Clarks Beach

Day 1, Tuesday 22 August 2017.

Ulysses is a motorcycle club catering to older riders. It originated in Australia and has a strong presence in New Zealand. I belong to the Auckland branch, but I ride with the North Harbour branch as well.

Today I joined 12 others riding around the country roads south of the towns of Pukekohe and Waiuku, but north of the Waikato River. The localities we passed through included Buckland, Aka Aka, and Whiriwhiri. These were all sealed roads, some very flat and straight, others twisty and hilly. We had lunch a little further north at a cafe in Clarks Beach on the southern shore of the Manukau Harbour.

Our group rides have a lead rider who chooses the route and sets the pace, and a tail end Charlie (TEC) who’s job is to deal with any accidents or breakdowns. I was TEC today. It’s an easy job when nothing goes wrong, like today!

Photo taken on Whiriwhiri Road.

Distance travelled: 181 km