Ulysses Club

of New Zealand

Rotorua Branch

Rotorua Ramblings…… MARCH 2015 issue 21

Its the end of March already with not that many rides this month. Early in the month the Toy Run from Cambridge to Hamilton was again a pleasure to take part in and quite a few of our club members with hundreds from other branches and clubs enjoined this event. The Poker Run set for the 8th of March had to be postponed due to time restrain and will now take place this coming Sunday with the winner of this run being announced at our monthly meeting on the 29th. A good representation of our Club supported the awareness and fundraising event organised by the Alzheimer's Association and it was great to see so many bikes at the Hells Gate car park to accompanied Cycle World Champion Eddie Dawkins and his coach Anthony Peden riding back into town raising awareness for a condition close to our hearts. Due to a prior arrangement I could not attend the Tauranga Toy Run on the 22nd of this month and it appears that very few if any of our Club made this run. Our AGM on the 26th of April is not all that far away and wheels are in motion for the Okataina Rally near the shortest day in June for which we have received a good number of registrations. Hope to see you all this Sunday evening 7.30 at the usual venue. Ride safe

Peter V #8136

To open Branch website, click onto: www.ulyssesrotorua.org.nz

EDITORIAL CO ORDINATOR’S COMMENTS

Next Branch

Meeting

Sunday 29 March

2015 at

7.30pm

15 Rotorua members have accommodation for the National AGM at Tauranga this year. Hope you have all registered by now? The Saturday night theme will be AMZAC—interesting? Next month is the Rotorua Branch AGM. You will be pleased to know that the Newsletter Editor is standing down, so we will get a new perspective on motorcycling news? Thank you for supporting Marlene and I, and Neil & Joyce at the Dementia Ride-In last Sat-urday. The Poker Run weather forecast for next Sun-day is “partly cloudy” which will be fine—no pun intended! If the weather is “crap” I will send an email before 8.30am on Sunday morning 29 March. Thank you Bruce and Mal for your contribu-tions. “Keep the rubber on the road”.

Tony B. #2436

http://www.ulyssesrotorua.org.nz

2013-2014 Rotorua Branch Committee Co-ordinator: Peter van der Maat 349 3021 pemaint@xtra.co.nz 027 224 5100

Secretary: Bruce Quedley 347 8659 bruce@quedley.com 021 616 736

Treasurer: Hartley Gray 348 0555 hartleyandteri@gmail.com 027 229 6407

Newsletter: Tony Baker 345 7607 tbaker@wave.co.nz 022 345 7607

Committee: Bruce Roe, Graeme van Praagh, Mal (Axle) Bain, Jan Matthews, plus the above.

LAKESIDE CAFÉ & CRAFTS On the Lakefront, Memorial Drive, Rotorua. “Where we meet every Saturday morning at 10:30am”

Our hosts: Colin & Norma Craig

Sunday 22nd March Ride Due to the weather being so good, Jack, Christine and I decided to give the Easter Egg Run to Tauranga a miss. Standing in the sun seems a bit of a waste of time when we should be clocking up kms. It won’t be long before the weather starts to get wet and cold. Christine and I picked up Jack at the top of the Mamakus at 9.30am. Jack said, “Where are we heading to, Putaruru first, it looks like I am RIC for the day”! So it was Putaruru, Kihikihi, then Otorohanga where we had lunch. Then onto Te Kuiti, turning onto the road to Bennydale and heading for home. It had just turned 12.00noon, so I pulled over and said we are going to be home too soon. Jack agreed, so it was about turn and headed for Taumarunui where we fuelled up. Onto National Park and into Turangi, stopping at the Liquorice Café for a cuppa. They had just closed early because they were stocktaking and the new owners take over on Tuesday, but they didn’t mind making us a cuppa. Home at 4.30pm, 510km, great roads and great weather. Didn’t even get a sore bum!!!

Bruce R. #375 *******************

Tauranga 25th Easter Egg & Toy Run Three riders, Craig Mclean on his Can Am, Lynda on her S40 & myself on GSX 1400 fronted up @ Lakeside Café @ 9.30 for the ride. Not to be disappointed with the turn out ,we headed across to the Papamoa Plaza via Te Puke, arrived in good time, to an orderly packed car park. A quick coffee & look around, we moved out @ 11.00. This was Lynda’s first encounter of lots of bikes, she did well. Through the ‘Mount’ & on to the toll gates, where we waited for the ride through to be organised, all good, then on to the Tauranga Hospital Hanger & car park. We meet Bob McKenzie @ the park. A great turnout, 480 registered riders plus more that hadn’t registered. The ride was in support of Tauranga Trustpower TECT rescue helicopter & the Tauranga Hospital children’s ward. The Ulysses ‘Drill Team’ put on a display of skilful riding, but many of us on the upper landing missed it, as the res-cue helicopter was called out on an emergency. The police armed defender squad & dog, put on a display of apprehension of bad guys, firing guns, in the car park, very real show! The weather was awesome & with coffee, snarlers, ice creams & drinks readily available to the bikers, it was a great day for a good cause. Lynda & I stayed till 2.00pm, then headed back to Ngongotaha via Pyes Pa, a couple of k’s of road works, but all was good.

Mal “Axle” Bain #8688

mailto:bruce@quedley.commailto:hartleyandteri@gmail.commailto:tbaker@wave.co.nz

NOAH THINGERTOO SAYS :-

Sheriff Bruce: “I only take

gold coins for fines”

Good to see your turnout at the Alzheimer’s Ride on Saturday 21st, it is a great cause. Good to see Hart-ley was so eager to take part he arrived at Hells Gate at such great speed. I can’t wait to see your costumes for the Tauranga AGM! Plenty of scope for something outrageous, but it is a pity for some of you bikers that high heels will not be allowed. See your Bruce Q is the organiser of a handbag safety brigade!! Ooooh, he can hold my handbag any day !!

Speaking of the Quedleys, happy birthday coming up for Annette. Also happy birthday to other Arians, Bill

Brinsden, Bob McKenzie, and Paul Shaw. Also happy birthday to Taurean, Jim Bolton.

I have heard no gossip at all about who might be standing for your committee in April. With such a tal-ented pool of contenders, you may consider you don’t have to care. It doesn’t work like that, you know !

I see Flash has still not had any cleaning products near that Suzuki – instead of blue and white, it is start-ing to look a uniform grey !

I like the look of the Last Okataina Rally motif – that cowboy has been on his horse for a damn long time !

Just about time to put the inner lining back into your riding suit and dust off the wet weather gear. I guess you all intend to make the most of any remaining sunny days ! See you on the road (but you won’t see me!)

FOR SALE Top-of-the-range Nazran, Cordura motorcycle jacket. Needs a new inside liner zip. It has a front closure with zip, domes and velcro. It is a size L Again, top of the range Nazram Cordura motorcycle pants. Worn a couple of times. In very good condition. Has knee protector inserts. Size is XL. Selling on behalf. Contact Tony Baker: 022 345 7607

Dave Badcock 29 March

Bill Brinsden 4 April

Paul Shaw 6 April

Bob McKenzie 9 April

Annette Quedley 10 April

Jim Bolton 29 April

cycling world champion RIDES FOR DEMENTIA

Last Saturday, 14 Rotorua Ulyssians and 5 Whakatane Ulyssians arrived at the Hells Gate car park to meet Eddie Dawkins (Cycling World Champion and Commonwealth Games medallist) who swapped his bike for a Harley Davidson and led a motorcycle rally to raise awareness of dementia. Eddie, who was accompanied by his coach, and recent Halberg Award winner Anthony Peden, led the rally from Auckland to Taupo via Whakatane and Rotorua in support of Alzheimers New Zealand. Also with Eddie and Anthony were Sarah Sinnott , Senior Communications Adviser for Alzheimers New Zealand and Catherine Hall who is the Alzeimers NZ Executive Director. After a short “meet and greet”, our own Coordinator Peter van der Maat led the group from Hells Gate to The Community Hub behind the QE Hospital where Catherine Hall spoke about both Eddie’s grandparents who have been effected by dementia, making him one of the 2 out of every 3 New Zealanders who know or have known someone with the condition. It is estimated that around 53,000 New Zealanders have de-mentia, a number that is forecast to triple to around 150,000 by 2050 as the population ages. She says Eddie’s motorcycle rally is an important part of Alzheimers NZ About Dementia campaign, which was launched by Alzheimers NZ in late August 2014. The campaign encourages New Zealanders to find out more about dementia. Eddie then rushed away to put on his Performance Ultra gear, hopped on his carbon fibre bike, on rollers, and demonstrated a “very fast sprint”. We said our “goodbyes”, and then headed off to the Lakeside café for our “ caffeine fix” while Eddie headed off to Taupo with his entourage to support him in his efforts to raise awareness of dementia.

Tony & Marlene 2437 & 7843

Anthony Peden—5th from left Eddie Dawkins—2nd from right Catherine Hall—10th from right

Check out this website at: http://www.feulingparts.com/w3motorcycle.php A very interesting site sent in by Smokey. The company is called Feuling Parts Ltd and they are known for precision performance parts for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Their company is in the Mojave Desert which is about 100 miles inland from Los Angeles—population 4,250! From Bruce Bryenton, Whakatane Ulysses, #8937. Just to let us know that the:

2015 Moto GP will be on TV3 starting on March 30th supported by Suzuki NZ

Last but not least. Some very interesting pics from “Axle”

News & Views

http://www.feulingparts.com/w3motorcycle.php

DATE DESTINATION MEET TIME IN-CHARGE

Sunday 29

March

Rotorua Poker Run Lakeside Café Assemble

9.30am

Tony B.

Sunday 29 Rotorua Branch Meeting St Johns Rooms 7.30pm Peter van

The Northern Odyssey 2015

You will be given a route of approx. 1000kms. Every hour or so, you will be required to stop and find the answer to a

question. The timing has been arranged to enable those attending the AGM in Tauranga to do it either before or after the

AGM. See entry form etc on page 48 of the March issue of the Ulyssian.

10—12 April,

2015

National Rally & AGM “Queen Elizabeth Youth

Centre”, Tauranga

P.O. Box 160,

Tauranga 3140

Sunday 26 April

2015

Rotorua Branch AGM St John Rooms, Pererika

St, Rotorua.

7:30pm Peter van der

Maat

19—21 June Okataina Rally. All Rotorua members

to help during the weekend.

Rotorua Branch Runs List

ULYSSES POKER RUN—Sunday 29th March

What is a "poker run"?

The event will actually have little to do with poker, beyond using

the hand-rankings to score the event. You don't need to know a great deal about poker to take part, other than what beats what

in the scoring - and even that will be done for participants by the organisers. Essentially, a poker run is an excuse to meet up,

travel, and have a good time at the stops.

Riders will meet at the Rotorua Lakeside Café at 9.30am for a briefing. Five cards will be given to each rider. The group will then follow the RIC (Tony) to the first stop

where unwanted cards will be swapped from a pack that the RIC has. We then carry on to the next stop where unwanted cards are swapped again. This carries on until the last stop. We then ride back to Rotorua and say our goodbyes at the bottom of

Tarawera Rd. Please bring your hand of 5 cards to the Branch meeting where the member with the best Poker hand will be the winner!!

A “must read” is Andrea’s trip down “The Great Mother Road” starting on page 42 of the

March Ulyssian. Thank you Andrea, it certainly is a

“must read”

A very tired nurse walks into a bank, totally exhausted after an 18-hour shift. Preparing to write a cheque, she pulls a rectal thermometer out of her purse and tries to write with it. When she realizes her mistake, she looks at the flabbergasted Teller, and without missing a beat, she says: “Well, that's great..............some arsehole's got my pen!”