Back after a long hiatus to support Bikers Against ACC Levies

Well, it's the spring season here in New Zealand it could be time to get back on the scooters. Neither of us has ridden much over the winter as we are fair-weather riders and Angelle has been occupied with the very important task of growing our baby girl who arrived on 14/10/09. Hopefully that explains the long hiatus.
We've been talking about getting back on the scoots lately and Angelle's ET has been getting a minute makeover which will be unveiled once everything is put back in place. One thing we must do before getting back on our scooters is get them "legal" again.
In NZ, you are required to have your vehicle registered and warranted as safe. Recently, it was announced that the cost of registration for motorcycles and scooters over 50cc was to be increased. The increased announced is overly dramatic and not appreciated by motorcyclists the country over. We were recently passed this link by Clunk S.C. on Facebook. If you are a motorcycle or scooter riding New Zealander and haven't yet become involved in any action against the planned ACC levy hike, please visit Bikers Against ACC Levies and see what you can do - many of the actions require very little effort.

Ride Photos

We've been busy and rides have been few and far between, but here are a couple from a ride to Kumeu River Winery shortly after Judas arrived.

Scenic Saturday

Off we went again for brunch at the Waimauku Food Station. The thought of the blueberry pancakes with cream and Texan omlette breakfast was enough to get us out of bed early-ish this Saturday morning.

Blueberry pancakes with cream.

Texan omlette with vegetable mash and bacon rashers.

We decided this time to take the back road from behind Helensville through what is known as the Kumeu Valley. Such a lovely ride in comparison to the highway we took last time. Some of the scenery is so amazing, you have to make an effort to ignore it and focus on the road. In order that we didn't miss anything, we made several stops along the way. The Kumeu Valley is a known wine-producing region and we made a stop near some of the vines to take the following photos.

The road also boasts a sweeping view of the Kaipara Harbour and Helensville. Here are two photos of the scene with the two of us acting like fools...


Sorry, no map this time as google maps is very slow today!

Best intentions

The weeks have been rushing quickly past. Our best intentions of getting out on the scooters and blogging about it thwarted by weather and work. It is spring in New Zealand and it has been rainy and windy here lately. The rain is great for the gardens, but not so much for fair-weather scooterists. While some people may think traveling for their job is a perk, Angelle tends to disagree as it takes her away from her favorite things. Simon's not having to travel at all for work (by this we mean living on the same property you work from) can also have it's disadvantages in that people expect him to be available any time they need him.
Yesterday we did manage a jaunt to Helensville between rain showers to return a library book. On the way back, zipped around some of the residential streets of Helensville and stopped by "Not An Ordinary Junk Shop" (it truly isn't an ordinary junk shop in that they don't seem to actually want to sell anything...). The guy at the shop came out and had a yarn about the Vespas he used to ride in the 60's and 70's and then he went off on a tangent about a guy in Rotorua who had a huge garage filled with Bajaj parts. Our last stop on the way home was at the local park where a small Hot Rod show was taking place. We hadn't known about the show beforehand so it was a nice surprise even if we were just seeing the tail end of everything. Simon's favorite car was a grey 1949 Coupe Cadillac and Angelle reckoned she'd still rather drive around in a new or vintage Bambina!