Whangarei

25th March 2017

A good night's sleep - until I got a text from Norwich Audi at 0300 asking if I wanted to buy a new car. I've tried half a dozen times to switch these off, without success...

I get back off to sleep and wake around 0800.

I gave myself a stern talking-to last night.

I've been letting the idea that there's bad weather about distract me from the more fantastic fact - I'm riding my bike in New Zealand! It's a sign that I'm a bit knackered and due a day off the bike. I've been trying to avoid it, in order to get as much in to the last week as possible - but it has ended up having the opposite effect.

So - today I'm heading northwest about four and a half hours to Whangarei. Which should be pronounced WANG-ER-EYE, but isn't. In fact the pronunciation is so far from the spelling that I just about give up - it's something like FENG-ARAI - but not quite.

I shower and get suited up, pack the bike and press the starter at 0859 - I include that fact to upset any mild OCD sufferers reading (Hi Chad )...



Apologies for the quality of the pic, but he was moving so fast I only had a second...

You see these little bikes everywhere - they are postal delivery bikes. I've also seen (but haven't yet managed to picture) a weird little van they use, which I suspect may be electrically powered - keep watching - I promise to get a snap before I leave...



Despite how this picture looks, it's a warm, bright morning - but there's still a definite smell of rain in the air. Bettie directs me towards Auckland, away from the toll road (note to self - pay yesterday's when you've posted this) and traffic is heavy, it being a Saturday...



Once out of the suburbs of Tauranga, I doubled back when I saw this old gent stopped at the roadside...



They're off to the Beach Hop...



Whereas the Triumph Stag owner is just going for a drive up and down the Kamei hills. He has the original engine in this.

The Stag had the wrong engine fitted. What they should have done was fit the Rover 3500 V8 in it - as many people have done since. Instead they fitted their own V8 (which, if I remember correctly, was basically two Dolomite engines joined together). The engine was horribly unreliable - chiefly blowing head gaskets and warping heads. The problem became so bad they became known as the Triumph Snag. Shame, as it's lovely looking car. I almost bought one in need of TLC once - glad I didn't on reflection...



As I ride off, I see a Mustang in its natural environment - having fuel pumped into it - he's on his way to the Beach Hop too, but doesn't expect to be putting the top down (it's forecast to piss down all day)...



In Katikati, just past the turn off to the naturist campsite...



...I stop at the Busy Baker café, where the lovely Paige...



...brings me an excellent breakfast...

Squeezing myself back into my bike jacket, I continue northwest on Highway 2 towards Auckland...



It has the makings of a nice day, if this low level cloud would just bugger off somewhere else...



Apologies for the image quality once again, I was overtaking - isn't this a peach?



Anyone care to guess make/model/year?

In Waihi, there was a long stretch of grass where it has clearly become local practice to advertise cars for sale...



Any guesses for the green car (I think the black one is fairly obvious)?



And just a little way down the road, I spotted two very elderly gentlemen for sale...



$NZ20,000, if you're in the market...



Or, if that's a little rich for you, how about...



...this one - a snip at $NZ11,000...



Onward!



I beat this train in a race. To be fair, it was doing about 10mph...



I spotted this chap on the other side of the road, with his helmet placed on the ground behind the rear wheel. When I was a youngster, this was the sign to say that you'd had a breakdown. Sure enough, when I've done a U-turn and ride back, he has run out of fuel, but he has someone coming. Nice to know the signal still works (he was aware of it and had placed his lid there for that reason)...



It's clearing up quite nicely now, and I'm ahead of Bettie's ETA, despite my stop for Breakfastzilla...



Saw this old gent coming the other way as I rode through Karangahake Gorge - any guesses?



What a great day to be riding - 75°F and the traffic has thinned out considerably...



I pass the Mother of all Bridges...



Is that Jim Rockford coming the other way? (God, that ages me terribly... )



I ride through Paeroa, home of the large bottle of P&L I saw the other day - also home to a very nicely turned out theatre...



I stop for fuel, having a brief chat to the owner of this Impala as I do so...

As I walk to pay for the fuel, I hit the side of the peak of my helmet on the rusty wing mirror of an old RV that has pulled up for fuel - thankfully I only scuff the peak, not the body of the helmet. Completely my fault - should have taken the helmet off to refuel and then the peak wouldn't have hidden the mirror...



It is starting to cloud up a bit as I head inland slightly on Highway 2, still heading for Auckland...



Eventually I join Highway 1, which is a two lanes dual carriageway. Traffic is heavy, in fact so heavy that I am briefly reminded of driving in the UK...



Everything slows right down to about 10kph. There's no sign of any cause other than sheer volume of traffic. I decide to do a bit of filtering to get ahead. I end up filtering for about 30 minutes through slow moving traffic, occasionally in three lanes, but most often in two...



I don't like to filter - particularly in another country, as the legality of it is always in question. I'll just plead ignorant Englishman if stopped. It won't be an act...

Auckland entirely covers the isthmus that separates Northland from the rest of North Island, so all traffic for Northland has to pass through the city. Happily, the urban motorway system is designed to accommodate this. I later find that the reason it is clogged is that there is a Justin Bieber concert AND an Adele concert in town tonight...



No reason at all to post that pic...



I'm directed over a huge bridge...



...which soars over the marinas and port facilities below...



...and the road signs start mentioning toll roads to Whangarei...



Ooh - will you look at the scuff on that peak...



Now, I have been told (sorry, can't remember who by) - "Toll Road bad; Free Road good", so I follow the signs for the Hibiscus Coast Highway, which takes me on a very pleasant route...



The cloud has all but cleared and it's a bright, sunny and warm day (about 80°F)...



Traffic is still heavier than I am used to encountering in New Zealand, but that might just be the result of several thousand people reading the same weather forecast as me (or wanting to get away from Justin Bieber, of course)...



Not a bad way to be spending a Saturday afternoon, anyway...



This was a great choice of route...



I had to be quick on the draw to snap this, hence poor framing etc...



Biltong is South African jerky. It's like US jerky, except it's made with Crack - it must be, because it is so addictive...



Not long to go now - and I'm glad of it - I'm feeling quite tired...



Oh-Kay...



Traffic keeps thinning...



As I enter Whangarei, I'm briefly stopped behind this old Ford Popular...



I like his number plate surround...

I arrive at my hotel at 1450 and I'm quickly checked in to my very pleasant room...



I connect to the Wi-Fi and upload 171 pictures in less than two minutes...

What a great day...

Stunning as always Mike. Thanks for posting


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Got family up in Whangerai, please say "hi" for me

Great RR by the way.

Mike O said:

25th March 2017

Traffic is still heavier than I am used to encountering in New Zealand, but that might just be the result of several thousand people reading the same weather forecast as me (or wanting to get away from Justin Bieber, of course)...

Click to expand...

No thats just Auckland traffic

Back to the important stuff
The blue/white convertible I think is a '56 Chev
And I reckon the green monster is a '68 Dodge Falcon 500, which I had never heard about till you put up a photo as I thought Falcon was a Ford name. It looks a lot like the Monaco and Polara.

Adrian

Very nice



Beautiful



Barnfind



Barnfind



Good Offer.



Saw this old gent coming the other way as I rode through Karangahake Gorge - any guesses? No idea.



Nice



Eventually I join Highway 1, which is a two lanes dual carriageway. Traffic is heavy, in fact so heavy that I am briefly reminded of driving in the UK........err....Nothing like the UK. Thats light



I like his number plate surround...

I like that

Another good day then Mike. Thanks for posting.

25th March 2017 (cont)

Just realised I missed an old car from earlier today!



Any guesses?

Mike re: the Triumph Stag, the Triumph v8 is actually a lovely engine but as you say it was blighted by British Leyland cost cutting on the cooling system. Any Stags still on the road have had this sorted by the fitting of a larger radiator and a header tank and in some cases an electric cooling fan - job done. The Stag Owners Club have ensured that all of these modifications are easily available and give peace of mind to owners and have transformed a lemon into a great GT car. I was in the market for a Stag last year before I bought the XJS and would only consider a Triumph engined example for originality. Fitting the 3500 V8 brought its own problems in other areas due to the weight difference which affected the handling. The Stag could have been a world beater and a massive success, especially in the USA, but it was under developed and once it had gained the reputation for poor reliability that was the beginning of the end for it. As is often the case it is the efforts of owner-enthusiasts to sort out the problems that transform it into the car it should have been in the first place. Another case of "what if" and an opportunity missed by BL.

Mike O said:

25th March 2017 (cont)

Just realised I missed an old car from earlier today!

Any guesses?

Click to expand...

1963 Ford Fairlane 500 2 door.

Adrian

ahebron said:

1963 Ford Fairlane 500 2 door.

Adrian

Click to expand...

Spot on

Great times for you, Mike. Enjoy the time you have left.... and the day off the bike

Lord Snooty said:

Mike re: the Triumph Stag, the Triumph v8 is actually a lovely engine but as you say it was blighted by British Leyland cost cutting on the cooling system. Any Stags still on the road have had this sorted by the fitting of a larger radiator and a header tank and in some cases an electric cooling fan - job done. .

Click to expand...

I had a Stag from about 1980 to 1996, It was a lovely car and used regularly during the first few years.

I had to have the heads re-skimmed and head gaskets replaced in the first couple of years I had it due to the overheating problem. I used this opportunity to re-grind the valves and re-shim the valve buckets to set the valve clearances.

Whilst doing this work I wanted to drain the engine block and removed the drain plug to achieve this. When the plug was removed no water came out, I had to hammer a rod through about 1 inch of hard-set sand. After a few enquiries I discovered that this may have been casting sand that had never been removed from the block at manufacture. I managed to get it all out by chipping away at it using a long rod down each of the water chambers of the block. Loads of the stuff came out. I made enquiries with the Stag Owners Club and it turned out a few other owners had just discovered this, I seem to remember there was a write up about it in the SOC Mag shortly after I reported it. Anyway, once I'd removed all this gunge I never had any more problems with overheating, and I continued to use the standard radiator. Shortly afterwards I rebuilt the gearbox and O/D unit (which had never worked since I bought the car).

After this work the car ran as sweet as a nut. Unfortunately, after I'd had it for about 10 years it started to suffer badly from corrosion and got to the point where it wouldn't pass an MOT. The bodywork needed a complete rebuild, which I just didn't have the time to undertake. Hence, it didn't move for the last 6 years it was with me, I eventually sold it to an enthusiast who rebuilt them for a hobby, getting more than I paid for it I was happy, but did miss it!

Bob

trebor said:

I had a Stag from about 1980 to 1996, It was a lovely car and used regularly during the first few years.

I had to have the heads re-skimmed and head gaskets replaced in the first couple of years I had it due to the overheating problem. I used this opportunity to re-grind the valves and re-shim the valve buckets to set the valve clearances.

Whilst doing this work I wanted to drain the engine block and removed the drain plug to achieve this. When the plug was removed no water came out, I had to hammer a rod through about 1 inch of hard-set sand. After a few enquiries I discovered that this may have been casting sand that had never been removed from the block at manufacture. I managed to get it all out by chipping away at it using a long rod down each of the water chambers of the block. Loads of the stuff came out. I made enquiries with the Stag Owners Club and it turned out a few other owners had just discovered this, I seem to remember there was a write up about it in the SOC Mag shortly after I reported it. Anyway, once I'd removed all this gunge I never had any more problems with overheating, and I continued to use the standard radiator. Shortly afterwards I rebuilt the gearbox and O/D unit (which had never worked since I bought the car).

After this work the car ran as sweet as a nut. Unfortunately, after I'd had it for about 10 years it started to suffer badly from corrosion and got to the point where it wouldn't pass an MOT. The bodywork needed a complete rebuild, which I just didn't have the time to undertake. Hence, it didn't move for the last 6 years it was with me, I eventually sold it to an enthusiast who rebuilt them for a hobby, getting more than I paid for it I was happy, but did miss it!

Bob

Click to expand...

Blimey - and we wonder why BL went out of business...

27th March 2017


After a day off the bike yesterday, watching biblical rain falling like stair-rods onto the surface of the car park outside, I was quite prepared for the same to happen this morning - as there was just a short 'dry' window on the forecast.


However, I wake to a beautiful blue sky and a warm, humid day. I recheck the weather forecast and it seems the rain, which was forecast to be around until late on Wednesday, has blown through and - aside from a few showers today, the rest of the week in Northland will be fine and dry...


Excellent! I get showered and kitted up and pack the bike. I would have extended here for a further night, but they have no room available, so I've booked a room tonight at another motel nearby. The plan will be to spend tonight in Whangerai, then travel up to the north tip of Northland - Cape Reinga - tomorrow and stay somewhere in Kaitaia tomorrow night. That then gives me two days to get south to Auckland and drop the Adv off at the shipping agent, pack my bag and get the flight on Friday. I book accommodation on Thursday night near the airport.


Two months seemed an age when I started planning this - it's gone in a heartbeat...





I set off north on Highway 1 at about 0930. The day feels humid and thundery and the temperature is 78°F...





A lack of ability doesn't seem to deter the locals from painting anything that stands still for long enough...





Steam is rising off the road as the sun hits it - there are some scattered showers forecast and I can easily relive it - hence my plan to do a short loop today and leave the longer ride until the weather is (hopefully) more stable tomorrow...





The rain has brought out vivid greens in the vegetation, as well as taking all pollen and other crap out of the air, so visibility is excellent...





Once again I smell the pleasant fragrance from whatever roots and undergrowth they have gathered and are burning here...





I've turned off Highway 1 and I'm following the Two Coasts Highway (or something daft like that) for a bit...





It's a glorious day (so long as you keep moving and have a cooling airflow)...





This is Ngunguru - which I can't help but mentally pronounce Ngorogoro in David Attenborough's voice - too many wildlife documentaries throughout my life, I suppose...





There are worse ways of spending a Monday morning...





This is just north of Tutukaka, I thought this was just a perfect view...





Nearby was a sign warning to keep dogs under control, as dogs are apparently responsible for the majority of Kiwi deaths...





Too many people, too few surnames?





It's a lovely ride. Hardly any traffic and - apart from the odd mud slip from the bank on the left, a great road surface...





I do take note of the clouds marshalling themselves, though - I think the forecasters were quite right to predict some more rain today...





I don't have a destination set into Bettie - just meandering about on the coast and enjoying the view...





A big group of surfers were just getting kitted up on the beach ready to do battle here...





Sounds like a lot of effort...





Aha!





The much sought-after bratwurst breakfast!


I force myself back into my riding jacket and waddle back to the bike...





I decide to pootle about for another 90 minutes or so, and then make my way back to the motel - this is definitely saving up for a shower in the next couple of hours...





I turn left down a road at random and start making my way west...





Almost immediately I am on a little used gravel road. It has terrible washboard ridges across it - either the result of heavy vehicles with knackered dampers, or heavy tracked vehicles using it regularly. The ride is not pleasant - I feel like I'm having my fillings rattled in my teeth...





That said, it's a beautiful route...





After about 35km of gravel and washboard, I turn onto a good quality gravel road - and my average speed doubles...





Although I have a feeling a rain shower is stalking me...





I put the motel's address into Bettie and she quickly has me back on tarmac and heading towards Whangarei...





These little back roads are very unlikely to be patrolled - so I turn the wick up a bit...





Then this holds me up for 15 minutes - as the single driver eventually manages to load the digger and then pull the low-loader back onto the road and let traffic queued in both directions pass...


Almost there...





My eye is caught by this distinguished gentleman - any guesses?





This one's too easy - actually it looks a bit unloved...





I arrive at the Villa del Rio at just after 1400 and the heavens open as I am being shown my huge two-bedroomed apartment. I wait until the rain abates, then unpack the bike and connect to the (ultra-fast) Wi-Fi, which uploads all the pictures in a flash. An hour and a bit later and you'd not know it had rained...


Good day.

Should've gone for three months Mike.

That will be Rover P5B with horrid wheels.

Vila Del Rio Motel is down the road from Rhynas childhhood home on Maunu Rd.

Adrian

ahebron said:

That will be Rover P5B with horrid wheels.

Click to expand...

Yep - it does look like your granny wearing a miniskirt, doesn't it?

They certainly know how to do a good breakfast down there!

used to live in Whangarei, when I was knee high to a grasshopper. Brother lives in Auckland now.

Are you doing the bay of Islands area while you are up there?