Dreams do come true sometimes...

It's Anzac Day, a holiday in New Zealand. In the morning another rental car was ready for pick-up, and I meandered a bit through Auckland, and spent some time sitting in a park, while enjoying the sun, watching the water and reading. The weather was simply gorgeous, and by the time I arrived at Roger's place, it had warmed up quite nicely.

Boy, was I in for a surprise today. Squeaky clean, not showing any signs of previous gravel road adventures, there was Roger's G650GS waiting for me in the driveway.

With this rare opportunity at hand I neglected to mention that I hadn't been riding a motorcycle since winterizing my Sportster last November. The only riding I did for the past few months was on the Vespa.

But being familiar with the model, and with Rog in the lead I was confident to be able to master whatever was lying in front of me. When we encountered the first twisties I knew that the master of the Triumph in front of me was holding back to give me a chance to get more comfortable with riding on the wrong left side. Roger's IAM training became a valuable lesson for me, as I started following his line.

We briefly stopped to quench our thirst (a chance for me to snap a quick picture) and continued along the Firth of Thames down to Kaiaua, where we had a typical Kiwi lunch: fush and chups. Probably the best I have ever had!

We backtracked our route, and two and a half hours and 140 km later, we arrived at Roger's place where I got spoiled once again, this time with Moroccan Lamb Pizza, wine and cookies for desert.

Meanwhile I wonder how I can ever repay that debt. For me this day was a dream come true: Riding New Zealand! And I tell you, it's addictive, because I want more! Thanks, Rog. You made my day!