December 09, 2016

Cycle Touring New Zealand - Cycling around the Waikato Region

Rather than cycling through a region one alternative is to do rides from a central location within the region. We selected Te Awamutu as a central point in the Waikato region and we did four rides from this location. The total ride distance was 290 kilometres.

Once you leave the main roads in the Waikato the secondary roads are ideal for cycling with excellent surfaces and little traffic. One positive effect of the new Waikato expressway has been to reduce traffic on the secondary roads so that the roading infrastructure becomes more like the roading hierarchy in France where cyclists ride on secondary roads and do not go near motorways and there is also minimal local traffic.

The main Waikato geographical features include the Waikato River, Mount Pirongia in the west and Sanctuary Mountain in the East.. There is also a volcanic cone near Te Awamutu being Mount Kakepuku. The rides include some foothills so there are climbs and downhills included in the routes.

The Waikato region is a very green and fertile farming area and the four rides will take you around most parts of the region.

Waikato Day - One - From Hamilton to Cambridge and back in a round trip taking in Lake Karapiro.

This ride started and ended in the Hamilton gardens so we did this ride on the way to Te Awamutu.
The route uses quiet secondary roads with the most difficult part of the ride being getting in and out of Hamilton.
We visited Cambridge and Lake Karapiro and the Avantidrome which is just out of Cambridge on the route.

Waikato Day-One


The Cycleway between Cambridge and the Avantidrome


Waikato Day-Two



The day two ride goes from Te Awamutu to Otorohanga partly on the main road which has a high volume of large trucks and care has to be taken over this section.
There is a climb out of Otorohanga to Honikiwi and then there is a long downhill through a scenic and isolated valley.

Waikato Day-Three


Day three heads east from Te Awamutu towards Sanctuary Mountain and then goes to Cambridge which makes a good destination for a coffee stop.

Waikato Day Four



The final day involves taking a car from Te Awamutu to the starting point of the ride.
This was a very good days cycling with in the most part quiet and smooth roads. All of the routes would be very good for training on.






November 27, 2016

New Zealand Cycle Touring Route - Around Mount Taranaki




This ride around Mount Taranaki takes in all of the highlights of the Taranaki province. Taranaki is dominated by Mount Taranaki which is snow covered and dramatic volcanic cone. On the ride around the mountain you may not always see the mountain because of cloud but it but it is always there. Taranaki is a farming area with dairy farming the main activity. When you cycle around Mount Taranaki you will encounter lots of hills as the countryside can best be described as undulating and you will also have to deal with the winds coming from all points of the compass. One memory of our ride in Taranaki was the wind assisted ride into Hawera which was slightly downhill where we reached speeds of up to 50 kilometres an hour without peddling.

Mt Taranaki Ride Video




We started the ride in Stratford and went in the anti-clockwise direction around the mountain and on the first day went to Te Wera Valley Lodge and stayed there for two nights. This enabled us to ride to Whangamomona but this is an optional extra but well worth doing as you travel on the Forgotten Highway. There are two saddles to climb as you ride to Whangamomona and of course you have to ride them on the way back.
Cycleway into New Plymouth

The next section of the ride crosses to the coast to Onaero Bay. From Onaero Bay the route takes you into New Plymouth using the cycleway that runs along the coastline from the Bell block. This is a fantastic cycleway that significantly enhances the foreshore along the coast and the city. The only problem is navigating from the road into New Plymouth onto the cycleway. The road signage and maps need to be improved to make the route to the cycleway obvious. The highlights of Taranaki include the gardens both in New Plymouth and also the gardens in the surrounding areas. The route includes a visit to the Pukeiti Gardens which are just out of New Plymouth going south and are well worth a visit. New Plymouth has good cafes and there is the impressive Govett Brewster Art Gallery to visit.

Cape Egmont Lighthouse


From
To
Distance
Stratford
Te Wera
43.3
Te Wera
Whangamomona
24.5
Whangamomona
Te Wera
24.5
Te Wera
Onaero Bay
60.8
Onaero Bay
New Plymouth
26.9
New Plymouth
Pukeiti Gardens
23.3
Pukeiti Gardens
Cape Egmont Lighthouse
30.0
Cape Egmont Lighthouse
Opunake
25.2
Opunake
Hawera
53.1
Hawera
Stratford
39.3
Total

350.9

November 25, 2016

New Zealand Cycle Touring Route - Otorohanga to Stratford


This route allows you to ride south down the west side of the North Island to Taranaki. The ride will take you through back country New Zealand, where in parts the forest is as it was in most of the North Island in pre European times. While the ride total distance is only 241 kilometres the topography is very hilly in an isolated part of New Zealand which is known as the Forgotten Highway. The country is isolated and hilly with lots of climbing as well as shingle roads. The remoteness and the landscape are part of the attraction of riding the Forgotten Highway but you need to be fit enough for the hills and leave yourself plenty of time to enjoy the ride. In its favour the road has little traffic and the some of the few motorists we met on the road stopped for a friendly conversation.



Republic of Whangamomona Hotel



We took the back road from Otorohanga to Waitomo a distance of 14ks and spent some time in the Ruakuri reserve and walkway which is well worth a look. From Waitomo, we made our way to Piopio via the Aria and Waitewhena roads a distance of 32 kilometres. We stayed in the Tui Park camping ground which is a a great spot for cyclists.
 
Piopio camping ground

The next day was a 57 kilometre ride from Piopio to Ohura. There is not a lot of accommodation to be found in Ohura but we stayed in a Yurt which was good.

From Ohura to Whangamomona is 58 kilometres and includes the Tahora Saddle and the Tangarakau Gorge which is unsealed.


We stayed in a farm stay at the top of the Tahora Saddle which has a fantastic camping ground right at the summit. In the morning we coasted down the hill into Whangamomona where the hotel is a great place for a meal. 

Tahora Saddle


 




From Whangamomona to Purangi is 32 kilometres but there are two saddles the Whangamomona and the Pohokura to climb. At Purangi there is a farm stay the Old School House which is a good place for cyclists to stay.


From
To
Distance
Otorohonga
Waitomo
14.4
Waitomo
Piopio
32.4
Piopio
Ohura
57.0
Ohura
Whangamomona
57.9
Whangamomona
Purangi
31.5
Purangi
Stratford
47.9
Total

241.1