The Journey Begins

Orewa, June 7th 2017

There was initially a question mark hanging over my first long bike trip. We had some torrential downpours last week and it was debatable whether a bike ride was going to be on the agenda for the long weekend, but the sun broke through late Sunday afternoon so the planning could begin. The tricky question was where to go.

As I’m still getting used to the bike I didn’t want to journey out too far but wanted something a bit longer and adventurous. So, break out the maps and start planning, so many spots and places to pick from.

I finally settled what looked to be a typically secluded little bay with a bit of history, Scotts Landing. It was only 1 hours ride from here.

What a stunning ride it was, through winding hill side roads. The trees still had that late autumn look with leaves a deep red, yellow and orange. There was a fresh pinch to the air, but the motor cycle gear keeps me warm and with that late autumn sun still giving that low comforting warmth. Couldn’t stop to take any pictures as the road was rather busy, but am planning to get a helmet camera in the near future and will take videos to share with you.

An hour later through winding road I finally arrived at my destination and what a stunning secluded place it is.

There are a couple of old colonial houses,

 

one of which can be hired for wedding venues.

For those who are keen on learning a bit of history the following Scotts Landing website contains some interesting information.

There’s a little island you can walk too from the main land which still have some old Maori settlements, unfortunately they’re in a dilapidated state but gives one an idea of how they lived.

On the other side of the landing is a nice yachting harbor. I could well imagine the activity here on a warm summer’s day,

 

 

Having lived in New Zealand now for over 14 years I have always found the geological formations here quite fascinating and Scotts Landing reveals interesting formationsYou can clearly see the remarkable activity that takes place … some more interesting information on this in a later post …

On my way back I stopped by a nice little cafe Little & Local – Coffee Kitchen. They make some delicious home made pies and have a mean Bailey’s cheese cake. Friendly staff and great food, if ever you’re in the area drop by. I also have a signature photo called “spot the helmet”, something I will try and take each time I’m on the bike.

One thing I really enjoy about making this trips with my camera is the variety of images you can perceive through a lens. I will end this post with a few additional creative shots