Well the day dawned clear and calm with but with the prospect of some rain forecast for the afternoon but hopefully that won’t eventuate till after I return from the Pureora loop ride I had planned.I headed in to Taumarunui McDonald’s not sure if I would be riding on my own or not. As it turned out a mate of mine on his Vstrom turned up so we headed off down the Ongarue Back Rd to Ongarue (funnily enough!). There’s about 8ks of metal on this section and I was leading because the Vstrom had never been in this neck of the woods before. The gravel is hard and fast and I manage to get into 6th gear on more than a few occasions but I constantly had to check over my shoulder (cause I’m stand on the pegs) to make sure that the Vstrom is still there and in one piece. We make it to Ongarue in no time at all and I’m glad that I’m on my F650GS and not that heavy Suzuki that looks like it prefers to keep going straight when it should be turning. I give me mate some stick about going so slow and he has the excuse of “I can’t follow too close behind you because of all the dust” yeah right!From Ongarue we take the Waimiha Ongarue Rd through to Waimiha then on to the intersection with SH 30 and a breather in Bennydale. When I first rode this section it had new seal patches for about 20ks with no warning signs, loose metal around just about every corner so it was not enjoyable at all. The last two times I’ve ridden it however it’s been great, lot’s of corners and scenic countryside and the boy’s had a blast, but keep an eye out for the local’s as they seem to think they own the road.From Bennydale we continue down SH30 till the turnoff onto Barryville Rd and the village that “time forgot” at Pureora. From Pureora Village it’s 26ks of hard, fast pumice blasting via Link road though the heart of the Pureora Forest Park. DoC has two excellent campsites at either end of the road that make this trip a worthwhile overnighter for those of you from further afield (see attached photo). Link Rd is well maintained but you do have to keep an eye out for other road users as the Vstrom found out! We stopped at the campground near the Western Bays end of Link Rd for lunch and for me to give me big, heavy brick of a Vstrom mate more stick about keeping up with the light, nibble and quick GS. Fed and watered it’s off via the Western Bays to Kuratau and because me mate’s from Turangi we hang a left and head through Tokaanu towards ever threatening looking clouds! I part company with the Vstrom and turn right onto SH 47 and head up and over the Pihanga saddle into a heavy downpour which does not dampen by spirits in the slightest. We had a fun ride of around 250ks and I was home by 1.30 with plenty of time to stack some firewood and mow the lawns!Keep it sunny side upNeil