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| Map of Travels |
| 2005 - Journal 4 |
| Kiwi land . . . Flying low and fast. Starlight spilled gently onto my bed clothes. Ignoring the gloom of our motel room, I pushed through the tangle of bedcovers and leaned toward the window for a wider view of the heavens. There, high in the void, was my favorite . . . Orion. I pushed up against the pane for a glimpse of the Southern Cross, hidden by a few leaves. At that moment the building and windows began to shake and vibrate, hard. So hard I was sure the glass would fall out of the sash. "What the hell," I muttered aloud. For the next 10 seconds or so our solid, solid world hiccupped. I was experiencing my first earthquake and my friend Kevin, deep into dreamland, missed all the excitement. During the first two weeks of my visit, my friends, Kevin, Lee, Faye and Marie, planned full days of sight-seeing and riding, filled with the sights and sounds and curvy roads of an exquisite countryside. What a wonderful way, I thought, to build memories strong enough to sooth a restless soul. On the third day (jet lag took its toll) Kevin and Faye on their Gold Wing, and your reporter on Kevin's Harley, led me on a merry chase through Hamilton city (I followed closely to make sure I stayed left) and its busy streets. Quarter hour later we found the countryside.. I was surrounded by gorgeous farmland. As we rode farther east the flat gave way to the Hills. Nothing is wasted if it canned be farmed it will be. Most of the farming I saw was not crops, but cows, sheep and goats. Every hill and valley was pasture land. Northwest of Hamilton, New Zealand's North Island, is a land of steep hills and deep valleys. It's a land folded and stretched over itself. New Zealand reminds me of a small place that decided it need more usable farmland by creating hills and valleys, over, and over again. Interestingly enough, Lee mentioned that at least half of the North Island is forest and mountains that can't be farmed. Riding on the constantly curving roads, pushing on the handlebars, left and right, one is caught up in a rhythm . . . a pulse that takes over, allowing the rider to become one with the road, but viewing it as if outside the body. I've mentioned before in these pages describing the feeling as a Zen thing. We go into a tight right turn, then down a sharp narrow grade to a sweeping left. The road then sweeps into another right turn, our wheels just hugging the very edge of a deep 200 foot drop, going wide in this blind corner so that hidden traffic will have enough room for a safe pass. This action is repeated again and again until a rhythm is established . . . a litany, brake, change gear,turn, accelerate, change gear,speed up, brake again, to repeat the process over and over. Tiring? You bet, but as much fun you'll ever have with your clothes on. California's roads offer wonderful twistys as well, but not in such concentration. Our three day journey led north, up the Coromandel Peninsular's west coast to Coromandel where we spent the night at the lovely villa I mentioned in the last journal. Then east and finally south on Route 25 to Whitianga where we stopped to see Kevin's brother Digby at his summer home. Digby owner of one of New Zealand's largest party rental companies, has been riding for only few years but you'd never guess by watching him on the twistys, as I had the pleasure a week later when Kevin and I joined the Top Town Cruisers for a three day marathon ride. More on that in another journal. Several days later Kevin and I did a single day's ride in a large loop starting from Hamilton north on Route 26 through Morrinsville, to Te Arohato, then Paeroa, catching Route 2 to Mangatarata and then south on local roads back to Hamilton. A nice four hour run that provided a picture book scene every few miles. There aren't enough adjectives to describe the countryside. The beauty of the North Island is that it packs so much into such a small area, an area I'm told about the size in area as Colorado. Kevin treats his Wing like a sports bike. The ride is brisk and I'd venture to say that Honda engineers never imagined that a Gold Wing could, brake, corner and accelerate like his Wing. I was totally relaxed, even heavy lidded at times I was so confident about his riding skills. It was a helluva ride. I haven't had much time to send emails. I work them in between journeys. We may have to wait until I return to Florida to complete this Kiwi adventure. It just gets better and better. |
| FOLLOW THE YELLOW LINE Motorcycle Touring with Stuart Davis and His Side Car www.followtheyellowline.com |