OP
Wed, 18 Jan 2023 09:31:58 +0000

Molto Verboso
Gina, 1965 Vespa 180SS, Bella,1968 Vespa 150 Super, Mia, 2017 Vespa Primavera 70th Anniversary 150ie, Gabriella, 2017 GTS300 ABS
Joined: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 19:49:18 +0000
Posts: 1738
Location: Hamilton/Kirikiriroa, NZ
 
Molto Verboso
Gina, 1965 Vespa 180SS, Bella,1968 Vespa 150 Super, Mia, 2017 Vespa Primavera 70th Anniversary 150ie, Gabriella, 2017 GTS300 ABS
Joined: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 19:49:18 +0000
Posts: 1738
Location: Hamilton/Kirikiriroa, NZ
Wed, 18 Jan 2023 09:31:58 +0000 quote
Last weekend a group of us got together again and had our annual tour. Most of the group are from Napier/Hawkes Bay Area and we are ring ins from Hamilton/Waikato. We gathered in Taupō on Friday, I rode Gabriella down State Highway 1 and Mrs. pigletpilot followed in the recently purchased Alfa Romeo Giulietta QV with our clothes and food/drink for the weekend.
A brief stop in Tokoroa was had to stretch and move about before finishing the journey. We couldn't get into our accommodation immediately so we left the scooter there and drove back into town for lunch. The rest of the team reported their arrival so we joined them for a drink and planning session. After getting settled into our units we reconvened for drinks and snacks then went into town for a casual meal in the food area that was heaving on a Friday night. We soon went back to our units to rest up for a reasonably big day on Saturday.
Our group consisted of 2 couples on GTS300s, a single rider on another GTS300, a couple on a GTV250 and a couple on a BMW F800GT


Monochrome before we left home.


Tokoroa stop. Forgot to photograph our arrival or any of the food/drink venues.

Wed, 25 Jan 2023 21:15:59 +0000

Ossessionato
2013 Vespa 300 Super, 2022 Kymco AK 550
Joined: Sun, 30 Mar 2014 23:36:10 +0000
Posts: 3274
Location: Minneapolis USA
 
Ossessionato
2013 Vespa 300 Super, 2022 Kymco AK 550
Joined: Sun, 30 Mar 2014 23:36:10 +0000
Posts: 3274
Location: Minneapolis USA
Wed, 25 Jan 2023 21:15:59 +0000 quote
Pigletpilot,

You guys are quite the Italian Aficionados with both a Vespa and driving
a Alfa Romeo. I rented one on my last visit/vacation to Italia.
It was a manual shift with 5 speeds in forward. Amazing, putting it in
5th gear on the Autostrada at 150 km, the tact dropped to 3 rpms.

Zoom Zoom.

Side question: are you guys still locking down and masking up in NZ?

Bob Copeland
OP
Wed, 25 Jan 2023 23:32:42 +0000

Molto Verboso
Gina, 1965 Vespa 180SS, Bella,1968 Vespa 150 Super, Mia, 2017 Vespa Primavera 70th Anniversary 150ie, Gabriella, 2017 GTS300 ABS
Joined: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 19:49:18 +0000
Posts: 1738
Location: Hamilton/Kirikiriroa, NZ
 
Molto Verboso
Gina, 1965 Vespa 180SS, Bella,1968 Vespa 150 Super, Mia, 2017 Vespa Primavera 70th Anniversary 150ie, Gabriella, 2017 GTS300 ABS
Joined: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 19:49:18 +0000
Posts: 1738
Location: Hamilton/Kirikiriroa, NZ
Wed, 25 Jan 2023 23:32:42 +0000 quote
Bob, we have more than a little Italian bent with 4 Vespas of our own here plus our son's 150 Super that will get some attention once Gina is on the road.

Currently we have 3 Alfas here, the Giulietta QV in the photo, 1740cc turbo petrol with 6 speed manual gearbox, somewhere in the 230 - 240hp range. My wife has a daily drive 147GTA, 3.2l V6, 24 valve, 6 speed manual gearbox, 250hp. I also have a 156 Sportwagon, 2.5l V6, 24 valve, 6 speed manual but that leaves my ownership on Saturday.

Hiding in our little garage is my Fiat 124 Spider set up for competition but still road legal. It needs the brake master cylinder fixing then it will be usable again. It's on the list!

Currently New Zealand has no lockdowns nor compulsory mask wearing. Many choose to wear masks on public transport, particularly aeroplanes. Good sense appears to be prevailing but we have our share of people with alternative views/realities.


The 156 Sportwagon


The 147GTA when we bought her.


The Giulietta QV

OP
Thu, 26 Jan 2023 07:35:04 +0000

Molto Verboso
Gina, 1965 Vespa 180SS, Bella,1968 Vespa 150 Super, Mia, 2017 Vespa Primavera 70th Anniversary 150ie, Gabriella, 2017 GTS300 ABS
Joined: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 19:49:18 +0000
Posts: 1738
Location: Hamilton/Kirikiriroa, NZ
 
Molto Verboso
Gina, 1965 Vespa 180SS, Bella,1968 Vespa 150 Super, Mia, 2017 Vespa Primavera 70th Anniversary 150ie, Gabriella, 2017 GTS300 ABS
Joined: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 19:49:18 +0000
Posts: 1738
Location: Hamilton/Kirikiriroa, NZ
Thu, 26 Jan 2023 07:35:04 +0000 quote
Day 2 of our annual ride started with gassing all the scooters before breakfast at a local café Industriale. Everything is possible from a simple coffee through pastries to a full on cooked breakfast. Between us we covered most of those options.
Our route was to circumnavigate the three volcanos in the middle of the North Island, Ruapehu, the tallest and still active, and Tongariro and Ngaruahoe, an almost perfect cone.
After breakfast we headed south from Taupō on State Highway 1 heading for, initially Turangi about 50km (30 miles) south of Taupō. This stretch of road has been destroyed by over zealous officials imposing a variety of speed limits from 100kmh to 60kmh depending on how bad their coffee was that morning I suspect. We soon negotiated that and continued south past Rangipo and on to The Desert Road, 63km (39 miles) of fully tar sealed road through an alpine desert on the North Island's volcanic plateau. There's a number of challenging corners, one of which I realised half way through I was running a little wide on. Later analysis found I felt my wife not lean quite as far as me, and she realised she had looked over my right shoulder rather than the normal left. No damage done. We stopped at the summit of the Desert Road at 1074m (3536ft) for a photo op then carried on south to Waiouru. This town has for years served a military base but is also now part of the tourist trail. We turned right and headed across the south end of the volcanos . we stopped at the Tangiwai Memorial which commemorates New Zealand's biggest train disaster on Christmas Eve 1953 when a lahar from Ruapehu's crater lake weakened the rail bridge which collapsed under the weight of the train throwing it and the first six carriages into the Whangaehu River at 10:21pm. 151 people died in the accident. It's a very moving memorial.
We pressed on westwards to Ohakune, a small town that hums in the ski season. Our destination was a famous chocolate eclair shop! there's chocolate eclairs, then there's Johnny Nation's chocolate eclairs. Longer than the normal, wider than the normal, filled with real whipped cream and iced with real chocolate. D.E.L.I.C.O.U.S. Some of the team had pies as well, but the eclair was enough for me. Next we stopped at a wreckers yard that featured in a famous NZ made film, Smash Palace from the early 1980s. Amongst its memorable moments was the lead character testing his F5000 race car on the Desert Road and passing through a Police radar check. Much laughter from the audience. Onwards we went to ride up the road to the Whakapapa ski field, a 7km diversion from our route. We rose to 1636m (5366ft) and had a coffee on the way down before making our way back to base along the over regulated road. Home after 300km we had a quiet drink and snacks before heading to town for Indian for dinner.
A few tired bodies slept well that night.


At the summit of the Desert Road.


Summit sign.


At the Tangiwai Memorial.


THAT shop.


Home for the night.

OP
Thu, 26 Jan 2023 07:35:42 +0000

Molto Verboso
Gina, 1965 Vespa 180SS, Bella,1968 Vespa 150 Super, Mia, 2017 Vespa Primavera 70th Anniversary 150ie, Gabriella, 2017 GTS300 ABS
Joined: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 19:49:18 +0000
Posts: 1738
Location: Hamilton/Kirikiriroa, NZ
 
Molto Verboso
Gina, 1965 Vespa 180SS, Bella,1968 Vespa 150 Super, Mia, 2017 Vespa Primavera 70th Anniversary 150ie, Gabriella, 2017 GTS300 ABS
Joined: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 19:49:18 +0000
Posts: 1738
Location: Hamilton/Kirikiriroa, NZ
Thu, 26 Jan 2023 07:35:42 +0000 quote
I had more photos but they wouldn't upload. Will try tomorrow.
Mon, 30 Jan 2023 02:29:01 +0000

Member
Vespa GTS300 SuperTech (iScoot); Vespa GTS250ie
Joined: Fri, 23 May 2014 17:33:22 +0000
Posts: 47
Location: New Orleans, LA
 
Member
Vespa GTS300 SuperTech (iScoot); Vespa GTS250ie
Joined: Fri, 23 May 2014 17:33:22 +0000
Posts: 47
Location: New Orleans, LA
Mon, 30 Jan 2023 02:29:01 +0000 quote
Thanks for the color commentary along with the ride report. I'd love to see NZ one of these days. It's as if adventure is bred into you folks.
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