- A great one-day Bay of Plenty motorcycle route when time is limited.
- Ōhope combines a rewarding ride with beaches, cafés and spectacular coastal scenery.
- Sometimes a short local ride can feel every bit as restorative as a much longer motorcycle tour.
Fresh from four months at sea and with a move to Nelson looming, BRM contributor Nicole Brown was desperate to get back aboard her Triumph ‘Gidget’. With time and money in short supply, the answer was a Bay of Plenty motorcycle mini-cation to one of her favourite destinations – Ōhope Beach.
Back on terra firma, fresh from four months of sailing, I was more than a little eager to get out for a motorcycle ride.
Gidget (Nicole’s Triumph Speed 400) had waited patiently for my return and it was finally time to get back in the saddle. Managing to get four months’ leave from work had been a small miracle in itself, and I silently hoped for one more as I went to start her for the first time in months.
True to form, Gidget fired up first go. Evidently, she was as eager as I was to get out there.
I was big on excitement but short on time. After months of having no schedule other than one dictated by coastal weather, life had suddenly been thrown into the deep end by a largely unplanned decision to move to Nelson.
Experiencing Nelson’s pristine, easy sailing after negotiating the waters around Stewart Island and the west coast of the South Island might have had something to do with it. But after more than 15 years living in the Bay of Plenty, it felt like time to try something different.
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I’d already secured work there and the start date was looming. Amid the mad scramble to get the house ready for sale and chuck out years of accumulated clutter with brutal indifference, however, I prioritised something much more important.
I needed a ride.
THE MINI-CATION
What I needed was a day trip that could double as a miniature holiday: maximum feel-goods for minimum time, and enough riding to pack a punch without a fuel bill that did the same to my bank account.
Did I mention my four months’ leave had been unpaid? Yes, what I needed was a mini-vacation. A mini-cation.
Whenever I dream about my next ride – which, let’s face it, is a lot – there’s one place that pops into my mind more than most: Ōhope Beach.
More than just a pretty face, Ōhope somehow manages to be sleepy and hip at the same time, a duality no town planner could deliberately create. It has simply evolved that way.
Better still, the ride from the western to eastern Bay of Plenty is filled with sweeping corners, relatively little traffic and numerous side roads disappearing off towards other beautiful places.
No shortage of feel-goods, then.
With the mini-cation mindset firmly established, I prepared for my adventure. The shortest day of the year had only just passed and it was pretty chilly, so I added another layer, packed some thermals just in case and gave Gidget the usual pre-ride checks with a little extra care.
The sun was shining brightly as I set off and I quickly settled back into riding.
My only immediate concern was the quiet introspection that comes from following a truck carrying portaloos.
EAST WE GO
I’d opted for the Tauranga Eastern Link to avoid the busyness of Te Puke on a Sunday, popping out where the Pacific Coast Highway begins its relaxed and graceful pull towards Whakatāne.
Despite the extra layers, I was feeling the chill.
I’m really going to have to harden up for the South Island, I thought.
South Island. Just imagine the riding there…
Truth be told, I’d lived in the South Island when I first moved to New Zealand years ago. As a fresh-off-the-boat Orange County transplant desperately missing my family, even seemingly trivial things – such as KFC serving dinner rolls instead of American Southern buttermilk biscuits – could leave me in a state of bewilderment.
But I wasn’t riding motorcycles then. I had no idea what it felt like to be on a bike or to experience the everyday little joys riders take for granted; those moments when you find yourself chuckling inside your helmet, enjoying your own private little world.
Looking at the South Island now through the eyes of a motorcyclist, I realised how much I’d missed.
And how much I was about to make up for.
Back in the present, I swooped eastward along State Highway 2, passing Old Coach Road and Otamarakau Valley Road, both part of the network of rural roads around Paengaroa and Pongakawa and both offering alternatives for anyone seeking some tighter twisties.
INTO WHAKATĀNE
Descending towards the surf-and-turf views of the Matatā Straights with Whale Island in the background, an all-is-good-with-the-world feeling took over.
It only grew stronger as I departed State Highway 2 where it separates from the Pacific Coast Highway, skirting Matatā Lagoon and spotting the world-famous – in New Zealand, at least – Matatā Monster in its natural environment.
Eventually I joined State Highway 30 and headed towards my first proper stop: Whakatāne.
Snaking through downtown, I followed the base of the Whakatāne Bluff before stopping near the river mouth. Water sparkled around Turuturu Rock – also known as Skinny Bird – with its statue providing a clue to the nickname.
After a good toe wiggle, a guzzle from my water bottle and one last look at the view, I discovered a slight problem.
I’d managed to park Gidget on an almost imperceptible downhill slope.
Gathering all the strength in my legs, I managed to paddle her backwards just far enough to perform a mortifying six-point turn and escape.
I’d been too busy admiring the view to properly assess my parking spot.
Lesson learned.
At least I hadn’t been reduced to asking a random passer-by to push Gidget backwards for me.
Now, though, it was time for Ōhope.
Go the mini-cation!
OVER THE HILL TO ŌHOPE
Heading back along the base of the bluff, I left Whakatāne via The Strand before heading up, up, up and then down, down, down the aptly named Hillcrest Road.
It becomes Ōhope Road as it nestles between Ōhope Scenic Reserve and the sea, eventually depositing you in the jewel that is Ōhope Beach township.
I initially turned onto West End Road, a short but worthwhile diversion offering a great view of the surf beach along with public toilets, picnic tables and generally easy parking. It’s a handy stopping point before continuing into Ōhope proper.
There are plenty of places to eat in town – unless, like me, you’re prepared to put up with a little more tummy rumbling until Fisherman’s Wharf.
There’s plenty of accommodation too, although much of it isn’t immediately obvious from the main thoroughfare of Pōhutukawa Avenue, so it’s worth looking online if you’re planning to stay.
During summer, those prepared to pick sand from between their toes before pulling their motorcycle boots back on can also make the most of the beach.
Ōhope has a Four Square and a small petrol station, but riders continuing towards the East Cape would be wise to stock up in Whakatāne if they need anything beyond the basics.
LUNCH WITH A VIEW
Heading towards Ōhope’s eastern end, Gidget and I continued along Pōhutukawa Avenue before turning onto Harbour Road.
Passing the local classic that is the Port Ōhope General Store & Café, I continued towards Fisherman’s Wharf.
It has great food, an incredibly picturesque location and, frankly, it’s just plain cool.
Sitting on Ōhiwa Harbour, the wharf is a hive of boating and fishing activity during the summer months but becomes considerably quieter as the days grow shorter.
Fed, watered and feeling suitably content, eventually there was no avoiding it.
It was time to turn around and begin the ride home.
TAKING THE LONG WAY
The great thing about a mini-cation, of course, is that there’s always time for a detour.
Back on the western side of Whakatāne, I turned onto Thornton Beach Road and followed the Rangitāiki River towards the coast.
The road eventually ends at the ocean – where the car park can sometimes become covered with sand – and after circling back I stopped near the boat ramp to take in yet another gorgeous view.
Then it was back onto the Pacific Coast Highway and west towards Matatā, although this time I stopped for a warming drink at Drift Café.
Yep, I’m really going to have to harden up for those South Island temperatures.
The final 50 kilometres passed easily.
By the time I arrived home I was happy as a happy thing, somehow feeling as though I’d returned from a mega-holiday rather than a mini-cation.
Sometimes it’s less about how much time you’ve got and more about what you do with it.
As Gidget carried me home, my thoughts turned towards what lay ahead.
A new island. A new job. New roads to ride.
And this time, I’ll be seeing the South Island through the eyes of a motorcyclist.
I can’t wait to find out what it holds.
