Putting up the roadside cross - The forgotten highway

**birdhandler** · 11th January 2009, 22:54

my undersatanding is all those red #'s you see on farm gates are for the emeergency services and are the distance from the main road in 100m units
e.g. 50 means 5km from the road junction another e.g. 153 is 15.3 km
Not sure how we can help with geography lessons though

**Nasty** · 12th January 2009, 05:25

Originally Posted by birdhandler

Can i also make a small plea about emergency services in rural areas are volunteers so they are likely to be at home on the PC , feeding the dog etc when the pager goes off and this is reflected in their response time.

Cheers

The first responder is this case is pissed that she was sent 20 minutes away when she was two minutes from the site. It does not matter that she was a volunteer ... when given wrong information ... SOMEONE HAS TO PAY .. and its the comms centre in this case.

**Ms Piggy** · 12th January 2009, 05:59

Thanks so much for sharing your journey and story.

**Trumpess** · 12th January 2009, 06:04

Hi Kari

Like everyone else has said ... thanks for sharing your very special road trip.
I was thinking of you yesterday and how things went.
Cudos for acheving the Forgotten Highway hun!

**yungatart** · 12th January 2009, 09:13

Well done Kari
Its so sad that a moment's inattention, loss of concentration, or loss of focus resulted in Grub's death and the need for you to do this trip.
There is a message in there, folks. We just can not afford to let our focus slip while riding, it could very well be the death of us.

**slimjim** · 12th January 2009, 10:23

life goes on slowly...well done and a great effort...take care...

**skidMark** · 12th January 2009, 11:24

Lost for words kari, thanks for sharing.

**MotoGirl** · 12th January 2009, 12:04

Thanks for your post, Kari. You providing details about Grub's death certainly reinforces that our gear only protects us from abrasive surfaces, not impact.

Originally Posted by birdhandler

my undersatanding is all those red #'s you see on farm gates are for the emeergency services and are the distance from the main road in 100m units
e.g. 50 means 5km from the road junction another e.g. 153 is 15.3 km
Not sure how we can help with geography lessons though

I always thought they were in smaller units than that? We used to live rurally and our little red number was 609, which was roughly 6km up the road. When I'm riding off the beaten track, I try to remember the towns/road signs I pass so I could give someone an idea of my location, if need be.

**nudemetalz** · 15th January 2009, 09:52

Wow, what courage you have, Kari.
Brett would have been proud of you.

I'm just honoured to have been able to make a cross to best remember him. It's the first one I've ever done (and hopefully the last).

Like others have said, I shall definitely stop there if I ever ride up that way and remember Grub.

**gijoe1313** · 16th January 2009, 22:39

Thank you for relating your trip and experiences and honest feelings about all of this ... I well remember riding this stretch for the first time and thinking how special it was.

To hear of Grub and his death there brought that connection back to me. Your ride back to the area and your remembrance of him with the attendance and help of others touched my feelings and makes me reflect on our journey through life.

Thank Kari for sharing. Ride on ...

**ynot slow** · 19th January 2009, 20:11

Just found this thread,great strength Kari.

The rural area have differing marker pegs for emergency services,they give approx distances from town or road start,i.e 150 is 1.5km,2350 is 23.5km.Some areas (Taranaki for sure have odd and even numbers represent lhs or rhs of road)have them on the gate posts or in the Naki on blue pegs by roadside entrances(most get mown or flattened).

The only redeeming thing about Taranaki rescues is the chopper pilots usually hover up SH43 if the victim isn't found where despatch says they should be.

**Nasty** · 20th January 2009, 11:46

This morning I made contact with the St Johns person whose role it is to oversee all communciations centres. We have agreed that he will investigate the calls and details around the incident when Grub died, and follow up with a report for me. This is not to find and blame anyone for systemic fault - but to find if there was one - which I believe there may be.

If there is something to be found I hope that they find it ... for me there is no way it could have made a difference he was so badly hurt .. but for others in future I don't want this to be a problem.

**sunhuntin** · 20th January 2009, 11:59

kari, i wish id known you were in town. glad you found a decent use for a cheese cutter... grub would have been laughing his head off at that one.

thank you for having the bravery to write out the report... reading it brought tears to my eyes, so i cant imagine how you felt writing it.

i will always be honored to have known brett... there are are not enough people like him in this world, and his death was a loss many people will not realise. it always impressed me how he was able to cross generations and be everyones best friend, no matter the age. i feel sorry for the people who didnt have the chance to either meet him in person or know him online.

one day, i will ride that road, and i, like others, will stop at grubs corner and probably end up having a cry.

.........

a gps or beacon sounds like a great idea, and will be something i will investigate. bit like the beacons the boaties use, right? i do hope you are able to get some answers from st john, and im also hoping to read confirmation on what the farm numbers mean.

**86GSXR** · 20th January 2009, 12:16

This is what we in the Manawatu have come up with as a result of Grub's accident. So far, it's looking invaluable and I urge anyone going into these types of areas to get one. It was only $450.00 plus a small subscription, which shared among a group of regular riders is nothing compared to it's potential value.

http://gps.about.com/od/handheldgpsr...rs/fr/spot.htm