VOL. 56 ISSUE 4 JANUARY 29, 2019 P79
We grabbed a bite to eat and
filled up on fuel before heading
to the tip, Cape Reinga! This was
a sight to see as it was where
the Tasman Sea and the Pacific
Ocean's currents collided making
what looked like its own Bermuda
Triangle of ocean current chaos.
As we began heading back
south to Taipa we dropped into
the Te Paki Stream that paralleled
Oh yeah, you will get wet.
We were running a bit behind
on schedule and had to skip lunch
to make the ferry so we could
do the last breakout of the day.
To further the day's diversity, we
began heading toward the beach,
crossing some sandstone ledges
before dropping down dunes onto
the coast. The tide had begun
coming in, making the sand really
soft between a tall, banked wall
and the ocean. We managed to
crossover some volcanic rock to
get off the beach and back onto
the road that would take us to our
stay for the night in Taipa Beach.
Day 2 (210 miles)
Days two and three shared the
same hotel. Baz, the trail boss
informed us that sand, sand,
and more sand was in store for
the day. I got a bright start in the
morning with wheels down at
6:30 as I went out with the lead
crew to mark some of the course
that needed some signing. Wak-
ing up and heading straight out
onto the beach was awesome. I
stretched the throttle cable and
got up to 105 mph to get my
adrenaline fix straight away. Nice
way to wake up.
Then we dove off into some tall
grass and gum fields littered with
mud bogs between the beach
and roads for a while. I was a
little concerned with how many
people could make it through
some of these sections as they
were getting dug out fast! We
setup a re-route to make sure rid-
ers had an easier option.
The next section was one of
my favorite parts of the entire
ride. We entered into dirt bike
heaven when we took off into the
pine forests. Massive old pine
trees spaced out with plenty of
room and a loamy sand/soil mix
made the ultimate playground.
Being the first ones on the trail
was the best—making fresh
tracks and ripping up the green
moss that coated some of the
ground. I was riding with the
Rallye wrench, Harry Norton,
and we were just frothing, eating
each other's roost and blowing
up sand berms every chance
we got!
After leaving the forest we kept
heading north, toward the most
northern point of NZ. We crossed
through some timbered land and
avocado farms on some super
fun trails and roads. There were
groups of wild horses running and
some of the riders had to wait for
them to get out of the trail.
