When posting my rides, most people enjoy the coastal scenery, so I have created a thread of my trip to Whitianga this week. We have started summer, but some fronts are coming through from the North, making the weather very humid (opposite to northern hemisphere) and roads wet. I managed to get through dry and safe Kopu Bridge Guardians are Maori kaitiaki carvings
Once through the ranges, the coast run is flatter, but still winds around the water. Single lane Bridge (1 of many) Tairua (good public toilets) Passing bay Pacific Highway
Then its a small set of hills to Whitianga No time to stop at the Coroglen Tavern Buffalo beach - Whitianga (full tide)
Not too many potholes @DCS900 for the volume of trucks that cross it, but the geography and rain make slips a major hazard. You can see a stretch towards the peak where they water-blast the tar build up (from the heat) to give grip back (the new quick fix to avoid resealing)
Thanks for sharing your route and the beautiful pictures, @Dartplayer! What glorious countryside. I particularly love the skies with those big puffy white (and sometimes dark) clouds. I also really enjoy seeing the maps of your route. It's cool that you can take photos while you're actually riding your bike--something I'd like to figure out how to do one of these days. What I'd REALLY like to do is travel to New Zealand and see its beauty in person.
Great pictures, lovely scenery and skies full of drama. I agree that the lack of potholes stands out!!!
The Kopu Bridge have taniwha gracing the support pillars of the bridge and pouwhenua (carved posts) at the approaches. I love the little guys @darkman and so intentionally showed the departing shot showing their butts The first thing you notice are the Pou standing guard, it almost makes driving over the bridge quite eerie and spiritual. The amazing cultural design features of this bridge include 10 Pou, waka etching, water etching and design on handrails and concrete barriers, Patiki etching and Ureia (Taniwha) bridge Pepeha. According to Maori folklore, Ureia was the taniwha who lived in Tīkapa (the Firth of Thames). Accounts differ as to the form Ureia took, some say he was a fish, others say a school of fish. Either way, Ureia was a powerful symbol of the fertility and mana of the Hauraki region. Ureia was killed at Pūponga, by the Manukau Harbour. There is a carving of him located inside the Hotunui meeting house, which once stood at Thames and is now inside the Auckland Museum, if you wish to see it.
It takes a little while to watch the whole video @Sandi T, snapshot pictures of interest ( including some with traffic ) and then create a documentary in a word document. I then pick the ones I want to post and save as pictures to upload. NZ is very green, and being made up of long islands, allows for great coastlines Tourism was a major earner before COVID with many interesting spots to visit
I would highly recommend touring the South Island @Bikerman and rental bikes are available. Summer is nice, but the Autumn colours are spectacular
I particularly left most of the skies in the pix as they were so changeable @Mrs Visor. This route is not bad at the moment, as it is the gateway to many city dwellers summer holidays over Christmas. I travel a route north of Auckland that is littered with pot holes and repair ramps, that make you leave your seat and can be quite dangerous for novice riders https://at.govt.nz/projects-roadworks/road-works-disruptions/#currentroadworks
Yikes, quite the list - reckon I'll get plenty of experience under my belt before attempting to come and ride over there then .
Dartplayer. What fantastic pictures and write up. It looks so terrific. You luck man to have all this on your doorstep. Here where i am located it is just traffic jam after traffic jam or road works. We do have the Burnham beeches but very narrow roads and as soon as you go there it seems there is some schoolboy racer in their Nova's all over the place trying to Lewis Hamilton. Joe.
That sounds like quite the process, Dartplayer. Thanks so much for taking the time to get those photos snapshotted (is that a word?) out of your video and for sharing them along with your documentary. New Zealand looks gorgeous. In the back of my mind I've always wanted to visit--mostly because of all the coastline but now after seeing your posts and photos my interests are wider--landscape, culture, ride routes.
@Dartplayer Thank you for your informative report and the pictures of the beautiful landscape of your homeland. NZ is unfortunately so far away from Austria.
