a PSA property in Carters Beach. Seriously toyed with buying a bach at Carters, but decided not to because of how fast the sea is eating away at the land.

[Pommeroy]

A 630kms round trip yesterday with the specific purpose of riding the Forgotten Highway, a 150km route connecting Stratford in Taranaki to Taumarunui in the King Country.

Left home at 08:30 in sunny, but coolish weather (11C) - decided to put the liner in my leather jacket, for which I'd be very thankful in the last couple of hours of the day (when the temp was 7C).

Left home around 08:30 and filled the tank in Fielding, before heading to Stratford via Whanganui. Although the ride to Stratford was largely on State Highway 3, the light traffic meant that I could properly take in the scenery and made me again realise how easy it is to take it for granted NZ's scenery (compared to Leicestershire, where I hail from) - as it was cool, the air was particularly clear and allowed Mount Taranaki (2,518m) to show itself in its full glory for a large part of this section of the ride.

Stratford is a rural service centre approximately 220kms from home, named after the playwright, and with many of its streets named after some of his best-known characters. I had originally planned to stop for a coffee and to top up the tank, but Stratford is a rural service centre and the allure of the Forgotten Highway was such that I decided to just grab the fuel and get to Whangamōmona for lunch.

What I'm about to describe does not do justice to the Forgotten Highway. If you ever get the chance to ride it, I implore you to do so. This remote and secluded route (which is now thankfully fully sealed) follows ancient Māori tracks and farm routes over several mountain saddles. From the top of the first saddle, Strathmore, I could see the four local mountains - Taranaki, Tongariro (1,978m), Ngauruhoe (2,291m, aka Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings), and Ruapehu (2,797m). Here's a photo of Mount Taranaki from this saddle.



The next saddle is Pohokura, after which you reach Whangamōmona, a tiny, remote place, where the hotel is the only place on this Highway where you can get food and drink all year round. When I arrived, there were vehicles everywhere (a combination of 4x4s and bikes) and I needed to park up a little way from the hotel - it's the red roofed building in the background.



The development of Whangamōmona halted when 51 local mend died in WW1 - that number would have been a catastrophic loss to such a small rural community. In a couple of hours time, my wife and I will be attending a local ANZAC commemoration to remember those kiwis and Aussies who served and died in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations - we live in a very small, rural community which lost a staggering number of men in WW1 and WW11.

Following a coffee and burger/fries, I pushed on to Tahora, the last saddle. This overlooks mountains, railway tunnels and three Māori Pa (the site of defensive hill forts).

After a little way, I arrived at the 180m long Moki tunnel, built in the 1930s and known by locals as the Hobbit's Hole...it's not easy/safe to grab a photo of the tunnel, so here's one I found on the net...
https://www.dangerousroads.org/cache/images/900x/d/forgottenworldhighway0-80e89d15.avif

After negotiating the tunnel, it was a spectacular ride through the Tangarakau Gorge to Taumaranui - this is very tight in places, with lots of one-lane bridges, and I suspect that several of those driving hired camper vans will need a change of underwear at the end of their day's drive.

Taumaranui is at the end of the Forgotten Highway ride and after a fuel top up, I rode home via Ohakune, Waiouru, Taihape, Hunterville and Fielding. There was some shocking sunstroke on the first leg, leading to me pulling over and waiting for the sun to disappear behind the hills - while this addressed the sunstrike, the temp plummeted and the last hour or so of the ride was done in darkness. Before this, the views of the mountains on the central plateau were fantastic.

A biking day to remember.

[KiwiCol]

Looks a great day Pommeroy, a good long loop ride for sure.  I put the route on google maps for folk to see.

[KiwiCol]

If I get the Rocket up north next summer I'll have a crack at that Forgotten Highway.

[Pommeroy]

Looks a great day Pommeroy, a good long loop ride for sure.  I put the route on google maps for folk to see.

Thanks Col...I don't know how to do that.

[KiwiCol]

Sent ya an email Rob.  ya do now . . ..

[GSXKING]

An excellent ride report Roy. Have you been taking notes from Stan ?
The verdant Green reminds me of Ireland.
Sunstroke means something completely different here lol. 😂😂
Lucky you chose your liner that morning.

[Pommeroy]

An excellent ride report Roy. Have you been taking notes from Stan ?
The verdant Green reminds me of Ireland.
Sunstroke means something completely different here lol. 😂😂
Lucky you chose your liner that morning.

Ha ha...fat-finger typing, it should read sun strike!