Well Strang0r and I met at Ashurst Mobil on Saturday 4 Oct and proceeded through the gorge on our way to Havelock North. Weather was dry but quite windy. Stopped for coffee and a pie at the cafe come truck stop just north of Dannevirk. Owner warned us to look out for wind on the Takapau straights as there'd been a truck blown over or some such. Luckily for us her fears were unfounded and the wind remained manageable. for the rest of the journey. I was planning to head up SH50 for a change but Strang0r was in front at the time and the turn off crept up too quickly for me to get his attention. In other words I was napping and missed out on a nice piece of tarmac. Strang0r left Havelock North for Palmy late in the afternoon in what sounded like pretty similar conditions.
Sunday before lunch I set off for Whenuapai. Napier weather was gorgeous with light wind and little sign of moisture. Evidently I must have messed up in my morning sacrifice to the weather Gods, because it rained for almost the entire length of the Napier-Taupo road. Taupo must have good goats, or virgins, or whatever because they had great weather and so I stopped for fuel and lunch.
The rain eased to drizzle and occasional showers while the wind picked up. Stayed on SH1 to Putaruru then picked up SH28, SH24 then Old Te Aroha Road. Gave myself a fright turning onto OTA road when I lazily crossed the painted markings mid turn. A judicious application of right boot onto hard top kicked the bike upright. It took a little longer for my arse cheeks to release their grip on my underpants. It was clear I was getting a little tired and Te Aroha was a good place to stop and take a break. Especially since that's where Grandma lives and she always has a welcoming cup of tea.
Warmed up and refreshed I said my good byes to Grandma and proceeded to Paeroa for gas then up SH2 and SH1 to my destination Whenuapai. All in all a very long day in wet, windy conditions. Let my guard down once but managed to save what could have been an embarrassing, low speed lay over. I need to tune in more to myself and look out for early signs of fatigue.
I'll write up the return journey later. But suffice to say SH4 was built for bikers.