surprisingly deep spot was found and
the splash rushed overtop of the han-
dlebars - Robin absolutely crushed the
river and subsequent 65km of beach,
forgivingly providing power whenev-
er needed despite frequently finding
myself in the wrong gear. This was
the first time thus far I have truly chal-
lenged the boundaries of my comfort
zone and in preparing for the rest of
the journey and improving my riding
skills, the day was invaluable.
Returning to the lodge, buoyed with
confidence and an ear to ear grin, I
had my first encounter with learning
a downside to solo travel: there’s a big
difference between explaining an ex-
perience to someone and discussing
it with someone who has completed it
alongside you. While the event itself
can be just as magical, explaining an
adventure to someone who wasn’t a
part of that experience doesn't allow
for the same back and forth. It doesn’t
allow you to build off of another point
of view of the event, it doesn’t have
that second set of eyes reminding you
of things you’ve forgotten or missed
and I found discussing it doesn’t bring
the same satisfaction.
From the Northlands, I quickly
flew down the west side of the north
island, stopping for the night in Ahi-
para where I was treated to a beautiful
sunset beer over the coast from a hill-
top up a gravel and mud road at the
south end of town. The next day was
a big one so started early with a me-
ander through several country traffic
jams - cows on the road - towards the
Rawene ferry across the Tasman sea.
It is a short jaunt from the ferry
landing to Omapere, which is known
for the viewpoint of the Hokianga
Harbour sand dunes, and is the start
of an epically snaking 50km road
through the Waipoua Kauri forest cli-
maxing in multiple hilly hairpins. The
best part of the ride was reluctantly
delayed by a stop to see the, poten-
tially, 2,500 year old Lord of the For-
est: Tane Mahuta. The largest known
kauri tree alive today, it is worth-
while enjoying the view of its girthy
52m (14m around) trunk, especially
since it may not be around much lon-
TRAVERSE 21
ger due to disease threatening all the
Kauri trees in the area. Following the
rest of the exciting serpentine stretch
through the forest, the remainder of
the 400km ride to Auckland is a blur of
forgettable straight country roads and
highways.
Following an entertaining night
out in Auckland catching up with a
friend from home it was off to Raglan,
a relaxed surf spot on the west coast.
The ride there is where I first realised
that the speed limits (and the drivers)
in this country are insane! In areas
where there are back to bask hair-
pins, constant curves and it feels like
60km/h is right on the precipice of my
comfort zone riding fully loaded, the
speed limit is actually 80 to 100 km/h
and cars will overtake you in the blind
corner. Consequently, here are FYI’s
number 3 and 4 about travel on Kiwi
roads:
3 – Speed limits are actually limits,
not suggested speeds for the area.
4 – Around every hairpin corner ex-
pect someone to be on the wrong side
of the road.