Tongariro National Park on the MT-01

Having brought a new bike (see the previous post) the temptation to give it a good thrashing was just too great. The forecast for the coming weekend was superb, so I jumped on my Yamaha MT-01 and headed up to the Tongariro National Park, staying the night in Ohakune and then heading back to Wellington the next day. This is my favourite part of the North Island and I always love riding up there.

 The mighty MT-01

 Mt Ngauruhoe

 Mt Ruapehu

  Mt Ngauruhoe, taken from just below the Whakapapa ski resort.

As was this.

Ohakune.

Yamaha MT-01 Review

Before getting onto the review, I thought I would make a few notes on why I brought an MT-01 in the first place.

I have had a Bandit 1250 for the last three years and have carried out all sorts of modifications resulting in a really nice all round machine. The bike is good in the twisties, great for touring and goes like the clappers. I love the bike, but can find it frustrating at times, and it also lacks a certain visceral appeal.

The engine has had a stage 2 tune including new headers and removal of the throttle body secondary butterfly valves. Prior to this the bike pulled like a train, but ran out of puff at 7000RPM, whereas now it still pulls like a train, but now accelerates very hard from 7000RPM up to and over 9000RPM, all accompanied by a tremendous howl from the exhaust and induction. The temptation to ride like a lunatic is ever present, and this is where the frustration comes in. Here in New Zealand the speed limit is pretty low at 100km per hour, so I have all this power, but can’t really use it.

Great though the bike sounds and rides, to me it lacks a certain something. Like most riders, I have had plenty of bikes over the years, but on reflection, it has always been the v-twins that have made the most impression on me.

The above got me thinking about maybe getting a second bike - something that I can ride at much lower speeds and still get a buzz from.

I was having a coffee at my favourite café in town, when a guy pulled up on the most extraordinary looking motorcycle, namely a Yamaha MT-01. The bike had, to my eyes, brutal, industrial, almost transformer like styling along with two ludicrously large exhausts. It also had a huge looking v-twin motor which vibrated and shook the entire bike. As ever with bikers, the guy was only too happy to talk about his two-wheeled pride and joy, and reckoned it rode as well as it looked. I was smitten (with the bike that is) and decided there and then that an MT-01 was going to be next bike in the stable.

Funds were rather tight, but that has never stopped me in the past, and to cut a long story short I ended purchasing a 2005 MT-01 with 40K on the clock.

The new wheels.

The heart and soul of any bike is its engine and this is certainly the case with the MT-01, courtesy of a humongous low revving long stroke 1670cc v-twin motor. Usable power starts at about 1300RPM and it is all over by 4500RPM. Mind you, the drive and thrust you get is absolutely instantaneous with the bike flying up to 160km/hr pretty rapidly, though it starts to run out of puff after this. 

Having come from my relatively high revving Bandit a certain amount of adjustment was required, but I quickly got the hang of things.

At low revs you can really feel the v-twins huge pistons firing with the bike feeling like a two-wheeled vibro massage machine. The good news is that this is all low frequency stuff and feels just great. At typical NZ cruising speeds the engine is turning over in the 2 – 3000RPM range at which point the vibes magically disappear with just a distant rumble felt through the bars and seat. Yamaha talk about the bike having Kodo, which is Japanese for a heartbeat or rhythm and I can well see what they mean.

Even with stock cans the bike sounds terrific. The MT may have a cruiser style motor, but certainly doesn’t sound like one, as it emits a bellow somewhere between an outboard motor and a spitfire with some Kodo drums thrown in for good measure. The stock exhaust is surprisingly loud, and this is one of the few bikes I have owned that doesn’t really need an aftermarket item.

Ludicrously large, but just right.

The fuel tank is a tad on the small side at 15litres. In touring mode I get around 220 – 240km and in bonkers mode a lot less than this. This hasn’t proved much of an issue so far, but is something to bear in mind.

A big heavy bike with a cruiser engine doesn’t sound like a recipe for much fun in the bends, but the MT-01 has proved very agile and is a real pleasure to throw around. Yamaha have installed some high quality suspension which gives a firm ride, but which is somehow also compliant and comfortable; none of your budget stuff here, ala my Bandit.

The brakes are also terrific, and once again put my Bandit to shame, but then so they should as the MT-01 costs a great deal more. The brakes I believe come straight of the R1, and have tremendous feel and pull the bike up very well.

From an ergonomic point of view it is mostly good news. The pegs are a little on the high side but are still comfortable and give pretty good ground clearance; certainly more than I am ever likely to need.

I brought the bike on Trademe without a test ride, which is always a bit of a risk. The advert showed the MT-01 with what looked like fairly stock mirrors but when I picked it up found that the owner had swapped them over for another set. I was pretty pissed about this, but let it go in the end.

The mirrors were absolute garbage and looked like they had been sourced from the bottom of the sea. They were rusty, vibrated badly and offered zero view behind me. This was cured by installing new bar end weights and bar end mirrors which combined gave me a clear view behind with no vibration and a rather nice street fighter look.

The seat is heavily scalloped and a bit like sitting on a spoon, and results in you being locked into one position, but is comfortable all the same. 

The riding position overall is very nice, with a gentle lean to the bars and surprisingly good protection from the small screen. I have no idea of the make of the screen, but it does a good job and is well made. My original plan was to remove it for that that naked look, but it seems to suit the bike, so has been given a reprieve.

A special mention must go to the truly excellent clocks. It is the little stuff like this that makes so much difference and makes you feel that you are riding something special and not just some appliance. The large circular unit is dominated by an analogue rev-counter, with an easily read digital display situated below it. The whole instrument setup including the sculptured clock support is beautifully designed and emits a lovely eerie white glow at night.

Just lovely.

On the subject of illumination, the headlights are also pretty decent. 

Unlike my Bandit, I don’t see me customising the MT-01 too much, with the exception of maybe installing a scottoiler and a Ventura pack-rack for a bit of added practicality.

It is still fairly early days yet, but so far, I have had as much fun on the MT-01 as any bike I have ever owned (FS1E excepted), which after all, is what it is all about.

The MT-01 was too expensive when new and never really seemed to find a market. It had a cruiser type engine in a sports bike chassis with Yamahas idea being that you get the best of both worlds. Most riders seem to think pretty well the opposite. To me at least, I reckon Yamaha got it right.

Cruise

My idea of a good time is to disappear into the wilderness and not see another soul, so quite how I ended up going on a cruise with over 3000 other people I will never know.

The cruise was a 10 day one departing from Auckland visiting the Pacific islands of The Isle of Pines, Mystery Island, Port Villa, Noumea and Lifou.

The ship was the Pacific Pearl and was jolly big with 14 decks and around 1800 passengers and included numerous restaurants, bars, swimming pools and shops along with a casino, a theatre and a gym. It is a big boat and despite the number of people rarely felt too crowded.

 On the boat.

Heading out of Auckland.

Most food and drink on board is included in the price with only “speciality” items such as booze and lattes and the like costing extra, so overall was spectacular value.

We spent the first two days cruising North with the weather becoming progressively warmer until eventually reaching the Isle of Pines.

There was no port there so we were ferried over to the island on tenders. The island was just lovely and certainly my idea of a tropical paradise. We spent most of the day there snorkelling in amongst the coral reefs or lounging around on the wonderfully sandy beaches. Despite its tropical location there are numerous pine trees scattered around and while they look rather incongruous give the place a unique character.

On the tender to The Isle of Pines.

On The Isle of Pines

The next island to visit was supposed to be Mystery Island but we headed off to Mare Island instead. A couple of weeks ago a category 5 cyclone passed through the area and caused major damage on Mystery Island meaning a visit was not possible.

Mare Island was very pleasant, but not as nice as the Isle of Pines.

The next port of call was Port Villa. This area had also suffered extensive cyclone damage and we were the first cruise ship to call in since the storm. The Pacific Pearl delivered tonnes of relief supplies to the islanders. The best way we could contribute was to boost the local economy by spending money at the various local bars and shops, which we duly did.

I can’t say that Port Villa itself, cyclone damage aside, is that great a destination as the town is full of rather samey shops selling pretty much the same things. My tip, is if you do find yourself in this part of the world, is to book onto one the local tours to check out the various sights on offer. We originally intended to go on a tour to Turtle Island which came highly recommended, but was alas sold out.

At Port Villa.

We were due to sail to Noumea next, but trouble was brewing in the shape of yet another cyclone, namely Cyclone Solo. The storm was tracking straight towards us, so the ship was forced to detour several hundred miles further North to safer waters, which put paid to Noumea and Lifou.

Instead we had a stop at the rather stunning Champagne Bay in Vanuatu. The beach here was superb though despite there being lots of coral, the snorkelling wasn’t that great. Close to the shore much of the coral was dead or dying with consequently fewer fish on view. I am not sure of the reasons behind this but have a horrible feeling, that at least in part, it could be due to the sheer numbers of tourists the cruise liners bring in. A case in point; we were warned numerous times that the coral is very delicate as well as very sharp, but witnessed a number of idiots walking on the coral. Other than that grumble, Champagne Bay was a fine way to end the island hopping part of our cruise.

Champagne Bay.

As a consequence of the cyclone we were further North than planned and had a long three day sail back to Auckland.

On board.

This section of the cruise was not without incident, as due to the storm, we had swells of 6m and more for much of the trip back. I can’t say this bothered me too much as I have endured much worse on the Cook Straight ferry over to the South Island, but there were plenty of people who were disappearing to the loos at a rate of knots, if you excuse the pun.

Arriving back in Auckland.

All in all the cruise was much better than expected. I can’t say that the experience grabbed me the way it did other people, but I would happily go again, not least as we have unfinished business with Mystery Island, Noumea and Lifou.

Kime Hut

These pictures were taken on a walk up from Otaki Forks to Kime Hut (1412m). The hut was built around a year ago and replaces its much older, colder and draughty predecessor.

It is 7 or 8 years since I have tramped in this area so I was dead keen to check the new place out. The hut sits in a very exposed part of the Tararua’s so the walk isn’t to be taken lightly and there has regrettably been a number of fatalities in the area over the years.

I walked up through the bush to Field Hut (866m) where I had a spot of lunch and a good natter with a couple of guys who were staying there.

From here the track steepened and climbed above the treeline and onto the nice and flat Table Top (1047m). All too soon the track started climbing again and very soon I was up into the mist and the wind. Around 20 minutes from Kime Hut the terrain flattens out and becomes quite broad. Given the poor visibility, navigation could have become problematic but in the years since I was last here a series of tall blue poles have been erected marking the route making navigation very easy. I was well pleased when I finally reached the hut as the wind was really starting to pick up and the steady drizzle I had had so far turned into steady rain.

The new hut has double glazing and insulation so is a much nicer place to spend the night than the previous place.

The next day the visibility and rain was even worse, so no photos from me, just a long trudge back to Otaki Forks.

It was nice to knock off Kime Hut, but a little disappointing not to get any off the stunning views that this area of the Tararua’s offers.

 Near the start.

 

 On the way up.

 

 Field Hut.

 

 Getting near the tree-line.

 

 Above the trees.

 

 Follow the sign.

 

 A welcome sight.

 

Kime Hut. It was more misty than it looks in this picture as I have used lots of contrast to sharpen up the image of the hut.

 

Yours truly.

Taupo Concert

We had a long weekend in Taupo where we saw an open air concert featuring Three Dog Night, Foreigner and Heart. This was very much Neena’s idea and her kind of music, but despite my reservations I really enjoyed the show. Heart were particularly good with a definite Led Zeppelin vibe…not quite so sure about Dead Dog, sorry Three Dog Night though.

This isn't one of my pictures, but gives you a good idea anyway. What it doesn't show is how filthy hot it was.

Somes Island

We recently visited Somes Island which is located in Wellington Harbour. The island has plenty of history having been at various times an internment camp, a quarantine station and a military base but these days is a protected nature reserve. A number of endangered species have been reintroduced to the island including blue penguins, red-crowned parakeets (kākāriki) and tuatara which are New Zealand’s largest reptiles.

We caught a ferry and after a short but rather rough crossing we reached the island and had fun setting up the tent (up to 12 people are allowed to camp overnight) in a howling gale. I would highly recommend camping as many of the islands inhabitants are nocturnal.

 

The Camp site.

 

Somes Island is quite small and we managed to walk all the way around in about an hour. We saw a number of kākāriki and fantails, but not much else.

 

 We found this small lighthouse quite close to the campsite.

 

Most of the island is pretty rugged.

Kākāriki

 

In the evening we wandered down to the beach on the lookout for blue penguins. The birds spend their days at sea foraging for food and come ashore in the evenings and live underground in burrows or holes. We didn’t see anything for quite a while but eventually they started to come ashore, not that they were that easy to spot, as they are the world’s smallest penguin and it was rather dark.

 

Blue Penguin.

We could have spent all evening looking at the penguins but decided to go exploring on the islands various bush tracks on the lookout for tuatara. We spent ages while looking for them and were considering giving up when we came round a bend and found one of them in the middle of the track and then a few seconds later a second one. For both of us this was the highlight of the trip as the tuatara are not easy to find with none of our fellow campers seeing any at all.

Tuatara.

Xmas Trip

Another year, another Xmas and bugger me here we are back in Queenstown. We were supposed to be walking the Kepler Track but for a number of reasons this fell through and we ended with 10 days to kill and no plan of action.

We flew down to Queenstown and spent the first night there and then took the bus to Te Anau where we spent the next four nights staying at the distinctly average Kiwi Lakeside Holiday Park. Truth be known the accommodation was perfectly acceptable and reasonably priced but utterly devoid of character. What the heck though, it’s only somewhere to sleep the night and a base to explore a part of New Zealand that has character in spades.

We went on a couple of ½ day walks and effectively covered the last section of the Kepler track as far as Moturau Hut. Shortish walks were the order of the day as the weather was really scorching and certainly too hot to walk much after midday. We did have one rainy day where we decided to do something different and visited the local glow-worm caves which are a 30 minute boat ride across Lake Te Anau. The boat journey and caves are well worth it, but if you are into your glow-worms, not a patch on the North Island’s Waitomo caves.

 The three pictures below were all taken on the Kepler Track.

 

 We found this nice little lake signposted just off the track.

 

 Overlooking Lake Manapouri.

 

Shallow Bay.

 

We then took the bus back to Queenstown and stayed for four nights at the Southern Laughter Sir Cedric hostel. Odd name but not a bad hostel and really well located.

To give us a bit more flexibility we decided to hire a car. The best thing about the car was that it had air conditioning which we really came to appreciate as if we thought Te Anau was hot then Queenstown definitely turned things up a notch or two and it really was a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire. Given the weather, it was somewhat incongruous to see the odd patch of snow still lingering up in the hills.

We visited Wanaka which was relaxed and chilled out and probably much like Queenstown 20 years ago before it exploded into the big brash tourist mecca that it is now.

Next on the list was a trip to the nearby Mt Aspiring National Park. We decided to head to a place called Raspberry Creek where there looked to be an interesting walk up to the Rob Roy glacier.

The road to Raspberry Creek started off as tarmac but then turned to the gravel with the road surface gradually deteriorating. After a while we came to a ford. I didn’t really like the look of the ford particularly as we in a hire car and faced a big bill if the car was damaged but went across anyway. Shortly after this the road became single lane and right on cue a dirty great lorry came round the next bend. There was no way of getting around the truck so we had no alternative but to reverse all the way back to and over the ford. This was rather unnerving as I am rubbish at reversing and there were some nice steep drops awaiting if I got it wrong. It turned out there was a sign near the ford advising that there were a total of nine fords to cross which were only suitable for 4-wheel drives and even then only in good conditions. All in all it was rather fortuitous that the lorry came along.

This was taken near the ford and basically as far as we managed to get. The mountain is Mt Aspiring.

Ben Lomond (no not that one) is a high peak overlooking Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu. This is a tough climb but one that I really fancied giving a go, not least as the views from the top were purportedly stunning. Neena is nowhere near as fit as me but decided to come along anyway. To be honest I didn’t think she would get all that far but stunned me and I think herself and made it all the way to the summit. Mind you she could barely walk for the next couple of days, but still thought it was well worth the pain. And yes, the views were indeed rather stunning.

The pictures below were taken on the climb up to Ben Lomond.

 Walking up from Queenstown.

 

 Looking up at Ben Lomond from a saddle. The track got a lot steeper from this point.

 

 As we climbed above the saddle these mountains came into view.

 

 Ditto.

 

At the top.

 

There is a bit of a Scottish theme going on here as we also visited the rather lovely Glenorchy and the even more enchanting Kinloch. Kinloch is a tiny village but had an absolutely terrific camp site at the edge of Lake Wakatipu and is definitely on the list of things to do next time we are down this way.

We drove to the Remarkables Ski Field which is about 40 minutes from Queenstown. From here we walked uphill for an hour or so to Lake Alta. The lake is in a fantastic setting and a great place for a spot of lunch and a muck around in the patches of snow left over from winter. There are some demanding hikes from here and on another day we would have given them a go, but we both fancied an easy day after the rigours of Ben Lomond. So I walked and Neena hobbled back to the car and then onto Queenstown and ice cream and latte heaven.

The pictures below were all taken at Lake Alta.

 

 

PS If you somehow find yourself in Queenstown, assuming you survive the numerous adventure activities on offer, head to Patagonia who do amazingly good ice cream.