Hawkes Bay to Whakatane run

[Crawls]

Hi, we have booked Friday night in Gisborne and will meet you enroute . we have booked the same motel in Whakatane for Saturday.
Looking forward to it.
Cheers

Woohoo, numbers are rising. See you in Gisborne Brian.

[optional]

Hi Keith,
great that you picked up my idea ( See Sunrise Loop tour ).Sorry,I have come to this discussion late, for various reasons and people have already made plans. I had originally thought to run the loop on Sunday, thus giving people from further afield a day to get to Gisbourne and one to get back. I had also contacted a couple of other clubs, Porsche and Lotus and there were a couple of them interested in joining us. I know the Lotus Co-ordinator in Tauranga was keen. However Covid intervened and it git shelved. do you want me to contact him and see if he wants to join us?
All that said I am still keen. I may not be able to make it though, due to the fact that I would have to take the Friday off without pay as the lock down used up all my annual leave. My navigator / co-driver / better half would also, this may make the cost a bit too much.
On the subject of fuel I have done the East Cape a couple of times in the last few years and there is 98 octane in both Gisbourne and Whakatane but you would probably struggle to find any thing other than 91 in between.
Keith H

[Crawls]

Hey Keith H, yea I sort of figured that Friday might be a squeeze for some people. There is no harm in asking the Lotus guys.

Could it work to come up after work on Friday? That's what a few others are doing?

[optional]

I was under the impression that the run started from Gisborne on Saturday. That would mean a drive of 7 to 8 hours after a full days work. I start at 6 and may be a bit old for that. I am still considering it though.
I will email My contact in Lotus Club and make him aware the trip is back on.
Keith

[Crawls]

No, shit no. We start in Hastings on Saturday.

[WairoaboyNZ]

The road from Taihape to Napier via Gentle Annie is also a pleasant run

[Dan Germouse]

Friday 23 October is Hawkes Bay Anniversary (regional public holiday)
Saturday 24 Hastings - Gisborne - East Cape - Whakatane
Sunday 25
Monday 26 October - Labour Day

[mickeyduck]

Hey Charlie, if you come, you will need to stay on the Friday night as we leave Saturday morning. A couple of guys from out of town (pbaron & clanfever) are staying at the Frimley Motel in Hastings.

Sorted annual leave. Booked into Frimley for the Friday night.

Going to look at the route down from Auckland, came down via Mangakino and the Napier-Taupo highway last time, good fun but am going to see if the Gentle Annie is an option instead... Keen to try some new twisties.

Anyone else heading down from Auckland or likely to tee up with us on the way down?

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[tw2]

Anyone else heading down from Auckland or likely to tee up with us on the way down?

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sticky_feet.JPG

Yes assuming my car is fixed. Happy to detour for some interesting roads.

[mickeyduck]

Yes assuming my car is fixed. Happy to detour for some interesting roads.

Excellent! Meet you and anyone else from Moolooland or Middle Earth at the BP in Cambridge then Thomas.

Would be great if CJ can make it...

Here's a peek at the route I'm looking to take: Auckland to Cambridge, on to Mangakino then Turangi, Waiouru then across the Gentle Annie (please correct me if I'm muddled anyone) to Hastings. From BP on SH1 at Drury (usual meet) that'll be a good 8 hrs according to Google, around 560km of seriously epic roads.

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Looking at the other way that I could go, taking the same route to Taupo and then along the Taupo-Napier Highway (nice but a bit boring) it looks to me as if the difference equates to the length of the Taihape to Hastings road (the Gentle Annie, yes?).
Anyone able to tell me how long it takes to drive that stretch? Cheers.

Cos if it's as good as it looks on the map it'd surely be worth the extra...

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[tw2]

Gentle Annie sounds good to me. We did it after the Napier AGM but I can't remember exactly how long it is. Maybe 1.5 hours in an MR2.

[bren38]

Napier to Taihape via Gentle Annie after the AGM was 143.6 kms in 2hrs23 plus a nine minute pit stop, but the weather was pretty rubbish and there was some fairly slow going. Still, you'd have to average 100 to cut it to an hour and a half, on some serious twisties! Gentle Annie is a fantastic road, and an MR2 makes the most of it, but it's never going to be a fast drive. If you're coming from Waiouru you don't have to go quite as far down as Taihape unless you want a stop, you can cut across at Spooners Hill Road, and join up to Te Moehau Rd and Gentle Annie from there. Time-wise from Mangakino you're adding on the best part of two hours to go West of Lake Taupo and down to Gentle Annie as compared to going East through Taupo and down SH5. But one way will be a bit dull and tedious, and the other (in good conditions) will be an absolute blast!

[psyguy]

Anyone else heading down from Auckland or likely to tee up with us on the way down?

Hopefully, me...

Manfield weekend was epic so I'm keen on this one, too.

[mickeyduck]

Hopefully, me...

Manfield weekend was epic so I'm keen on this one, too.

That Manawatu Scenic Route south-east from Mangaweka was pretty cool eh Ivor? I reckon this "Gentle Annie" will be as much fun but about twice the length so twice as much fun. If it's as twisted as the map suggests, it might even be 3 times as much fun.

Napier to Taihape via Gentle Annie after the AGM... there was some fairly slow going. Gentle Annie is a fantastic road, and an MR2 makes the most of it, but it's never going to be a fast drive.

I wasn't on that run but I will say this: It'll only be slow going if we get stuck behind something that refuses to get out of the way. Cos you're right, an MR2 can sure as heck make the most of a good twisty back road. Be sure to bring a good set of tyres, a factory wheel alignment and decent brake pads and fluid.

That said I'll likely be driving an SW so anyone in an AW or an MRS should be able to keep up through the corners without breaking a sweat.

If you have a good set of tyres, a factory wheel alignment and decent brake pads and fluid, that is.

Colin I sure hope you can make this one mate?

A note to Aucklanders: the Gentle Annie aka Taihape to Hastings road looks to be like Woodcocks Rd but maybe 4 times as long. Nice.

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[psyguy]

Accommodation booked
Though, Barrington was sold out so had to book nearby.

May I suggest the first post gets updated with the current details? It may help the out-of-towners like me to get their head around what's going on and hopefully join in more readily. I went through the whole thread twice and I'm still not quite sure on the exact plan. Cheers