Historical towns worth the stop

PIT STOP: Bikes lined up outside Annie's Café, a popular old-fashioned main street eatery in Kawhia.

Sixteen motorcyclists from Mangawhai and Auckland ventured down to Northern Taranaki on August 18-19 for an overnight motorcycling weekend away.

The ride started in overcast conditions at the BP Drury Motordrome on the Saturday morning and the motorcyclists travelled via the Glen Murray Road (SH22) to Raglan for morning tea. 

It was then onto Kawhia for lunch, with some riders taking the short cut to Kawhia via a coastal gravel road. Those remaining travelled back to Whatawhata on SH23 passing through Pirongia and onto SH37 for their lunch destination at Annie's Cafe.


Mid afternoon saw the party depart Kawhia and travel to Awakino via Marokopa and Kiritihere, a 110km stretch of road that, barring 13km of gravel, is now all tarseal.

At the Waikawau Junction some riders deviated 5km out to the coast to view the 100 metre long Waikawau Beach Tunnel constructed by three Public Works Department men with picks and shovels in 1911 to bring cattle through off the beach to nearby Nukuhakere Station. 

Awakino Hotel, a spick and span country hotel, was the overnight stop, which also happened to be jam-packed with locals that evening due to the live telecast of the Sydney Bledisloe Cup rugby match. A few years ago, this hotel was voted best country pub in New Zealand. 

Sunday saw the riders return to Auckland and Mangawhai via SH3 to Te Awamutu, and then divert through the Waikato in drizzle to Morrinsville for morning tea. It was then via the Ohinewai Road to SH1 proceeding to Bombay BP Motordrome for a catchup stop, before the final leg back to Mangawhai again in showery conditions.

The next full day ride is on Sunday September 23 leaving Mangawhai at 9.30am for lunch at the Aratapu Tavern near Te Kopuru. For more information contact Robert Scott at molesworth@xtra.co.nz
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