29 September 2020
It was 8°C in the car port when I started up the motorbike. I was confident that
the bright sun would soon increase the temperature from a low point, perhaps
caused by the shade. It was sad to say goodbye to my son, but we had a good
couple of days. I had dressed C well; a thin pair of gloves and a new thick
motorcycle gloves outside, track pants and jeans, several tee-shirts, one
long-sleeved, a water-proof jacket, his motorcycle jacket and his new boots
with thick socks. I was also dressed for the potential cold with my riding
jeans, several layers, scarf, and neck bandanna.
The
temperature did increase a little, to 11°C as we left
Wellington on the State Highway, heading north. The route along the Kapiti
Coast was lovely, though we could see the high tide waves washing over the sea
wall, but we managed to time it perfectly, so we kept dry. It kept cold as we
headed north. We stopped to have a mid-morning snack at the New World
supermarket in Levin. Through experience, I know there is no good coffee shop
in Levin and so the best that can be done is to order a coffee from their shop,
ignore the heavy muffins and scones, and go in to buy the very well-made
pastries inside the supermarket. It beats me that their coffee shop does not
sell their croissants, pan au chocolate and danish pastries, but I save money.
We warmed
up and then continued our trip. It became very windy and cold between Foxton
and Sanson, so I was forced to ride at an angle into the wind. C suffered and
we stopped in Bulls at the BP petrol station. Neither of us needed food, but we
did need to warm up. I talked to some motorcyclists who were heading south, and
they said that there were strong and cold winds from Hunterville to Bulls, and
snow on the Desert Road. I wished them luck and they wished us all the best.
C was
cheerful and I did not need to explain to him that we had little choice, though
I did say to him that if it was terrible, we could stay in a motel or
backpackers’ in Taupo. The part between Bulls and Hunterville was not too bad,
and I felt that the motorcycling couple who I met in the petrol station were
going to have a worse time as they headed south than we did heading north. I
did put on the heated grips, though I was conscious that I could not offer any
way for C to warm his hands. We sailed through Hunterville without problems and
rode on to Taihape. We stopped for lunch in “Soul Café” which I like because I
know they have a wood burner in the café. Sure enough, it was on and the place
was warm. C initially did not want anything, which was odd, but I ordered some
potato wedges, thinking to share them. Before they arrived, he became animated
and wanted pancakes with syrup, which was fine. So, warmed, fed and
revitalised, we remounted the bike for a cold stage. There were no real
problems between Taihape and Waioru, so we continued. The Desert Road was cold
and a little windy. By this time, my heated grips were on 75% and were very
warm. My fingers felt hot on the inside but were cold on the outside. The
temperature stayed at a steady 4°C, there was some rain, which
gradually clumped to become slushy snow. The snow clung soggily to my visor and
to the windshield and to my shoulders. I could feel C’s helmet against my back,
so I guess he was hunched up. I kept to the speed limit as I wanted to be cautious
and also thought that the last thing I wanted was to have a conversation with a
policeman about my speed or the weather.
We rolled
into Turangi and I pulled over the bike, partially as C had tapped my shoulder
but also because I wanted to ask him about the thermal pools. Yes, he wanted a
break and he agreed that the thermal pools in Tokaanu would be a great place to
warm up. I paid for a private pool, and that way we were soon taking off our
multiple layers. I warned him not to immerse himself too quickly, especially
his fingers and feet, and he was good about that. We ended up spending 15
minutes in the pool, and both of us felt a lot better and warmer. It took us a
while to get dressed again and we went for lunch in Turangi. I tried to suggest
somewhere indoors, but the little lad remembered our previous visits to Turangi,
and wanted to go to a fish and chips place.
I parked,
we got off the bike, and then someone with a ute and a trailer reversed into
the bike. I frantically banged on the trailer, and another person, on the other
side, rushed to the driver to tell him to stop. The trailer had pushed the
front wheel and the whole bike had swivelled on the centre stand, and I could
see the left-hand indicator was pushed forward. The farmer was very apologetic,
and we looked at the bike, which was still standing but with the back of the
trailer jammed against the front wheel and front indicator. I could not move
the bike forward, as it was on the centre stand. I did not want the ute and
trailer to move forward, so I suggested that we lift the bike back and out of
the way. The indicator popped back into its usual position and we both
inspected the left side, as C stood and looked at us. I could see no scratches,
and though I waggled the indicator, it was the same as usual. The farmer
apologised profusely, saying several times that he had not seen me, so I shook
his hand and wished him all the best. No harm done. I did decide to move the
bike, and filled up with petrol and parked on the other side of the road, well
away from any trailers.
We ate, C enjoyed
himself in the playground, and remounted. The temperature was a little higher,
we felt good and the bike was running well. So, we continued past Lake Taupo,
enjoying the views, rode down through forests and then the small townships.
Just as we were about to pass Cambridge, C needed the toilet, so I had to pull
off on a highway exit and seek somewhere for him. It was a convoluted route to
get back on the highway, and in the end, I had to go south and do a U-turn into
a farm driveway. We rolled into Hamilton at 7pm and were able to relax. An
adventure; over 520km, snow, winds, rain, the Thermal Pool, someone reversing a
trailer into us, but we were home safely.
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