More Muddy Maneuvers

Last weekend was a 3-day affair and it would have been rude not to have got out and enjoyed the time off on one of the bikes.  With the weather looking not too flash on Monday and other things to do on Saturday, it was Sunday when we got to worship the god of horsepower 😎

Colin managed to get up here reasonably early and so, after a coffee (and a call to the police to report a dodgy chap wandering the neighbourhood) we hit the road.

We took a bit of care over the track as it is winter and there was the odd bit of damp stuff to avoid.  Then it was off down to Eketahuna via our favourite route.

No photo stops but there is the below videos.  What you might notice is that the Garmin appears to be playing up.  Some of the maps are missing pieces and the speeds are definitely wrong in places - there are places when I'm accelerating and the speed is going down and vice versa along with one section where it says I'm doing 19km/h when it's probably 60-70.  I noticed this on the video from Takapari ride the other day but have got no idea what is going on...

In Eketahuna, we bought some dino-juice and prepared for the next leg.  While stopped, another group of bikes pulled up and we learned that they were riding through to Pongaroa for lunch.  They were taking the sealed route while we had more gravelly plans.  So they went one way and us the other onto the magnificent Mangaoranga Road.

At the end of Bartons Line we decided to take the sealed route to Pongaroa (so that we arrived at Pongaroa during the lunching hour) and got to enjoy some nice slippery tarmac and drizzly, damp rain.  During lunch we even discussed that gravel was more preferable than the worst of the slippery wet tar - with gravel you can feel what is going on underneath your tyres and work out what sort of grip you've got but on seal, if it's slippery, the first thing you might know about it is a nasty slide...

Arriving at the pub the other guys were already there (some still only just ordering lunch) and included a certain ex WSB rider.  At least one other rider had good taste....

We always get priority parking

Another beaudiful Tenere!

Still fairly clean

After lunch, the other group again stuck to the tarmac while Colin and I headed for more gravel on Coast Road and then onto the great loop that eventually pops out onto Route 52 via Waihoki Valley Road.

Through here we definitely found some more slippery bits - logging trucks have been working in the area and churned things up a little.  It makes for interesting riding though as some patches look slippery but aren't, but then, some are...

The weather may not have been the best but we both said we'd rather be doing this than be stuck inside warm and dry...

Back out onto Route 52 we rode South to tackle Pori Road but took the wrong turn up Haunui Road.  We decided to investigate the road anyway but after narrowly avoiding a couple of donkeys at the Puketoi Road turn-off we eventually were stopped by a locked gate.

Eventually we did find Pori Road and had a nice run up to the lookout.  Not quite the usual view this time.

Dropping down into Makuri we hit the tarseal again and turned for Pahiatua.  Miraculously the road was pretty much dry and we had a great run back.  

After a quick coffee in Pahiatua we had another play on the Pahiatua Track before Colin skedaddled for his place and me mine.  A really great day out even if we did get a bit of rain.  I think that the Tenere enjoyed it too...