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Now it is packing day for the airport. We went to BMW to pick up a metal palette for Dan’s bike (he already had a wood BMW one for the 650, but it is for a much smaller bike!) and 2 dozen tie downs. Faisal’s dad also showed up with one of their trucks for the transport. We had a lot of help from the shop guys, Faisal and Orvar to get them crated, loaded, and onto the flat bed. This meant mirrors, windscreen, and front tires off as well.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4751/...3e9bdcfd_b.jpgMalaysia-104 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4742/...9e10cbae_b.jpgMalaysia-105 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4602/...7841438e_b.jpgMalaysia-106 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The next issue today is that Mohadin now says we have to pay cash unlike with MAS which takes Visa. There is no way we can get that kind of cash from an ATM in one day. We will get what we can and try to get him to sort out a Paypal account for the rest.
We finally set out for the airport at 445 pm. We arrived to the cargo terminal, obtained day passes for us and the truck, and entered the secure zone. Mohadin the agent met us inside and he dealt with the carnet exit stamps. We had “inspection” , which was a check of the VIN and then we moved the bikes over to the loading bay for final “volume” measurement and wight 315 and 324 kg (bikes, luggage, helmets, and gear). Mohadin worked some magic on the numbers to get us the best deal. They are flying Thai Air Cargo tomorrow to Bangkok and then TAC to Auckland on Dec 31. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4721/...8f338a91_b.jpgMalaysia-108 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4653/...8cf66883_b.jpgMalaysia-109 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4710/...55f96f25_b.jpgMalaysia-110 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4750/...8d3c8977_b.jpgIMG_1748 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4752/...15cf6c45_b.jpgIMG_1749 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr This is a very brief description, but does not really describe the huge hassle and stress that is involved in the shipping. The issues of getting a booking, getting the best rate, making the smallest volume, being told a different thing every few hours, being told you could roll on and then that you need to crate, being told you can pay with visa and then at the last minute you need to pay cash, trying to organize money international transfers for the next day when transfers will take several days…..We were finally in bed at midnight and up at 5 am for our flight. We had met the agent at the hotel set up a PayPal account for him, paid him all the cash we could get from the ATM daily limit, and sent the rest by paypal. In the morning we get a message that the payment was sent back by the agent as he clearly did something wrong on his end. The bikes did go to Bangkok, but several hours before we had a message that the agent that we needed to get the money to him ( it is sent, but as he refused the last one they are holding this one) or the bikes will not fly tonight (we have a way bill that says paid), but Faisal to the rescue again and he guaranteed the payment. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4614/...c96a011f_b.jpgIMG_1757 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We arrived to Auckland airport at almost 1 am. Here you have to go thru several layers of customs screening after immigration. It is important to declare any food or items that may contact soil. If they find something you did not declare (even a candy) the fine starts at 400$. We handed over our tent for fumigation and had the luggage X-rayed. They spotted something in the bag that turned out to be a Vick’s candy we had forgotten about and they let that go. After all this we used the SIM card purchased in duty free to contact the hotel shuttle and finally fell into bed at 2am. You know you are in the first world when your room is as booked, there are towels and 4 pillows, there is a bar fridge and it is already cold and has fresh cream in it for your coffee.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4609/...a1f7c884_b.jpgIMG_1764 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Janet and Charlie Russel who we finally met in Osh have kindly offered to host us until we get the bikes (very kind as it may be 4-5 days). They arrived to pick us up about 11 and drove us to their home in almost rural Albany. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4602/...97e82122_z.jpgScreen Shot 2018-01-05 at 18.53.05 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4769/...45777259_b.jpgIMG_1768 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4723/...e273b67e_b.jpgNorth Island NZ 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4661/...dd0a30ec_b.jpgNorth Island NZ 1-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Nice Garage! https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4705/...491b5cc2_b.jpgIMG_1767 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We are quite shattered today, but rested up here at the Russel’s. Well the bikes have left Bangkok and arrive to Auckland today at noon Dec 31. The cargo company Menzies says that we can come at 2 pm (Saturday) and “all the paperwork with be done”. We did drive all the way over there again only to find the paper work done, but customs is closed for the next 3 days!! AGH. We did pay our 113$ NZ (Import international terminal fees and document import fees plus GST)
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4630/...765b50cc_b.jpgIMG_1782 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
It is Dec 31 and so the Russel’s have organized a BBQ for tonight and we will finally get to meet TINTOMKIWI who are Tina and Thomas that we missed by just a few hours in Brazil and by a few days in Vancouver. It is so nice to finally meet up and we all enjoyed talking to others who understand the journey.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4628/...7c5a32d2_b.jpgNorth Island NZ 1-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4670/...3764358c_b.jpgIMG_1771 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4711/...8393ccc6_b.jpgIMG_1774 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4603/...63eb1a98_b.jpgNorth Island NZ 1-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
It is finally “pick up your motorbike day” January 3. We loaded up the trailer again and Charlie drove us back to the airport. We arrived to customs at 930 and they seemed a bit confused about what to do. This is a Carnet country, but very few bikes arrive here i would guess. They did manage to stamp and sign the papers, but it took them over an hour. They told us “you do not need to go to inspection”. From here you go back 200 m to the shippers Menzies with your document from customs and they then told us we did (of course) need inspection and had to drive 3.5 km to the new MPI (Ministry of Primary Industries) office to get our inspection even arranged. Because customs did not enter the info the officer here had to redo all the data and after the long wait in the cue we finally left after 11. We called to book the inspection, but they could not do it until 1. Lunch it is. We arrived back to the warehouse area and just had to wait 15 min for the inspection officer to finish with the last customer. We were of course worried the bikes would be clean enough and that we would not have any banned items. He unwrapped all the saran and opened the bag with the boots and suits, Dan’s tank bag and one of his panniers….10 minutes and both passed. Now we just had a few minutes to wait for a fork lift driver who lifted the bikes onto Charlie’s trailer. We unloaded the luggage and strapped the bikes in for the drive the 46 km back to Albany.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4769/...727a7c5c_b.jpgNorth Island NZ 1-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flick https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4760/...a0eee94a_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4648/...48de9737_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4664/...9c9b2869_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4751/...017cc57d_b.jpgIMG_1787 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The weather held out all day and there was just a sprinkle starting as we arrived home. Charlie has all the bits and pieces that we can use to set up a good ramp. We all worked together to lift each bike on the center stand and get the front wheel back on. We managed to get them both unloaded before the predicted storm hit.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4705/...50415b35_b.jpgNorth Island NZ 1-18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4661/...bf232b82_b.jpgNorth Island NZ 1-16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4653/...73c0b4db_b.jpg |
We had planned to try to leave today, but it got too late and then the next day the 4 th it was gale force winds and pouring. There is a severe storm warning and they have evacuated the beaches and camping on both the central coasts. It is Sara’s birthday so we went out for a birthday dinner!
By 11 am on the 5th there was a window where the storm looked less severe and we set out the 147 km to Tikipunga where Tina and Thomas live. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4769/...498e35df_z.jpgScreen Shot 2018-01-05 at 18.59.28 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr It was pretty windy, but not raining that hard until our lunch break in Wellsford. After that is was Patagonia windy and pouring. The traffic our way was not too bad , but there was a continuous line of vehicles coming towards us. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4616/...68db0914_b.jpgFILE0092 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4603/...1328a82d_b.jpgFILE0086 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr We arrived to Tina and Thomas’s to fresh baked rhubarb cake. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4707/...2af7fabb_b.jpgNorth Island NZ 1-26 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Well the weather has improved quite a bit today as it is cloudy, but not raining. We set out from Tikipunga on the small windy roads. It is ideal riding weather at 23 degree and even on a Saturday there is almost no traffic.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4747/...5471c388_b.jpgScreen Shot 2018-01-06 at 20.11.12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr We made for the coast road and rode thru Matapouri before turning inland again. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4699/...6bd4d6fe_b.jpgFILE0107 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr There is a loop road back to the highway 1. You only go a short distance on this main road and then exit again on the narrow country lanes to Helena Bay where you can stop at an art cafe for a coffee. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4724/...0234904d_b.jpgFILE0110 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4721/...a223ff81_b.jpgFILE0111 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4603/...407b6a21_b.jpgNorth Island NZ 1-20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4659/...b8a3eb19_b.jpgNorth Island NZ 1-21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The coast road continues around the point to Russel and we stopped in here for some amazing Red Snapper fish and chips. It is a short and 5$ ride on the ferry across the inlet to Paihia.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4675/...037ee945_b.jpgFILE0171 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4719/...574dfd25_b.jpgFILE0189 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4694/...34fd2373_b.jpgFILE0190 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4619/...f1c16ac9_b.jpgNorth Island NZ 1-22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4744/...536ee11f_b.jpgNorth Island NZ 1-23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4655/...370b73c3_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4612/...695427c2_b.jpgFILE0225 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4760/...1acf839e_b.jpgNorth Island NZ 1-24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We made a brief stop in Kawakawa to get a photo of the "famous" Hundertwasser toilets here! There are public toilets in almost every NZ town. This may be why there are sort of unfriendly signs on the door of all the shops and restaurants warning " toilets are for guests only”!
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4705/...b86fd45e_b.jpgNorth Island NZ 1-25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr From here we rode on some small roads thru the woods and then on some gravel cross country to arrive south west of Whangarei again. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4624/...1918f842_z.jpgScreen Shot 2018-01-06 at 20.11.51 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4671/...e740f174_b.jpgFILE0242 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Tina and Thomas have been very kind to host us for 2 days here. They also looked over our map and gave their suggestions on our route. |
Our plan over the next few days is to make it to the north tip of the island at Cape Reinga. Today we set off on our own and rode south west to Dargaville.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4623/...72ce126d_b.jpgScreen Shot 2018-01-14 at 20.18.03 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr This is Sunday and there are almost no cars on the road. The town looks deserted and all the shops are closed. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4673/...1f048f89_b.jpgFILE0292 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4699/...f72c1c8c_b.jpgFILE0298 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
From here we rode north on the 12, which takes you thru the Waipoua Forrest. We did a few gravel side trip, with a visit to the Trauson Kauri park, the Waipoua Forrest lookout (not much to see but trees), and to the visitors center where we had lunch at 3 pm.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4625/...a72e8b25_b.jpgFILE0300 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4615/...b60ea121_b.jpgFILE0319 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4604/...e0752f81_b.jpgFILE0342 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4703/...f605d015_b.jpgFILE0350 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4720/...89d5626e_b.jpg Got to watch for KIWI! Probably not actually since they are nocturnal. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4631/...883a22aa_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4654/...e9ca14d9_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4746/...4459de92_b.jpgFILE0406 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We decided to cut the day short and stop in Rawene before the ferry and camp for the night. There is a small shop at the dock to get for provisions and we had a cozy first night in our tent.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4699/...17cc89d4_b.jpgFILE0413 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4649/...1f02c6fc_b.jpgFILE0432 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4656/...71d5c212_b.jpgFILE0446 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4763/...78aeee26_b.jpgIMG_1795 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4631/...bfc46f07_b.jpgIMG_1796 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
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