Written for Bike Rider Magazine
March is a very special time of the year for the membership community of the Ducati Official Club of New Zealand.
It’s the month that Ducatisti join together for our annual National Ducati Rally. It’s the once a year mass gathering where we socialise, make new friendships and rekindle old ones. We celebrate and admire all things Ducati including our people. Then, best of all, we get to ride some fantastic roads and enjoy them with our mates!
For months the topic of conversation around the summer barbecue in Ducati Official Club NZ circles gets dominated by questions about the route you’re taking to NDR! Club night topics of choice, are you doing NDR? when are you leaving? what time’s your ferry crossing? Who are you riding with?
The membership community eagerly awaits the announcement of next year’s destination so planning can commence! You can’t start too early, can you? The excitement builds as we get closer to the date. Routes are set, ferries and accommodation is booked, and luggage is packed, rationalised, repacked, rationalised again and repacked! Still too much! Bugger it, it’s strapped on now. Last minute shopping with ‘The Man’ at the bike shop for the world’s smallest can of chain lube oh and ear plugs because some of us that are sharing rooms snore apparently. Rushed goodbye’s to loved ones, texts from riding buddies organising meet up points. The pace of the pre-departure is frenetic!
📸Kent Murray
The destination this year was the stunning Te Anau. 151 Riders, Pillions, family and sponsors made the trip down to this stunning part of New Zealand. This year the Distinction Luxmore and Distinction Hotel and Villas hosted us for the weekend. Two comfortable and conveniently placed venues. Following requests from the membership last year, the event was started a day earlier with around a third of us arriving on the Thursday afternoon to be welcomed by a team of members that had volunteered to handle the registration and handing out of the prized welcome packs. After settling in most headed for the bar to wet the insides and catch up with mates from previous events. The drawcard for most of us to our club is using it as a conduit for connecting with people who have a common interest.
It doesn’t take one long to work out that this club is very different to most. Aside from the obvious fact that they are totally Ducati focussed, they actively encourage pillion passengers as members. Why wouldn’t you right? Rides and events for DOCNZ female members are run under the very popular ‘Girls of Ducati’ moniker. Being run, not just talked about! and they are highly successful and well supported!
Members encouraging new members to join our Ducati community is strong and the national network of ride directors are actively encouraging participation in local events, be it rides or meet ups is well supported and growing month by month. No matter what model Ducati you ride, your skill level, your background or your tenure in the club, all are welcomed and above all else, existing members are valued. This isn’t a club that exists to only grow it’s membership, they want to look after the members they have.
📸Kent Murray
Friday’s first unofficial event for the new extended NDR was an organised ride to Milford Sound through some of New Zealand’s most spectacular scenery and over some very special roads. Some of us who suffer ‘range anxiety’ due to the absence of 95 fuel elected to sit this one out but experienced just a pinch of envy when the 25 strong ‘Milford Team’ returned and described the ride as ‘epic’ and the experience of a lifetime. The photos taken certainly supported the description and this ride clearly is a highlight of the event.
A small but dedicated splinter group rode to Invercargill via a stop in Riverton to have our photo taken in front of a train. Where else in NZ would traffic on a state highway stop to allow a photo to be taken. Just love the deep south! A stop in Invercargill wouldn’t be complete without checking out the Hammer Hardware store of E. Hayes and Sons and it’s iconic Motor works display. A celebration of motoring and motorcycling history including the iconic display describing Burt Munroe and his achievements. So worth it.
Back to home base in Te Anau in time for a clean-up, a couple of drinks with the group and then off to the AGM which was handled professionally as always.
Club President Ange Joe described the positive pathway ahead that delivers to the framework of the club built on diversity, inclusiveness and passion for Ducati. This was really well received. Post formalities the emphasis is on meeting and mingling followed by a great meal. Honestly though, while the food is important, it’s less about the food and more about the people in the room.
📸Kent Murray
📸Robert Kerber Photography
📸Kent Murray
📸Robert Kerber Photography
Saturday kicked off early with the 8:30am start for the Show and Shine. I headed off to the Mobil Service station to gas up and asked the lovely lady if I could clean my bike out the back. Talk about southern hospitality! A bucket, warm water, soap and a selection of cleaning cloths were handed over and I was off to attempt to remove 2000km of road grime. When I dropped the bucket back, the Mobil lady went on to describe how pleased the locals were to have us in Te Anau. It certainly felt like they were enjoying the buzz. I know that the local café’s got a decent workout, I mean what goes with a Ducati than a perfect espresso right!
A simple act of kindness by one of our members was the donation of a communal cleaning kit back at the hotel. Judging from the sparkling condition of the bikes, there were others that had started cleaning way earlier than me. The display of Ducati bikes of all sorts on the front lawn attracted locals and Ducatista alike and with the stunning backdrop of the glacier fed Lake Te Anau framed by the Kepler and Murchison Ranges and the big Ducati arch, cameras and phones were out and clicking.
📸Kent Murray
As the judging and oogling over the bikes finished up, the mandatory group photo’s were taken and then it was stands up and off for a 200km ride for the group to the historic Mossburn Railway Hotel over some fantastic back roads through spectacular farm scenery.
We were joined on the ride by Ducati Australia and New Zealand, Managing Director Sergi Canovas, Head of Marketing, Alana Baratto and Nick Selleck, Ducati Product Genius and the man that rode Mission Un-Finkable on a Ducati Desert X, long time DOCNZ supporters and Sponsors, Grant Woolford from Cyclespot Auckland and Wellington and Josh Kennedy from Casbolts in Christchurch.
📸Robert Kerber Photography
A big shout out to Josh for generously providing bikes for the Ducati team to ride while they were over. It’s pretty darned cool to have the bosses from Ducati over and riding with us!
For a number of us, the big NPD Fuel sign was a very welcome sight as we ghosted in on fumes. I did feel a little sorry for the camper vans and boat lined up trying to find an unattended pump. What looked like complete mayhem was in fact pretty orderly and it wasn’t long before we managed to gas up and head the 200m up the road to the lunch stop.
The parking lot outside the Mossburn hotel was a picture in itself, bikes and people everywhere. The menu was ‘Make it Yourself’ burgers, an inspired catering choice given the number of people that needed feeding. All handled very efficiently which left more time for catching up with the all-important mates.
The brisk run back to Te Anau post lunch was a buzz with little in the way of traffic and flowing roads in fantastic condition to enjoy.
On arrival back we had time for a quick clean up head over to the hotel for more mixing and mingling and then heading in to the Gala Dinner, while the Girls Of Ducati (GOD) huddled.
📸Kent Murray
Sergi Canovas described Ducati ‘s vision for the future and Nick Selleck who by his own admission is a little uncomfortable with the ‘Ducati Product Genius’ title, described his epic ‘Mission Un-Finkable’, Alice Springs to Finke and back on a Ducati Desert X. Listening to Nick describe the behind-the-scenes detail that led to the successful ‘mission’ was as captivating as the beautifully filmed video itself. Well worth searching it up on YouTube and if after that you don’t want to have a ride on a Desert X or better yet buy one, then you mustn’t have a pulse.
Prizegiving for the show and shine is always a popular segment and took place with the usual banter and hilarity. The winners were definitely some beautifully turned out bikes.
📸Kent Murray
The incredibly popular ‘Good Bugger’ Award was handed out to Manawatu Ride Director Dave Fryer. Being the ‘Good Bugger’ that he is, Dave graciously acknowledged the members that help him deliver what he does for the Manawatu. A record number of nominations was received for the good buggers this year, an award that is only going to grow in popularity and represents a key foundation of DOCNZ, doing good for others.
📸Kent Murray
There were some sights to behold. Who will forget Perry in his muscle shirt and Stu, apparently wearing some famous Italian motorcycle racers bright red bolero jacket, found in Te Anau’s thrift store. Honestly Stu, it looked a little more bullfighter than motorcycle racer, but hats off to you for fitting into it!
President Ange acknowledged all of the teams that ‘Keep the club revving’ and the whole DOCNZ membership community acknowledge our incredibly popular and hardworking President Ange Joe, we all know how lucky we are. The festivities adjourned.
Sunday Morning and its’ time to pack up. A few of us lucky ones depart on the week long Turismo event and for the second year, the Dirty Turismo attracted a few hardcore riders for the offroad event. These two limited entry events take us through even more of the South Island scenery. The rest of the team however return to wherever they travelled from, some taking the long way, some catching up along the way, but all talking about next year’s event. Alla prossima ducatisti, till next time.
✍️Words by Graeme Joy 📸Robert Kerber Photography & Kent Murray
