As I was checking into Aywon Motel, my companions called me to ask if there were any spare rooms as they were not impressed with their accommodation. I asked but was glad that the place was booked out as my motel was not good either.
Firstly, the person booking me in wanted to scan my credit card & got annoyed when I told him that he would not be scanning my credit card. At that point, I did not trust this place but I had no other option available. Then he wanted to scan my driver's licence for security reasons. Once again I told him this was not common practice & he can shove his security concerns where the sun doesn't shine.
He actually started to argue with me over this & questioned whether I had ever stayed in a hotel before so firstly I had to point out that his place was not a hotel but a motel & I had just spent the last two nights in motels of better quality than his place. I then felt it necessary to point out that I had spent a bit of time over the years travelling to various countries & had never encountered this kind of behaviour.
When I went to the room I had booked well it was over‐priced & not maintained a couple of multi‐plugs used to plug in the electrics with cables running along the skirting. The bathroom smelt damp & there was mould in places. Cleanliness was not a priority here.
After looking at the room, I went to my bike to unload it & found the guy who had checked me in trying to sneakily take my bike registration. I had to laugh because as soon as he saw me he pretended to be counting something in the other direction but keep glancing back to my bike taking notes. The irony in that is, had he asked for my bike registration I would have given it to him, he could not use that to go online shopping.
As it was the Easter weekend, dinner options were slim as places were closed or booked out so we were lucky that we were able to book a table at Lone Star.
The place was super busy but the staff were able to handle it without breaking a sweat. They seemed use to it & were also really friendly.
The following day was very calm & there was a hint that the sun may make its presence known but was still hiding behind some clouds as we headed to the Fat Dog Café & Bar for breakfast. The place was busy & there was a bit of a wait for our food but the staff were great. The food was good too.
We took SH5 out of Rotorua & had bit of a climb up the Thermal Explorer Highway before descending down the highway onto SH28 into Okoroire & then along SH27.
The rain had started but it was pretty light. Just heavy enough to wet the roads & make them a bit slippery. For the rest of the journey we had intermittent spells of light rain. We had a stop in Matamata at the Robert Harris Café opposite the i‐Site Information Centre which looks like a Hobbit house.
After the quick stop & a fuel top up we continued along SH27 to Tahuna travelling along the Tahuna‐Ohinewai Road that changes into Tahuna Road. We passed through Te Hoe & continued until SH1 which joined & headed north.
Our last stop was at the Autobahn at Bombay. The last day riding was an easy day & the least exciting. These are the days I enjoy the least as it is the end of a trip & the return to the day to day slog of reality.
But then there is the fun of planning the next adventure…
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