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bedraggled being from another world , one battling the lust for a ring and the desire to be freed of the attraction . The twisted form of not a human yet representative of many of us crouched from the roof of the Otira Stagecoach Hotel , reaching for his desire , the golden Ruling Ring . Of course , this is fantasy , yet seemed a perfect metaphor for this road , one that every motorcyclist is drawn to , lusts after , and finds difficult to leave . The Otira Stagecoach Hotel was a perfect location and staging point for the road to begin .
Otira , the small township , is believed to be named from the Māori meaning of ‘ place of the travellers ’, a perfect location to place a stagecoach inn . Originally built in 1902 the hotel was a waypoint for travellers of the region , and watering hole for the local rail worker population . Rebuilt in 1911 after fire destroyed the original building today it still
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