Time to ride home!
As mentioned earlier, I am not much of a pack animal. Most of the things in life I tend to do alone. So also bike riding. It is after all an solitary experience even when riding in a group. But even so, riding totally alone is my preferred way of doing it. I had therefore decided that I would ride home from Bream Bay to Napier alone. And I was looking forward to it too after a week of riding in a group.
I packed up my gear and got some contact details and gave out mine too. Then I said bye to the ones still there, started the K1 and rode out from the camping. And got lost... But after asking for directions of a nice old lady with purple hair I found the SH1 and I was on my way to Hawke's Bay.
The trip in it self was a non-event. There was the normal tailgaters who decided they would overtake me come hell or high water. So I allowed them to, only to pass them very soon as they got stuck in traffic...
I stopped at BP Connect in Takanini and noticed a big group of bike riders with a NZ bikers group flag flying high. Might have been a Sunday ride or a show of strength or something. I had a cuppa and a pie and took off. I had not seen any of them at the White Ribbon Ride and I was not really interested in their cause as I had had enuf of that for a while.
I enjoyed the ride and all was going really well. As I rode the new bypass past Taupo I turned on to the Taupo-Napier highway. There was not much traffic and I was riding in the sun on the long straights. The motor was happily humming below me and I was not speeding. One car came towards me on a loooong straight. (No other vehicles on that piece of road at that time) I did not even look at the car...until it was too late. He pulled on to the side, turned on his flashing lights and did a U-Turn. As there was nobody else on the road than him and me there was not much wondering needed to figure out who he was coming for, So I stopped and waited for him to tell me what his issue was.
He stepped out of the car and told me I had been doing 115k/h. "Ooopppsss..." I said. "I was sure I kept in under 110k/h all the time". "Nope" he said. I clocked you at one stage at 115..." It was after all close to end of the month and clearly he was a few tickets short of his quota. So I was not gonna argue. And as you might remember, my license was still in Hastings... He gave me a $80 fine for the speed but told me he would not fine me for not having the license on me. Good. That means I am still below 100 demerits....just.
Got home after just over 6 hours riding, so not bad. But the tiredness hit me now when I could fully relax.
I had done 3,225Km's since I left home Saturday a week ago.
Will add one more installment to this blog re me reflecting on the whole ride and what I took out of it. But will do that tomorrow.
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