thought I would write up the planand compare it to what actually happened after the ride. Should be interesting.

DAY 1. 19 Oct 08 439km

Leave Ashhurst at 9am
Head down east side of the ranges taking in alfredton, gladstone and general fun roads that are out that way.
Head down to Lake Ferry for the card.
Back to Featherston for a first fuel stop at 233km.
Head over rimutakas onto moonshine road for a bit of fun and head into Titahi Bay where my sister is going to trade off looking cool by association (with a heap of sportsbikes) for lunch.

After lunch will be a run over paekakariki hill and a pootle back to Ashhurst.

Have to go to work for a couple of days so day 2 will be delayed till the following Friday.

DAY 2. 24 Oct 08 947km

Leaving Ashhurst at 5.30am to head striaght up SH2 to Bayview for first fuel stop (168km)
Head up the coast to Gisborne for another fuel stop (207km - 375km for day)
Tackle the east cape up to Te Araroa for the next card. My map doesnt show a fuel station in Te Araroa but the organisers assure me there is one there so that will be next fuel stop. (169km - 544 for day)
Finish the east cape to Opotiki for more fuel (156km - 700 for day)
Follow the coast up round Tauranga Paeroa to Ngatea for last fuel stop of the day (237km - 937km for day)
Up the road to Meanies mates (Chris) for the night (947km for day)

DAY 3. 25 Oct 08 609km

Head away from Chris's place at 9am
Head up motorway to Orewa(145km)
Whangarei for fuel (132km - 277km for day)
Heading up eastern route to Kaitaia for fuel (153km -470km for day)
Up to Houhora for the card then up to cape reinga for a photo shoot at the lighthouse.
Back to Houhora for stay at another mate of Meanies in Houhora. (609km)

DAY 4. 26 Oct 08 582km

Head away about 9am
Head down to Kaitaia to start the day with a full tank. (44km - 183km since yesterdays fill)
Take in the mugamukas and head down the western side of the island to catch a ferry at Rawene.
head down to Dargaville for fuel (176km - 220km for day)
Head down SH16 and on to motorway. Bombay for more fuel (222km - 442 for day)
Hitting the Highway to Ngaruawahia and take back roads to KihiKihi for the night (582km)

DAY 5. 27 Oct 08 493km

Head out about 9am to Te kuiti for fuel (46km for day - 186km since last fill)
Head down past 8 mile through awakino/Mt messenger to Bell black for fuel (156km - 202 for day)
Take some back twisty roads carrington road through to Rahotu for last card
Head down to wanganui for the last fuel stop of the trip (203km - 405km for day)
Head home (493km)

Or go do it all again

Hope you have a good trip. How many are going from Manawatu?

8 but the trip to wellington (day 1) will probably be a free 4 all day ride.

19th is a Saturday right? That could be a goer if your sister looks alright?

Just a fly in the ointment, I doubt very much my bike would make the 277km stretch on day three.
There are also other issues that need to be gone over so we all have an understanding, this is why we need a meeting to nut it out so we are all happy. No big drama's though.

A suggestion: do the Mangamuks on the way up and take the route we took on the Mini's Return to the car ferry: http://maps.google.co.nz/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&a...b27f515&z=9

Great ride and the car ferry does save ya heaps of time.

Guys if you're worried about fuel from Te Kuiti to Bell Block,there is gas at Urenui and Waitara,and at Awakino during daylight hours,Awakino open till 9.00pm I think.

Hawera is ok,not sure if Shell SthRd has reopened as 2 weeks ago they still had paving to do.

My bike gets about 260-280km on a tank, although I haven't figured out exactly where the bottom is. Going to do that tomorrow with a 5l container if the wind dies down a bit.

Geez man, that's a detailed plan. It looks good. Paint the bike red and it go faster, but then green might soothe you on those slow bits around the cape.

Her husband (who is bigger than you) might say shes hot.



The above is a prelimanary plan. I thought, if we have a meeting then we have to come up with issues and then have another meeting to think about the issues and then another to solve them. I will fix the 277km stretch if you think your bike wont make it. The route is not set in concrete either. If you have a road or section you want added or substracted then let me know. I am not organising anything, the whole point of the ride is a collabrate effort. I just get to post it cause I am the only one who knows how to use the mapping software properly for the gps.




We were going to do the mangamuks twice - cause we can.......
Not doing the ferry to save time, doing it to say I have taken my bike on a ferry!
Will check out the alternative route later and see.



TK to BB is only 156k!

You should be alright with that. I am going to change the 277k section. The rest is pretty much all under 200k so should be about 2 hour stretches on the bikes.



Curses to you. suggesting wrecking a quality kawasaki by painting it red!

You must have been talking to meanie....

Spoil sport .

Good thing I'm not single then. Wouldn't want any trouble. I just love these emotions!

you are welcome to do the wellington trip - as is anyone.

But I do need to know numbers beforehand and any late commers will not be invited to lunch.
Ruthie (sister) is happy to accomodate how ever many show up but she does need notice.

Countdown to the Four Points:

19 days 11 hours 52 minutes 27 seconds



Countdown to the First Point:

14 days 15 hours 52 minutes 27 seconds

Are you running a countdown timer or is this a do it in the head thing.

Just teasing dude, but on a serious note. I'm not worried about lunch or heading that far in. I'll decide closer to the date and I'd probably split over the Harwards and Paekak hill. Appreciate the offer anyway Lance!

http://www.mediarhythm.net.nz/countdown/

you are just scared Gareth (ruthies husband) is gonna kick your arse now! Have you done moonshine road (runs parrallel to haywards). It is very tight and very technical. Awesome change from the haywards.

At last I have found a backdoor into that mediarythm site.

spoilt sport. I would have told him I do it in my head.

you happen to see an email from me lately?

yep

For sure! I haven't done Monnshine road, in fact I've never heard of it. I'll find it on Google and ave a wee look. Sound interesting.

well after you have finished looking at it on the computer, come for a ride with us and we will show you where it is.....

whats the plan if 'lake ferry sunday' is shite?

thursday?

its not going to be shite!

i know

but if it is, do i get to take another day off on the thursday so we can actually get to lake ferry?

The weather is going to be mint the whole time we are doing the four points
We Emus have ordered it so

I guess some kind of backup plan can be made at the meeting next week

Yep reread the item again,thought it was 220km or so,but that was total from day before,you might get to Stratford or Eltham from TK,might be about 195-205km,or Hawera is about 250km fromTK.

Enjoy the ride,sounds like well spaced stops etc,take batteries for gps,don't want to buy them at a garage to $$$$.

Yeah sweet as, looking forward to this meeting. You might not have to worry about that long stretch on day three on my account, been think it over and have a plan to get around my issues and really it's only day one that really bothers me to any extent.

i dont think we'll have an issue if you can't stretch to 277 on day three, there must be a hundred gas stations between ngatea and whangarei, we gotta go through auckland!

Yeah very true but a chat about it be good.

did my first test pack this evening, i should be good with the ventura and tailbag, no panniers necessary

i told mrs yod

she said im a nerd

Ahem..

yes. but alkd is kinda funny. you go striaght through the biggest city in NZ but it is a real PITA if you leave the motorway. I have put a fuel stop in orewa which is north of auckland. That cuts it down to 130 or something. edited first post already.

if you know which exits have handy gas stations it's not so bad, there are some reasonably close ones thorugh Manukau and Aucks, but the easiest would be to hop off at Takapuna, head to the Mobil by the Po and then cut back on at Northcote

in any case, we could probably just as easily make warkworth or even wellsford, they'd both be less than 200km

I hope it's not the road i'm thinking about, where does it exit on the west coast?

turn off just after the river in the hutt and it comes out half way down the haywards by judgeford.

My plan, if the weather's shite, is to ride anyway.

Chopper Read says "HTFU Australia!"


You're a nerd. Srsly!

Hmm, ok... *gets old school map out*
Ok just as long as it's not the one that takes in Cloustonville and comes out at Paraparaumu on the west coast i'll give it a go.

Of course there's always that! I really suck with computer stuff.

no its not. that is the akatarawas. and what s wrong with that road anyhow?

Went for an enjoyable ride in the rain straight after work tonight (it was pissing down in Feilding!). I've bought a 5l petrol container, so as my bike's tank was getting down I decided to fill up the 5l and then see where the bottom of my tank really was.

Harley says the Ultra's tank is 5gal (they've upped it to 6gal in the last couple of years) which should work out to about 19l, but after running the tank almost dry tonight it took 20.5l to fill back up. I got 313km out of the tank (and not quite at my best fuel economy) and did 43km after the low fuel warning light came on.

All useful information to know, in preparation for the 4 points. Based on the official "plan" listed above I don't think I'm going to need the extra 5l, but I'll take it along as backup just in case (it fits nicely in a pannier).

I also think I need a better helmet.

nicely done

15 odd km to the litre isn't bad for a whopping great 1450 twin

i must do this myself one day

Buy a Harley?

Yod on a Harley, now that i,d pay to see

The fat Connie did 368km on it's last tank (21L to fill her up). This was the day of the ticket: Taupo to Palmy via Napier.

Just a reminder meeting at my place for the Manawatu 4 points riders after the friday night ride tomorrow night