Waitangi to Hampton Downs – Kat's Motorcycle Diaries

Blog entry: 7th September 2019 ‐ Day 193 ‐ NZ Leg 1

#WRWR2019 #WRWR #WRWRNZ

Day 193 in the relay is day 1 of the NZ legs & it started at 6:40am in the grounds of the Copthorne Hotel Bay of Islands. Well the morning stared a little before this with everyone loading up their bikes & warming their engines so the hotel was embraced with the sounds & vibrations of 60 plus bike engines before 6:40am

Outside the entrance of the hotel the baton was presented to Road Captain Rachael Duffield & a quick rundown on last night's safety briefing. We then walked onto the grounds to participate & be blessed in a Karakia to protect the riders.

We departed Waitangi shortly after 7am & made our way through Pihia towards our break stop at the Puhoi Pub. The road out of Pihia is a lovely tightly twisting road so it was a little frustrating being behind a few cruisers so once we were on the open road I found a position in the group that suited my riding style. We stopped at Warkworth en route to Puhoi so we could refuel our bikes. The refuelling went really smoothly, very smoothly in fact, especially given the number of bikes. We had police assistance to help us leave Warkworth in a group as we continued on our way to the Puhoi Pub.

Arriving (I'm on the Movistar Yamaha R3) at the Puhoi Pub was fantastic. There were so many people lining the street to greet us. It was such a welcoming feeling. When we arrived at the pub, we were treated to a free buffet morning tea shouted by a few different groups. While we enjoyed tea, coffee, & a range of sandwhiches & pastries we chatted about the first part of the leg, compared riding experiences followed by some pretty great prizes being drawn. I was not lucky & didn't win anything but a couple of friends did.

We made our way down State Highway 1 & along the Northern Gateway Toll Road through the Johnstones Hill Tunnel in the right lane. It was an awesome sound hearing all the bikes going through the tunnel. We continued in the right lane to keep the group together & proceeded towards & across the Auckland Harbour Bridge. There were times when we had to slow our pace due to the volume of traffic ‐ this was not a time for lane splitting.

Unfortunately, there was a crash (this didn't involve any of our riders & happened before we reached that area) just after our Hampton Downs exit which had closed a portion of the motorway which meant all traffic was directed off the motorway at our exit. Traffic was at a standstill or crawling for a number of Ks before the exit. As I was near the front of the group, when we were idle, I took the opportunity to turn & look back. It was really cool seeing such a long line of bikes stretching out behind me.

Riding into the The Hampton Downs Motorsport Park we were greeted by over 100 women bikers who were going to join us for Leg 2. I find it difficult describing the feelings I felt riding into there. It was an excited, happy & welcoming end to Leg 1. I was greeted by friends who would be joining me in this amazing ride & I was excited to see them.

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