Hey all ...
I'm going to be in NZ in late February, and am looking for some suggestions on some nice North Island rides. Access to a bike is not a problem. Looking for rides in the 80 - 150km range ... long rides but ones easily accomplished within a full day. I'll have access to relatives for SAG if anything goes awry, and will not be "touring" per se in that I'm not going to be camping. If there are any routes / areas that are particularly worth checking out, please let me know!
Thanks.
Hi ,
i suppose it depends on where you'll be based...
a word of warning though - the drivers over here are appalling! theyr'e aggressive, tailgait alot and see cyclist as inconveniences. I don't want to put you off but often cycling in new zealand can be a pretty scary experience. (they don't indicate either!)
i think Bikenz would be a good google search which may give you some ideas.
good luck!
J
1+Originally Posted by oldmuthariley
Good idea to invest in a bike mirror, also they tend to drink beer more in bottles over here so get yourself a decent set of tires, topcontacts or gatorskins, to cut down on the glass flats. Check out the Vorb website too.
I rode from Auckland to Lake Rotoiti return at the end of 2007 and my only piece of advice is to avoid SH2, lots of trucks and not huge shoulders. Beautiful country to ride in thoughYou should have a blast!
Just get a map and wing it. Kiwis are some of the nicest people on the planet, so getting lost should not be a concern.
i wonder where the myth that "kiwis are some of the nicest people on the planet" comes from?
they're initially quite welcoming but scratch the surface and a lot of them are defensive and aggressive.
kiwis also keep saying how "humble" they are....
Maybe they don't like you, but all the ones I met were more than gracious.
maybe your'e right, but the NZ people see on holiday is very different to the NZ you see when you live here.
My experience is different..
A young German tourist hit and killed by a truck this week wrote of aggressive Kiwi drivers just a few days before her death.
Mia Susanne Pusch, 19, had been cycling around New Zealand since her arrival in the country early last October.
Her last blog, written on December 30, gives chilling details of the problems caused by truck drivers passing her at "phenomenal speed".
She described the truck drivers as "beasts" who seemed oblivious to cyclists.
The cause of the crash, which happened about 11.50am last Tuesday in a passing zone on State Highway 3 in the central North Island, is still under police investigation.
Pusch was about 4km north of Bulls and heading towards Wanganui when she was struck by a truck and trailer heading in the same direction.
In her last blog, Pusch wrote: "When one is a cyclist on New Zealand roads, one is not only torn from one's daydreams by diving-bombing magpies but is more often threatened by a more nasty species that really requires more attention: truck drivers."
While commenting on more positive car drivers, she criticised truckies.
"One usually finds this species driving permanently at a phenomenal speed in a race against time.
"These beasts seem oblivious to the fact that their loud beeping can have no effect in making the heavily laden, long-distance cyclist go any faster.
"They swerve past the cyclists who are struggling under their own steam at break-neck speed mainly within only a half-metre to a metre gap, all the while aggressively honking their horn.
"The fact that this in no way improves the situation, but in fact makes it worse, appears not to enter the minds of these people."
Her mother Gesa replied to the blog from Germany: "I hope you don't come across any more of these negative horn honkers. I love you very much. Your loving Mama."
Pusch's blog also gives accounts of the hot pools in Rotorua, cycling in Taupo and her time in Nelson and Blenheim in early December.
She wrote of being blown off her bike and into a ditch while riding against the wind in the South Island, and hoped it would be her only crash.
By Christmas Eve she was in Christchurch. In her last Facebook entry, on January 2, just three days before her death, she posted a message saying she had named her bike "Pinkie" while visiting Christchurch.
I rode in NZ for years and never had any trouble, I rode from major towns to major towns along SH1 at all hours with no hassles.
I rode from smaller towns to smaller towns with no hassles. If you stick to the shoulder and be aware of the traffic around you you should have no problems.
As someone mentioned earlier, get a map, there are some great rides around, around Lake Taupo, 160km is a definite must do, a tour around the lakes in Rotorua would be a nice ride to.
If you go off the maps, there are plenty of great smaller side roads to get lost on and enjoy yourself.
Great country and people ARE friendly and helpful, come across as an a$$ yourself and you reap what you sow but as with most people worldwide, be friendly and smile and you will make friends everywhere you go.
If you want to push the distance slightly...
Around Ruapehu 160km
Around Mt Egmont, take the route close to the mountain, not the coastal route, 150km
Around the Coromandel 190km, classic ride, lots of climbing
Most cycling in NZ is fine if you can stay off SH1 as much as possible.
Yep, all good rides. Around Taupo is nice too (155).
Ohakune down to whanganui is an easy 100.
SH1 from Turangi down to Bulls is actually not bad, decent sholder and great scenery down the rangitiki valley.
Get this book for some ideas.
http://www.paradise-press.co.nz/ppguides.html
We have just returned from a 3-week bike tour of part of the North Island. Be conspiquous, use your mirror, and pull over to let pass when- and where-ever possible.
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