11 October 2008

Did you come all the way from Parakai on those?


That was the question from the cook at our favorite "diner" this morning when he passed us getting back on our bikes after breakfast (he had just run over to the market to pick up some fresh pumpkin). The Waimauku Food Station is what we would call a hidden gem. We started going there for the way above average pies and kept on when we realized that although they are not the fanciest place around, they do the best breakfasts (this morning breakfast was Texan Omelet with Mash and Bacon for Simon and Smoked Fish Cakes with Poached Eggs and Organic Greens for Angelle). The cook is a really friendly guy and has spoken with us on many occasions about the changes happening all around us in our rural area. Today he asked us about the bikes a bit and reminisced about "playing on one of those things" when he was about 15.
The young girl behind the counter who took our order this morning was also intrigued by the bikes...And Angelle's hot pink jacket (she seemed disappointed when told the jacket was a several year old find from Canada). She wondered how fast the scooters could go and if you could ride them with your Learner's License. What sorts of things do people ask you about your scooter? Back in Canada, Angelle often had people asking her "how much" for her 50cc Honda Jazz...
So, back to that question, "did you come all the way from Parakai on those?" The answer, of course! The ride from Parakai to Waimauku was about 20 mins tops. The road is fairly well maintained as it gets moderately heavy use. Today would have been the busiest traffic we have faced so far but we seemed to get respect from almost all the other road users and were passed courteously by the "cagers". Other motorcyclists on the road were friendly as well, giving us enough space if they needed to pass and many a nod/wave/smile.

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