Touring NZ - Your Top 10?
the_woodshed11
Posts: 716
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<h6>
Oh, plenty and plenty of hake there was
Of a glory beyond compare,
And every conceivable make there was
Was tossed through the lilac air.</h6>
Oh, plenty and plenty of hake there was
Of a glory beyond compare,
And every conceivable make there was
Was tossed through the lilac air.</h6>
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Comments
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Have a read of Josie Drew's "Long Cloud Ride".
She spent 9months there getting wet and battling with logging lorries!
We are off to Queensland on Feb28th but will use car/bus/train as we want to see as much as possible in 1 month.
Chris0 -
Spent a couple of weeks in the North Island at the start of the year and would definately recommend a trip to the Coromandel region, especially around Cathedral cove and Coromandel town,(the smoked fish shop there is sweet as). the area around Mt taranaki, especially Raglan and the Tongariro national park. Also, if you have a weak sense of smell, Rotorua and Lake Taupo are amazing.
Hope you have a blast.
Ross0 -
Foreget Josie, she appears to have a negative slant on places she travel to. As I have posted else where.
A huge resource for NZ places to cycle or any where in the owrld come to that is www.crazyguyonbike.com Go to journals , locals, Oceania then NZ. Jo and Dave Whitney are ledgends, I have some stuff for the central north island and routes from Auckland, Steve Glasgow has some awesome rides posted as well and there are heaps of others.
The most important thing is get good maps, The Kiwimaps District maps are excellent, they show and name all the small roads, where you won't meet logging trucks or even cars. These maps are readily avaliable from Information Offices, Service Stations and Stationers. Or you can do what we haev done buy the book of the North Island $30.00 and rip out what you don't want. Be prepared to ride gravel roads, as long as they haven't recently been graded they are great. This opens up a whole heap of alternative routes away from the traffic.
I was talking to a guy from Holland last week who had only allowed 2 weeks for the North Island. After talking to me he wished he'de allowed a month.
If we are at home when you are passing through we always welcome cyclist for a coffee, bed, meal or what ever you need. We live at Reporoa half way between Rotoura and Taupo. Most cyclist ride SHW5 and Broadlands roads and never even think to look at the map for the beautiful quite scenic alternatives.
You can find us on Warmshowers and Crazyguyonabike.
Enjoy your ride.
Cheers Brian & Sue0 -
I'm over here at the moment and I toured the North Island last year doing over 3500 glouious miles. There are no better places to start than the Coromandel, but its first long climb sorts the men out from the boys I can tell you. The next great place is the East Cape, even with its bone shattering effect, the road up to it is unpaved and when I was there they were just regrading it but the view from the hill by the lighthouse is something else, and thr Moari people are so welcoming. The only dodgy place I've been to is Auckland itself, but once outside of it every where else is great. I would visit Christchurch as to not do it would miss out of so much itsa really nice place. But to be honest anywhere over here is good cycyling as I've said I've done over 1500 miles down in the South Island now, got to return home for a family barievement, else I would be happy to spend the next 4 mounths doing more. As for Josies experience I saw five times more logging trucks in America's National Parks and I haven't found them to be a problem. Happy cycling feel free to contact me if I can help in anyother way. Pardon the spelling as I'm useless0
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RAFTerry wrote:I'm over here at the moment and I toured the North Island last year doing over 3500 glouious miles. There are no better places to start than the Coromandel, but its first long climb sorts the men out from the boys I can tell you. The next great place is the East Cape, even with its bone shattering effect, the road up to it is unpaved and when I was there they were just regrading it but the view from the hill by the lighthouse is something else, and thr Moari people are so welcoming. The only dodgy place I've been to is Auckland itself, but once outside of it every where else is great. I would visit Christchurch as to not do it would miss out of so much itsa really nice place. But to be honest anywhere over here is good cycyling as I've said I've done over 1500 miles down in the South Island now, got to return home for a family barievement, else I would be happy to spend the next 4 mounths doing more. As for Josies experience I saw five times more logging trucks in America's National Parks and I haven't found them to be a problem. Happy cycling feel free to contact me if I can help in anyother way. Pardon the spelling as I'm useless
I'm guessing you mean the hill from near Thames? (left turn off the main road near the old bridge?)
Ive driven that way a few times and often wondered what it would be like to cycle anti clockwise through the Coromandel, through Tairua, Hahei, Whitianga and over to Coromandel Town. Its all on quiet roads and quite challenging with all those hills. I would love to get the chance one day and if anyone has done it I would love to hear about it!!0 -
I haven't done it anti clock wise yet. I rode from Hahei to Rotorua a week or so a go. I don't know when you were over here last but the roads are anything but quite any more. This time of the year in particular a large portion of Auckland empties it's self onto the Coromandel Peninsula. A good place to stay clear of untill school goes back the biginning of February.
When I do ride it all anti clock wise I will post it. My brother inlaw is quite keen to do it that way as well.
Cheers Brian0 -
Brian NZ wrote:I haven't done it anti clock wise yet. I rode from Hahei to Rotorua a week or so a go. I don't know when you were over here last but the roads are anything but quite any more. This time of the year in particular a large portion of Auckland empties it's self onto the Coromandel Peninsula. A good place to stay clear of untill school goes back the biginning of February.
When I do ride it all anti clock wise I will post it. My brother inlaw is quite keen to do it that way as well.
Cheers Brian
Ive only ever been there in June and late February so that explains the quite roads!! It is to me the most beautiful and stunning place to be, and the pic below says it all!!
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It is beautiful. So much so Sue and I tend to go back up there in the New Year with our double kayak and paddal in the Marine Reserve. We hadn't been up there for years but went to Hahei to check out Bike Fridays. The New Zealand agent lives their. A really nice guy.
Cheers Brian0 -
Try East Cape. We did it a few Christmaes ago, cycling from Opotiki to Gisborne and then back via Matawai. A great trip without too much traffic.
Depending on your transport you could try the Rimutaka rail trail from the Wairarapa to Hutt Valley (http://www.gw.govt.nz/section403.cfm). It's a bit rough on the Wairarapa side, but worthwhile.
From Picton there's the Queen Charlotte road to Havelock, or possibly Molesworth route to Hanmer Springs. I have avoided Christchurch by cutting in through Rangiora, Oxford, Methven and on to Geraldine. From there you can cross to Fairlie and then onto Tekapo and the MacKenzie Basin - lovely riding.
Ian0 -
What bike are you bringing, I'd recommend an rigid mtb, many of the roads in NZ aren't great and it would give you chance to ride some of the gravel roads too. Talking of the Coromandel the gravel road loop around the top of the Coromandel from Colville (including the Coromandel Walkway whihc is very rideable) is stunning.
The road Coromandel loop mentioned above, Thames - Tairua, Whitianga, Coromandel, Thames is actually 200k and there's an organized annual road ride that does it (the K2). Two long killer climbs, besides numerous small others.
Infact the easier passes are probably the two gravel roads in the area, Coroglen and the 309 road.
I did intend entering the K2 until I got knocked off commuting to work in October. Which is a reminder to be careful as NZ drivers have a bad reputation and to be homnest it's generally well warranted.
Nice picture of Tairua from Davelakers above, looks to be taken from Paku Hill an excellent viewpoint.
Also some good riding in the Bay of Islands area, the east coast Russell down to Whangerei and then to Wellsford are particularly attractive, where it's possible to avoid the main highway.
As mentioned by Brian the Kiwi District Maps are exellent for cycling with just the right level of detail. Though do be careful as many of what appear to be prominent places can be just little more than a few houses with no possibility of cafe stop or stocking up!0 -
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb<h6>
Oh, plenty and plenty of hake there was
Of a glory beyond compare,
And every conceivable make there was
Was tossed through the lilac air.</h6>0 -
Really for me my biggest expence desider is how many cafe stops, during the day 1,2 or 3 and how close beer is to the campsite.
A coffee will cost between $3.00 and $5.00 dependeing on size and type. Food to go with it $3.50 to $4.50 so you can see how it owuld mount up. A small bottle of beer or glass $3.50 to $6.00.
I would spend $8.00 to $11.00 in the supermarket, depending on if I was restocking on basics like rice or museli.
Camping grounds $10.00 to $18.00 for comercial $8.00 for DOC. Normaly only a toilet and water at DOC's but more often than not at lovely places.
Backpackers, I have not used much but appear to be $23.00 to $30.00. Check out some of the smaller country hotels that do accomodation and meals. They are sometime better value than Backpackers. And you get to meet some locals if you are prepared to staert a conversation
Another option is to join Warmshowers.com, we are members and you'de get to meet some real NZer's and stay with them in their homes. The numbers are slowly building up around the country. We welcome cyclist to stay even if they aren't members, so if you are passing and need a bed, good coffee etc just mail or call.
I'm sure Ian ( hi there Ian, must mail you about BF)and Lloyd will have some more input.
Cheers Brian & Sue0 -
lloyd bower wrote:
Nice picture of Tairua from Davelakers above, looks to be taken from Paku Hill an excellent viewpoint.
It is from the top of Paku. There is no other place I would like to be right now!!
I presume the killer climbs you talk about are the initial climb from Thames (going anti clockwise) and the climb out of Whitianga? Or the climb to the top before dropping down into Coromandel Town?0 -
davelakers wrote:lloyd bower wrote:
Nice picture of Tairua from Davelakers above, looks to be taken from Paku Hill an excellent viewpoint.
It is from the top of Paku. There is no other place I would like to be right now!!
I presume the killer climbs you talk about are the initial climb from Thames (going anti clockwise) and the climb out of Whitianga? Or the climb to the top before dropping down into Coromandel Town?
Paku, yes stunning view from there. I was trying out my new sea kayak close to there just before christmas.
Yes, out of Thames on the Kopu, Hikuai road, the climb's not too bad to the high point, long but at a reasonable gradient, but there's then some descents with short and steeper climbs. At the top end over to Coromandel (anti-clockwise still) the main climb isn't too bad, steeper from the Coromandel side, I always find the short and steeper climbs worse when you can see the top, there's about 3 having gone past Kuaotunu again anti clockwise.
I find most of the unpaved climbs in the Coromandel area easier than the road ones, though can be skiddy in the wet. The exception is a very steep climb out of Tuateawa towards Little Bay on the Kennedy Bay road. If you were to do a loop on the gravel roads in Coromandel though, I'd recommend the one further north, starting at Colville heading to Port Charles, taking the Coromandel Walkway from Stony Bay to Fletcher Bay (practially all rideable and so very scenic) through to Port Jackson and back to Colville.
There is actually a ferry from Auckland to Coromandel town that takes bikes.
Touring's a very personal thing, I'm not a great one for too many cafe stops, I tend to have a big breakfast and get by with few stops. Camping/Backpackers, I usually travel lightweight as possible, so it's usually backpackers for me (there's a good network & they are usually good value www.bbh.co.nz) or b&b's.
I've not heard of warmshowers.com, I'll have to check that out.0 -
13 years ago i toured nz covering nearly 4000 mtb/touring miles. I have been back very recently, no bike this time, and found its not changed that much. Josie drews ordeal i feel is not a very good account! my highlights form my tour are: Coromandel including Stoney bay to fletchers bay (if ya dont mind pushing at times), Marlbrough sounds (get boat out from picton to any of the numerous little bays, discovery bay and endeavour inlet ring a bell). This is very remote area for biking but can be done, East Cape Lighthouse (this was a night ride to arrive at dawn to welcome a new day), Anywhere around glenorchy including riding out to paradise and alongside the dart/rees river, 90 mile beach and on up to cape reinga, arthurs pass east to west (though it would be easier now for the new bye pass i see)..... it goes on and on really....Enjoy0
