New Zealand Cycle Touring Route - to the West Coast South of Auckland

If you are heading south down from Auckland to the West coast of the North Island there is the option of using the highway to Hamilton which is known as the Waikato Expressway. This is the main highway to Hamilton and cyclists are allowed to use this road although the roading authority suggests that it is suitable for experienced cyclists. However, the expressway carries a high volume of traffic including lots of trucks and the speed limit is 100 kilometres an hour.

The decision to use this motorway should be based on whether or not you think that you would be comfortable on this road and an image is included below to help you make this decision.



There is an alternative route to travel south through Tuakau which has far less traffic but it is longer and has some reasonable hills to ride up (Refer map below). This route goes on the western side of the Waikato River.