Well after talking with Wattoes about how to head north from Ngunguru, we came up with a bit of a mad plan.
I left Wattoes place near Ngunguru about 8:30am on Tuesday morning.
I was using the “KiwiPathFinders” map of Northland. ($8 at a BP petrol station) It has good detail of all the minor gravel roads.I rode out along Kaiatea Rd to Waipaipai.Headed toward State Highway 1 but turned off onto Whananaki South Rd and travelled to the end of the road where there is a walking bridge across the estuary. Apparently the longest walking bridge in the southern hemisphere. About 350m long I reckon.Then I turned back and took Halles Rd around to Whananaki. I kept on going to the end of Rockell Rd.
I suspect that with the permission of a few farmers you could ride across some farms and come out on Mimiwhangata Rd at Ngahau Bay. However I wasn’t about to do that, so headed back toward State Highway 1 and turned off just after Opuawhanga along Kaiikanui Rd and Webb Rd to Helena Bay.
Then on to the Opua ferry via the shorter but gravel Russell Rd. Quite enjoyable. The ferry crossing cost $5.
From Opua I headed up to Waitangi and onto Haruru Falls Rd. I was hoping to get onto some forestry roads from Haruru Falls Rd to Kerikeri. (Skyline Rd and Bedford Rd) Unfortunately the forestry roads were shut off with a gate.I had no choice but to continue on up State Highway 10.Just before Kahoe, I turned left up Otangaroa Rd hoping to head across to Mangamuka. However, I soon came across a sign saying that due to a washed out bridge, there was no access across to Mangamuka. This was disappointing.So I simply continued on along Highway 10 to Awanui and up to Waipapakauri to visit my friends “The Brains”.
Next morning I headed out to 90 Mile Beach at about 8:00am and zipped along at about 100kph up to The Bluff. On the way I turned off at Hukatere to gas up at the end of Whalers Rd. Then back out to 90 Mile Beach. I turned off at the Bluff and rode along Oromanga Rd. At the end of Oromanga Rd I had to open a gate to get onto Te Ahu Rd back onto Highway 1. It seems quite likely that the locals try to disguise the entry from Te Ahu Rd onto Oramanga Rd with the gate, and there is no “Oramanga Rd” sign post to be seen.I continued on past Te Kao to Cape Reinga. There was a LOT of road works going on near Cape Reinga.
I then headed back to Te Paki and along the Te Paki stream and back out onto 90 Mile Beach. There was a reasonable amount of water flowing on the Te Paki stream in parts. It was only ever about a foot deep at its deepest. I was careful to pick my way along the shallower parts and was never sure if the sand beneath was suddenly going to get a LOT softer. It looked as though it could be a major problem if the sand bed ever turned soft. It never did.
So I blasted south along 90 Mile Beach. The tide was coming in and I had to ride through the seawater at a depth of about 10cm near The Bluff. I wouldn’t want to have left it much longer.
I turned off at the Waipapakauri Landing and back to the Brains by midday. Note that at the Waipapakauri Landing the level of the beach seems to have dropped and only very good 4WD cars would be able to get on and off the beach here. Cars would need to get onto the beach at Ahipara or Hukatere.
I gave the bike a quick blast with the hose to get the sand and salt off it. I went over the bike with a spray can of CRC Lanocote just to help protect against corrosion. I also checked the oil, it was fine.
I rode on to Ahipara and then to Herekino. Just past Herekino I turned left and carried on to Diggers Valley and Takahue. I continued on to the end of Takahue Saddle Rd to a closed gate. The Takahue Saddle Rd turns into a 4WD track here. Cool! I went through the gate and across a small creek. The track was easy enough for the first 10kms or so, through another gate and across a few more creeks. There were a few tricky bits across some narrower rocky sections that tested my sense of balance.
Then I came to a steep clay and rock 5m drop into a 1m deep, 6m wide river. I stopped at the top and walked down the track to the river. I could see the track continued across the other side of the river. If I was to ride down to the rivers edge, I seriously doubted that the rear tyre (Brand new Mitas E-09) would be able to get me back up. So this was going to be a crucial decision. There was no going back.
I walked back up to the bike, took off all the luggage, stripped down to just a T-shirt and boxer shorts. Walked back down to the river and waded across it, checking the riverbed stability, river depth and possible routes across the river.
It was definitely risky but I figured I could do it. I just hoped that there were no more tricky sections like this further down the track! I went back and jumped on the bike and headed down the drop toward the river. The rivers edge was quite soft loamy/muddy and I didn’t quite manage to enter the river on my desired line. I was revving it hard in first gear and fanning the clutch. At the deepest point (about 1m deep) the front tyre hit up against a rock that I wanted to pass just to the left of.
The bike stopped and the rear tyre dug down into the river bed a bit and then the engine stalled! I was actually quite panicked and looked back at the muffler. Water was flowing in the muffler! I desperately wanted to stop the water entering the exhaust so I quickly jabbed the starter button and the bike tried to lurch forward as I was still in gear. I saw a few bubbles burble out of the exhaust. I quickly jumped off the bike and started pushing with my thumb still firmly planted against the starter button. Slowly the bike moved through the water under the power of the starter motor and my pushing efforts.
I couldn’t believe that even though the battery and starter motor (and most of the bike for that matter) were completely submerged, they were still working fine. After about 15-20 seconds, the bike was across the river. I continued to push and use the starter motor to get the bike up onto a little grass clearing. I then selected neutral and continued to crank it over to get the bike going. After about a full 50-60 seconds the bike fired up but then stopped. I gave it about another 5 seconds cranking and it fired up again and I kept it going with big handfuls of throttle.
The battery had performed brilliantly well. Large spits of water were coming out of the exhaust. I was also quite exhausted and still a bit stressed but was overwhelmingly relieved to have the bike across the river and still going.
After about 4 minutes I let the bike idle and waded back across the river twice to get my luggage and clothing. I piled the luggage back on the bike and got dressed. I also took a few photos with my 2 MPixel phone camera.
I continued on along the (now easy) trail for about another 3 kms when suddenly the track just dissipated out into a farmers paddock and seemed to come to an end! Oh ooh. Not Good.
I walked around the paddock and could see that if I did an easy river crossing it would bring me to a locked gate and into another paddock. I rode across the stony river and bent the gear change lever. The weld on the lever seemed to be holding firm but I dared not try to bend the lever back into it normal position. I just left it as it was, now sticking out and up a bit.
I got off the bike and jumped over the gate and walked around looking for an exit. I saw a house up on some higher ground. This was very comforting as until now I really did think that I was possibly about 10-15 kms from the nearest humans. I could see a track at the bottom of the house and followed it back towards my bike. I worked out that by doing yet another river crossing and riding up and down some steep cattle rutted tracks I could get to the back gate of the house.
So again I unloaded the bike and stripped off. I walked beside the bike with the motor running in first gear riding the clutch as I crossed the river. It was very difficult due to the large slippery rocks and I was trying not to damage the gear lever. I got the bike across and rode it about 30m up a deeply rutted hill to the crest and stopped.
I then went back on foot across the river twice to get my luggage and clothing. On the first return trip I slipped and fell face first into the river. I soaked the front of my T-shirt and hurt my left wrist. I loaded up the bike again and got dressed.
I then had to ride down the other side of the hill through a boggy section and up to where the track proper continued. It was a bit hairy but I just powered hard through the bog to keep my momentum up for the rise up to the track. No worries. Another minute and another medium difficult bog and I was at the gate leading up to the house.
The gate was unlocked. I went through and rode up through the back section up to the house. A 50-ish looking lady was on the phone on the back veranda. As I rode up to her she looked at me. I heard her say “I’ll call you back”. She hung up the phone and focussed on me. I yelled out “How’s it going” and stopped the bike and killed the engine. She was very surprised to see me. I explained that I had come over the Takahue Saddle. She remarked that I “must be wet then”. She explained how the track had been shut by a slip right beside her house. She understood that I had no option but to exit via her property. After a 5 minute chat I carried on to Broadwood.
It had just taken me about 2 hours to travel about 5 kms and cross the same river 3 times in 3 different places. It had been fun in a challenging kind of way. At least I now had a bit of a story to tell.
I noticed that the idle speed of the bike had increased to a very fast idle. This made it a bit interesting on entry to corners. I fiddled around a bit with the idle screw. I worked out that if I eased the throttle off it settled at a very fast idle. However, if I forcibly snapped the throttle shut, then it would idle normally. From now on, when changing down into a corner, I had to make a point of snapping the throttle shut. I guessed that a bit of crap had got into the carby slide during the river swamping. I would take a look when I got home.
Also, the gear lever now stuck out at an odd angle. I soon got used to this.
From Broadwood I took Paponga Rd and Rakautapu Rd to Rangiora to catch the Rawene Ferry.I was having a real ball on these roads and started to really push the front (Kenda) into the corners. The gravel was nice and consistent, well banked and not too gravelly. I was pushing hard as I wanted to get to the ferry for 6:00pm.
At one point on Rakautapu Rd I went into a corner too fast and the front sledged away in front of me. I quickly readjusted my seating position trying to counteract. The rear then let go big-time and I found myself at full opposite lock looking like low-siding it.
However, things managed to just hang in there. I was very conscious of the “weight up high” nature of my loaded up bike. As soon as the bike started to straighten up I whipped the bars straight, eager to prevent any possibility of fish tailing or high-siding. Much to my relief the bike settled and I continued on as if nothing had happened.
I eased off a bit entering the corners from then on. It was quite a big moment. I was probably doing about 70kph and thought I was toast for a few seconds.
I got to the Rawene ferry at 6:03pm just as the last vehicle in the queue was rolling onto the ferry. I rolled straight on after it. Perfect timing. I asked when the last sailing was. 8:00pm. I needn’t have rushed. The “Hokianga Vehicle Ferry” cost $3.50.
From Rawene I headed along the west coast road (Highway12) through the Waipoua forest and on to Dargaville. The section of road through the Waipoua Forest was fantastic. About a 30km sealed section of tight twisties through seemingly quite mature native forest. Ferns and Kauri at the roadside reaching out into the road space.
I pushed quite hard through here and for the first time felt the knobs on the front tyre squirm a bit mid corner as I eased of the front brake.
I stayed the night in a campervan park in Dargaville. $30 to crash out in a rough looking 3 berth caravan. There was a heater that I used to dry out my river soaked boots, socks, shirt etc.
The next day (Wednesday 19th November 2008) I headed back north to the Kai Iwi Lakes. I spent about 40 minutes just riding around having a look. The ride through the Waipoua forest road seemed to have destroyed the gravel gripping ability of the front tyre. I had to take it much easier than usual.
The tyre didn’t look any different, but it sure as hell was performing nowhere near as good as it had been in the gravel. I found this quite frustrating. The fun factor had been reduced somewhat.
Then headed south back through Dargaville to Turiwiri where I took a left turn onto Arapohue Rd. I started to notice that the bike was feeling a bit sluggish. I pressed on not really worrying about it. It seemed to get worse. I thought I was losing power. The rear brake started feeling a bit wooden and the lever felt different somehow.
I applied the back brake going into a corner and the lever didn’t spring back properly. Now the bike was dead sluggish and it felt like the rear brake was partially on. I got off the bike to look at the rear brake. The disc and calliper were quite hot. The lever movement was all but nil.
I noticed a small piece of gravel had jammed itself in at the rear of the brake lever and was preventing the brake from releasing. I flicked the piece of gravel out and everything returned to normal. I had been riding the back brake more and more with every application of the brake as the little stone chip nestled down more and more against the rear of the brake lever. What a weird thing that was.
I continued on along Mititai Rd to Waiotira and Waikiekie. Then along Taipuha Rd and Arcadia Rd to Paparoa and on towards Brynderwyn.
I turned right into Mountain Rd before Brynderwyn and came out on Highway 1. Quite a brilliant little gravel ride from Dargaville.
My gravel and sand riding in the far north was now over and I rode back through to Auckland stopping at a cafe in Te Hana. 3 eggs, tomato, bacon, beans, avocado, hash browns etc for $13.50. I really felt that I had earned it.
South of Auckland I turned left onto Highway 27 and then turned off and went to Kaiawa. It was a brilliant sunny day and the view of the coast was quite inviting.
I had a beer at the Kaiawa Pub. Then some fish and chips next door to the pub. Then I went about 20kms down the road to the Miranda Hot Springs and had a soak.
About 5:30pm I rode up to a friend Jared’s place on Rataroa Rd between Miranda and Maungatawhiri.
A few hours later I headed on to Morrinsville to see a friend “Sheep”. Then over the Kaimai’s to Tauranga and home to Whakamarama. Got in about midnight. Slept well.
The odometer showed 44,706 km. A total of 1,766 km for my Far North trip.
From Whangarei right around to Brynderwyn had been just great. Heaps of gravel and a good blast up and down 90 Mile Beach. I would like to explore a bit more between Highway 10 and 1 in the Far North. It looks like there are plenty of gravel roads and a few 4WD tracks in that area.
I need to go replace that front tyre, check out the carbies and fix my gear change lever.
I also inspected the rear carrier frame /pack rack. All was sweet. Not cracked or bent anywhere. It had definitely been fully tested and had passed the test.
P.S. It is now Sunday 30th November. Today I started up the XT for the first time since getting back from up north. Going down my driveway, the gear lever completely broke off. Excellent timing. :-)
