GOOD, BETTER… BEST?

AS I’M SURE YOU’LL recall, Voltaire said, “Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien”. And so, New Zealand’s South Island regularly eclipses the North for visiting motorcyclists. Is that fair?

There is probably no doubt that the South Island’s package of attractions makes it “le mieux”. Snow-capped mountains, fjords, lakes and hot springs along with some outstanding roads and the constant expectation that the Riders of Rohan will pop up on the next ridge create a pretty much unrivalled combination. But if we narrow things down a bit and settle for slightly (and only slightly) less impressive scenery, the North Island comes up quite well. I decided to see just how “bien” it could be by sampling a road I had never ridden despite my many visits to Unzud.

State Highways 2 and 35 take you From Napier on Hawke Bay to anywhere you like on the Bay of Plenty; I chose to end my ride at Opotiki where you have the option to return to Napier by way of another – and by all reports also terrific - bit of State Highway 2. Oops. I’ve given it away. Yes, the road around East Cape