North of Auckland the coast road thins out and the land becomes greener and wetter, with dairy farms, tidal creeks and little harbours cut deep into the hills. The ride is the start of a long weekend towards the Bay of Islands.
Warkworth, with a little over three thousand people, is the town that serves the region, set on the Mahurangi River at the head of a long tidal inlet. Early settlers shipped kauri timber from here, and old wharves and stone buildings from that era remain. A short run east lies Matakana, a village that has transformed itself into a magnet for food, art and wine, with a lively Saturday farmers' market. Nearby Kawau Island, reached by ferry, was home to Sir George Grey, one of the early colonial governors, who planted it with exotic animals, and wallabies still hop through the scrub.
The coast here is a series of broad, shallow beaches, such as Omaha and Pakiri, where white sand runs for kilometres and the swell comes in clean from the Pacific. Further north, at Leigh, a marine reserve near Goat Island was established in 1975, the first in the country, and snorkellers can swim among snapper and crayfish that have grown fat and fearless. The sea is cold, even in summer, so bring a wetsuit if you plan to swim.
The riding itself is straightforward. State Highway 1 runs north through the Dome Valley and over the Brynderwyn Hills, with long climbs and open bends, but it carries heavy traffic and many trucks, so the quieter coastal roads are better. Weekend holiday traffic, especially at the start of summer and at Easter, can back up for kilometres. Fuel is available in Warkworth and Wellsford, a smaller town about eighteen kilometres to the north, and you should fill the tank there before heading to the more remote stretches. The weather can change rapidly, with squalls blowing in from the Tasman, so pack waterproofs.