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Home   /   New Zealand | 2025



Chapter 2: South of North Island

January 25 - Auckland to Te Kūiti

After getting the driveshaft boot replaced at Experience Motorcycles, I was ready to resume my trip. Friday evening, I had a nice Italian meal at Paparazzi that reminded me so much of our 30th anniversary dinner at the Italian Farmhouse in Bragg Creek that I had to share it with Audrey. Saturday morning, I packed up from the Quest Mt. Eden hotel and jumped on the motorway to get out of Auckland. Google Maps showed a few slowdowns (every time I have been on the motorway there have been crashes with long queues of traffic) so I planned to get off the motorway as soon as practical and have a look at the map over a cup of tea. At the Beans & Leaves Café in Papakura I had a great chai latte and a delicious date scone while I reviewed my route. I took the Hunua Gorge road out of town and went to take a picture using my pocket camera when I noticed the Write Protect was on. I pulled over to fix it and noticed that the pocket with my phone was unzipped. The phone was missing! I turned around and rode slowly back to the cafe but saw no shattered phone along the road. As I pulled into the parking lot I saw a woman looking at the ground near where I had parked. There it was! Whew. OK, let’s try that again. Back on the Hunua Road I had to pull over again, because in all the excitement I hadn’t turned off the Write Protect. Thank goodness the rest of the ride was less dramatic. I had a picnic lunch in The Shire, near Hobbiton. If I would have been more of a Lord of the Rings fan (and been shorter) I would have gone on the tour. Lovely riding after lunch along Highway 30 as the road flowed through open countryside all the way to Te Kūiti, home of Sir Colin Meads, New Zealand's player of the 20th century. Delicious Jerk Chicken salad and a ginger beer at the Stoked Eatery rounded out the day.

Italian dinner with Audrey (just like our 30th anniversary dinner)


The power had gone out so the bill was printed and I had to pay with cash (good thing I had stopped at an ATM)


Hunua Gorge road out of town (with phone in pocket this time)


Lots of classic cars in New Zealand, like this '66 Chrysler Imperial




In the Shire, close to Hobbiton


Picnic in the Shire




Wide open Highway 30


Oh, I hope not


Mainstreet Te Kūiti 






Jerk Chicken Salad and Ginger Beer at the old railway station

January 26 - Te Kūiti to Rotorua

Last night the wind and rain were pounding outside, so I was glad that it was just a light rain when I got up. Yesterday I had ridden the southern half of the Chapter 11 route in the Twisting Throttle book (the lovely, open Highway 30) so the plan for today was to complete the loop. This part was a bit tricky in that there were a lot of junctions on small roads. Fortunately, Mike Hyde had included GPS coordinates for the junctions so I had preprogrammed the route last night. Now it was a simple matter of following the directions on the GPS. This was indeed fairly straightforward but complicated by the rain which made it difficult to read the GPS through the faceshield. But, it was lovely riding on some really remote roads, with almost no traffic. I had passed by the Dam Village Cafe yesterday and there was a group of motorcyclists sitting outside so I made that my lunch destination. I was really looking forward to that New Zealand staple; a pie for lunch. But alas their pie making machine was in for upgrades, so I had to make do with a sausage and fries. (Not even close to my dream currywurst.) Light rain for the remaining hour to Rotorua. I could smell Rotorua's sulphurous hot springs from 8 kilometres out of town. And then the heavens opened up, with water bucketing down, making it even more challenging to follow the GPS. And of course, I made a sopping wet mess of the lobby when I checked in. After an afternoon inside, out of the rain, I ventured outside for supper as the rain let up to a light drizzle. Vietnamese food was a good choice and then I went for a walk to the lakeshore and around to Government Gardens. Too bad the famous museum building (apparently the most photographed building in New Zealand) was under wraps as it is being restored from earthquake damage.

A wet start to the day


Lovely, quiet backroads


Tough reading the GPS for directions






Stopped under a tree for a break and looked back.  What nice riding.  And I can understand why it is all so green.


Best bakery by a dam site


Only 63 kilometres but many, many litres of water


Hey, it beats -20 Celsius and snow


Check in at the Quest hotel and I was given an accessible room. I have the full Hobbiton experience right here!


The rose garden inside Government Gardens in Rorotua




The Rorotua Museum is being renovated after being damaged in an earthquake


Hotpools even in the garden




January 27 – Rotorua

Today dawned so sunny that yesterday's downpour seemed like a dream. Because of the long weekend (Happy Auckland Foundation Day!) the hotel was almost fully booked, and I was given an accessible room. The counter tops are so low that I feel like I didn’t miss Hobbiton. I rode over to Te Puia, a Māori cultural experience centre. While we didn’t get to visit the village where 70 families live, our guide was very informative as we toured the geothermal area, talking of Māori traditions and seeing kiwis in their nocturnal habitat. We missed Pohutu geyser's eruption though it was still fascinating to watch it steaming away on its mineralized terraces. Afterwards there was a cultural show where our chief, Gary from Saskatchewan, was welcomed by the Māori before we could enter.  Inside, the dancing was very similar to the show at the Waitamo Treaty Centre. While having lunch in the Te Puia cafeteria, I received a text from John Fitzwater, whom I had met in Mexico on the way to Panamá. He was in town with a tour group that he was leading with his company Go Tour NZ and invited me to join them for dinner at Leonardo’s on Eat Street. It was great reconnecting with John after almost 3.5 years and it was nice to meet the three couples on the 21-day tour. If you have limited time, I can certainly see the advantages of a tour.

Our guide at Te Puia helps with Māori pronunciation


Houses dug into the ground for insulation in winter and cool earthen floor in summer


Geothermal area


Pohutu geyser between eruptions


What beautiful colours



Bubbling mud pool 



Entry to the craft studios


Welcoming committee for the cultural dance


They send out their fiercest warrior to test our chief


Our chief, Gary from Saskatchewan, passes the test and we are allowed to enter



Cultural dance 



Ride over to Government Gardens for a photo


Too bad about the restoration work


A photograph in the hotel is a bit of a teaser


Walking along the waterfront I spotted this unique vehicle


Ah, that's why it is unique.  Built not Bought.


Meet up with John Fitzwater at Leonardo's restaurant


The last time I met John was in 2021, riding together from Mazatlan to San Miguel de Allende


Lovely evening in Rotorua

 

January 28 - Rotorua to Tūrangi

It wasn’t a long ride from Rotorua to Tūrangi, going around Lake Taupō, so I made sure to stop a few times. First was a scenic overlook at Taupō where I saw a sign for Huka Falls so made a slight detour to the outfall from Lake Taupō. It was more of a chute than a falls but pretty, nonetheless. Back home I had seen a Māori carving on the shore of Lake Taupō on a map so had made a note of visiting it. I parked at the trailhead but a sign indicated the carving was only visible by boat. Oh well, I went for a nice stroll in the woods anyway, so that I had a nice view of the lake. Back on the bike I rode to a picnic spot high above the lake for lunch, for the last of the Ugly Bagels. Then I made my way to National Park Village (the highest town in New Zealand) where I met Michelle. Back in Canada a friend had loaned me the wonderful book, Twisting Throttle by Kiwi Mike Hyde. I didn’t want to take the book to NZ in fear of damaging it, so I asked on a forum if anyone knew where to buy it. Michelle piped up and said I could have her copy as she was cleaning house anyway. So we met at the Schnapps Bar in National Park. She invited a couple of other friends, and we spent a good three hours chatting (not having schnapps!). It really is the people that make a trip, isn’t it? On the way back north to Tūrangi I stopped at a viewpoint and met a couple in a rented motorhome from Bath in England. We chatted for a while, again showing that it is the people you meet that make a trip. I was a bit late getting to the Judges Pool Motel, but I wouldn’t have traded meeting these people just to sit in a motel room by myself.

Leaving Rotorua


Easy riding to Taupō 


Lovely scenic view over Lake Taupō


Huka Falls (more of a chute if you ask me)


That's a shame.  Might as well go for a little walk in the woods anyway.


Nice track down to the lake


The sailboat had lots of people relaxing on board, I bet they were coming back from the Maori carvings.


What a spectacular view.


And an even better picnic place (that's the last of the Best Ugly Bagels until I return to Auckland in March)


Heading down to National Park Village I get a preview of tomorrow's hike with a view of Mount Ngauruhoe


Meet up with Michelle (she gave me Mike Hyde's book; Twisting Throttle), Julie and Dene

January 29 – Tūrangi (hiking in Tongariro National Park)

Judging by how sore I am, maybe I should be a little less ambitious with my NZ day hikes. I rode 45 kilometres to the trailhead at Whakapapa Village in a light rain and hoped it would clear up when I got there.  It did, and I tramped to the Tama Lakes in Tongariro National Park.  Return, the trek is about 18 km and it took me 5 hours and 20 minutes. But it is so nice to get out for hike. You may recognize the perfectly conical mountain in the photos, it is Mount Ngauruhoe, but played a starring role in Lord of the Rings as Mount Doom. I got back to the bike at about 5:00 PM and rode the 45 kilometres back to Tūrangi (no rain) where I showered up and then walked over to a restaurant for supper.

Chateau Tongariro, built in 1929 but closed in 2023 due to seismic risk, would have been perfect for afternoon tea after the hike


Still fresh and starting to hike


Mount Ruapehu


I love the camouflage toilet


Mount Ngauruhoe, also known as Mount Doom from Lord of the Rings


At the Lower Tama Lake


Upper Tama Lake below Mount Ngauruhoe


Lunch time in the shelter of a low rock wall


Coming back down to the Lower Tama Lake


Coming back down the other side I get to see Taranaki Falls


Taranaki Falls


It was so cloudy in the morning that I didn't realise the best view of Mount Ngauruhoe was from the car park


A sight for sore feet


The distance doesn't seem right (even considering I walked for dinner) but I sure felt every one of those steps and floors

January 30 - Tūrangi to New Plymouth

The Forgotten World Highway. Just the name was enough to make me want to ride it. Leaving Tūrangi I rode to Taumarunui to start the 150 kilometre road.  I like how it started with open ranch land and then changed to thick jungle, reminding me of Jurassic Park, as I went west. The narrow Moki tunnel built in 1936, in the Tangarakau Gorge, was one of the highlights of the ride. Soon I was in the Republic of Whangamomona and its famous hotel where I chatted with a couple of locals as soon as I had my helmet off. Inside I ordered the boerderse sausage and went back out to have a chat with a couple of riders on rented Triumphs. They were from the UK on a three-week trip to New Zealand and had come up the FWH from Stratford while I had come down from Taumarunui. After the delicious farmer's sausage, I continued west, crossing a few “saddles” where the road became even more entertaining, to Stratford. Here I joined the main road to New Plymouth where the Metrotel Hotel was waiting for me.

43 kilometres to the start of the Forgotten World Highway


And so it begins


Open sheep ranching country


Now the fun begins


Lush vegetation reminds me of Jurassic Park


The Moki Tunnel built in 1936


Welcome to the Republic


Chat with locals outside before ordering lunch


Lekker!


The Whangamomona Saddle begins with a switchback and the fun just continues after that




Entering New Plymouth


A stroll along the seashore


The sculpture is called "The Girls"

The Forgotten World Highway

 


January 31 – New Plymouth

In the spirit of not going overboard with my NZ day hikes I decided to do a shorter hike. Only 8 kilometres round trip up the side of Mt. Taranaki. OK, 750 metres elevation might have been a bit much. Going up the Holly Hut Track it was stairs. A lot of stairs. And the whole hike up and down from Tahurangi Hut was in the clouds, so none of the promised spectacular views. Oh well, it was good exercise. Back down in New Plymouth I thought it would be neat to walk to Te Rewa Rewa bridge, a really iconic structure with a view of the volcano I had just climbed. So that added 9 kilometres to my total for the day. Thank goodness the clouds had cleared from Mt. Taranaki so that the walk was worth it.

Ride to the trailhead at North Egmont


Let's go!


Hey a few stairs


And some more stairs


And it just keeps going, but apparently it is more dangerous now


A section without stairs as the clouds lift for a moment and you can see the track cutting up the mountain


Oh good, some more stairs


My lunch spot at Tahurangi Lodge (closed)


Yum


Down is via an access road, so no stairs




Back in New Plymouth I head out for a walk along the seawall


4.5 kilometres to the Te Rewa Rewa bridge, lovely in the setting sun


From the other direction it frames Mt. Taranaki perfectly


The hike up the volcano


Perspective on the whole volcano


A nice walk to Te Rewa Rewa adds 9 km to my total for the day

February 1 - New Plymouth to Palmerston North

Thanks to Sagi, the previous owner of my motorbike, for suggesting the Whanganui River Road! I had thought of going straight to Wellington from New Plymouth but once I looked up his suggestion I changed my plans. I tried to find a place to stay in Whanganui but there was nothing available (world championship jet boat racing!) so decided to go to Palmerston North and just do an up and down on the River Road. I left New Plymouth and rode along the ocean so that I was circumnavigating Mt. Taranaki. Near the start of the Whanganui River Road was a perfect picnic spot for lunch (crumpets with Nutella!). The Whanganui River holds a special place in Māori history and was conferred person status in 2017. Apparently, there was a steamboat service all the way up to Taumarunui (start of the Forgotten World Highway) that started in 1892. I rode about 50 km upstream on the fun road next to the river and stopped at Jerusalem. I turned around here and rode back down so I could make it to Palmerston North by dinner time. Once I checked into the motel, I looked on Google Maps for a nearby restaurant and found the Beaver & Bear. That didn’t sound especially New Zealandish. Nope, Canadiana. A Calgarian burger with a side of poutine please…

Leaving New Plymouth


Starting my circumnavigation of Mt. Taranaki


Mt. Taranaki


I have seen a few wrecked cars in the ditch.  I wonder if they leave them there for a while as a reminder to other motorists?


Yes!


64 kilometres of twisting road? Yes!


But first, a picnic.  I couldn't imagine a more perfect place for a picnic.




I wonder if crumpets go with Nutella?


Why yes, they do.


OK, let's ride





Turn around at Jerusalem, about 50 km up the road


Dinner in Palmerston North is at the Beaver & Bear.  A Canadian restaurant!


Since I am from Calgary...


I am going to have to do a lot of hiking to work this off

February 2 – Groundhog Day! Palmerston North to Wellington

A nice Groundhog Day ride to Wellington. I could have zipped down the 2 and been there in a bit over an hour but what would be the fun in that? So I took a smattering of local roads until I connected with Highway 52 (mentioned in Twisting Throttle) to Masterton. I expected a numbered highway to have higher traffic volumes but it wasn’t until Highway 2 that it was busy with Groundhog Day traffic. Even though it was nose to tail traffic going over the Remutaka Pass it was still fun. Lots of motorcycles out too. Then it was the first view of Wellington (well, what you could see of it behind an enormous cruise ship) where I will spend a few days. I am catching the ferry to the South Island on Wednesday.

I love it when the local transport authority tells you that you will be having fun!


Yes, it was windy


Lovely riding on small local roads


No traffic to speak of


Small one-lane bridges


Caught this layby at the last second and had to ride up the exit


Lunch in the layby right beside the busy Highway 2


Wellington!  Behind the cruise ship...


The parking garage at my hotel in downtown Wellington


Up she goes!


Time for the annual traditional movie

February 3 and 4 – Wellington

I have had a lovely couple of days in Wellington. I was really looking forward to visiting Te Papa, the National Museum, and I was not disappointed. Two of the exhibitions really stood out; the Nature exhibit covering New Zealand flora and fauna as well as geology and climate change was simply world class. The second exhibit that really stood out was Gallipoli, the story of New Zealand's involvement in the First World War. I have to say though, the highlight of the museum for me was the Britten motorcycle, what an amazing work of original thinking and engineering. I climbed up to the Mt. Victoria lookout after the museum and while there I saw someone ride by on an Energica motorcycle. I have been interested in these electric motorbikes for a while and had joined an Energica forum on Facebook. Later at a coffee shop I posted on the forum (an international forum with a world-wide membership) if anyone in the group was at Mt. Victoria. Sure enough, Simon responded (one of 8 Energica owners in NZ) that it was him and we arranged to meet for lunch the next day. To me, this is really what Facebook is fantastic for, connecting people. Speaking of connecting with people, Gareth and Helen rode through Africa at about the same time as Audrey and me, but we never crossed paths. They live in Wellington and a mutual friend, George, whom we had both met in Africa, connected us. We met for a quick coffee and then they invited me over for dinner the next day. What wonderful stories we shared of our time in Africa! And what a great way to finish the south of the North Island, next I take the ferry to the South Island and stay with George for a few days before heading further south.

The National Museum of New Zealand


One of two really excellent exhibitions


Kiwi birds




Good to know


A sobering graph of CO2 and Temperature


This exhibition was also absolutely excellent


The Britten V1000


What an amazing work of engineering


The shock absorber under the front of the engine is for the rear wheel





Holographic images on a scale sailboat told the stories of sailing the Pacific


Wandering through neighbourhoods in Wellington on the way to Mt. Victoria


The view of Wellington from the top of Mt. Victoria


The Carter Fountain is Wellington's Jet d'Eau


Iced coffee on Oriental Parade




New Zealand's parliament buildings


The Beehive, the executive wing of parliament


With Helen and Gareth, who had travelled the length of Africa at about the same as Audrey and I did

Tracks for Chapter 2


Link to Chapter 3: North and West Coast of South Island


 
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