Cycle Touring Route - Around Wellington

Usually when visiting Wellington because it is a compact city with lots of hills cyclists tend not to think of it as a place to cycle in. If you are visiting Wellington do some exploring on your bike. Go to Oriental parade and ride around the bays through Evans Bay Parade and then past the airport to Shelley Bay Road. The coastal road goes past Scorching and Worser Bay and then past the airport on Moa Point Road to Lyall Bay.

Then ride past Houghton Bay to Island Bay where there is a cafe the Bach cafe that overlooks the Cook Straight. This can be a wild ride on a windy day but a fantastic ride on a fine day. Then go back to the city on Happy Valley Road to Aro Valley. At this point go uphill into the suburbs of Northland and Wadestown before heading back down into the central business area via Wadestown Road.



This ride is around 50ks and will give you an appreciation of how hilly Wellington is and how different it is from most cities. Although it is hilly a tour on your bike is the best way to see it.

One word of warning is that you need to take care because of the narrowness of the streets and one local rule is that bikes are not permitted in bus lanes so watch out for the buses. There is also the one way street system to contend with.

New Zealand Cycle touring Route - Napier to Waipukarau

This ride starts on the Hawkes Bay bike trail riding out to Clive along the foreshore and then turn left into Mill Road and follow the signs to Haumoana and Cape Kidnappers. Follow Mill Road through a roundabout and over Black Bridge. From there you go inland along the stopbanks beside the Tukituki River. 
Hawkes Bay is making great progress with its bike trails so that a day in Napier exploring the district on your bike is worth considering.
This is vineyards and orchards country so it is a great place to ride through. After a further eight kilometers back on country roads you arrive at the Tandem cafe on Te Mata Road in Havelock North. 
After a stop in the cafe proceed along Te Mata Road which is busy road to Middle Road and then onto Waipukarau which is 50ks away.

On the cycleway to Clive

Cycleway Gates

Bikeway across bridge - great!

On road to Havelock North

Cycle Touring Route North out of Auckland

As already outlined getting out of Auckland either south or north can be problematical. This is because the busy roads have difficulty in coping with the traffic cars and trucks let alone cyclists and the roads mostly have minimal shoulders.

There is a way around this if you head north out to Helensville rather than going on the main road north through Albany.  Use the north western cycleway to get to Helensville although at the moment the cycleway is very difficult to follow because of  the motorway reconstruction. Having reached Kumeu use the state highway to ride to Helensville. There are some back roads from Kumeu to Helensville to use to miss the traffic on this stretch if you have a map. 

From Helensville the ride up the coast to Wellsford includes some demanding hills and is a distance of 57km. From Wellsford unfortunately you need to ride on the main highway for a period and then turn left onto State Highway 12 on your way to Dargaville which is 98ks away.
The next step is to ride to Rawene which is 106ks where you catch the ferry north. 

South Island Cycle Touring

The topography of the South Island is similar to the North Island although the Southern Alps form a much more formidable barrier between the east and west coasts. There are a number of passes that cross between the two coasts including Haast, Lewis, Arthurs, Lindas and Porters pass.

The link shows the topography of the South Island.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=5227

There are attractions on both coasts of the South Island which makes it difficult to include all the highlights in a cycle tour. On the east coast Kaikoura is a interesting place to visit with its whale watching and abundant sea life. The coastline on the way to Christchurch (180k) is an attractive road to ride on with a stunning coastline but as it is the main highway to Christchurch it can be very busy. There is the option of going down the state highway to Cheviot or instead going on the inland Kaikoura Road.  

On the East coast you can head to the Mt Cook area including the MacKenzie basin which is spectacular place to ride in using the Christchurch to Queenstown scenic route rather than using the busy main highway. If you ride down the East coast then there is the option of returning to Picton down the Haast pass and back up the west coast.

When you are planning your South Island tour you need to decide if you want to venture into the back country. The New Zealand back country is a unique environment with magnificent scenery but as always there is a price to pay. The roads are mostly shingle and so you need a suitable bike with adequate tires to cope and there are also lots of hills with some significant climbs.
The Nevis Valley ride from Garston to Bannockburn is well worth including in your south island tour.

You can travel by the TSS Earnslaw from Queenstown across Lake Whakatipu to Walter Peak Station and then on the gravel road to the Mavora Lakes and then via Garston on the Nevis Valley Road to Bannockburn. This takes you into the isolated and beautiful back country where there are few people or cars. The road goes up over the Duffers Saddle which at 1,300 meters is a significant climb. There are also over 20 fords to negotiate on your way so a fully laden touring bike is a challenge.  
 

Another back country ride to consider is the Rainbow Road and the Molesworth Station. This is located at the top of the South Island. For this ride into New Zealand's largest farm you need to be self sufficient as there are no shops but although there are times when the the road is steep and and rough and there are lots of hills the south island back country is well worth the effort.

There are a growing number of off road cycle trails now available and many of these are worth doing although not all of them are suitable for cycle touring. The Otago Rail Trail can easily be included in your route once you get to Central Otago and is well worth doing.

List of South Island Passes

Pass	Height	From	To	Description
Lewis	864m	Reefton	Hanmer Springs	Crosses the Southern Alps at the top of the South Island on SH 7
Arthurs	920m	Greymouth	Christchurch	mountain pass connecting Canterbury to the West Coast
Lindas	971m	Omarama	Cromwell	Mackenzie Basin to Central Otago on SH 8
Porters	939m	Springfield	Cass	Located in the Canterbury region on SH 73
Haast	562m	Makaroa	Haast	Link between central Otago and the west coast on highway 6
Crown Saddle	1,121m	Queenstown	Wanaka	Reputed to be the highest main road in New Zealand with great views
Danseys	935m	Naseby	Duntroon	Link between North Otago and inland Canterbury
Wards	1,145m	Acheron	Blenheim	Pass in the Molesworth Station
Duffers Saddle	1,300m	Mossburn	Bannockburn	Saddle located on the Nevis Road

North Island Cycle Touring

New Zealand is a hilly country so cycle touring of necessity involves a good deal of hill climbing. The map link below gives you an  idea of the topography of New Zealand.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=5227

The choice of routes is determined by the topography and the condition and the suitability of the roading network for cycling. There are not always secondary roads to ride on because of the topography but in some areas there are secondary roads and these should be used by cyclists rather than sticking to main highways.
One relevant statistic is that 76% of the population on New Zealand live in the North Island. This suggests that cycle touring in the North Island is always going to be more difficult than in the South Island. If I had a month to tour by bike in New Zealand I would always choose the South Island because of its population density and its unique scenic highlights. This recommendation comes from a cyclist who lives in Auckland.   

In the North Island if you are traveling from Auckland to Wellington the east coast is a good option although the west coast is also interesting. From  Auckland one option is to go down the east coast and head to Tauranga and Gisborne and then continue down through the Wairarapa to Wellington. This is a good route with its share of hills with the ride to the East Cape and Gisborne being a highlight.

When heading south out of Auckland the recommended route if you are going south to the east coast is to take the ferry from downtown Auckland to Pine Harbour and to begin riding from there to avoid the traffic and the lack of roads with adequate shoulders.

Route South from Pine Harbour to the East Coast

The ride from Auckland up to Northland is well worth doing but the main road north out of Auckland is generally not suitable for cycle touring so an alternative route is required for cyclists. There is an alternative route to use that goes through Helensville and up the west coast.

http://newzealandcycletouring.blogspot.co.nz/2015/03/cycle-touring-out-of-auckland-north.html 

The same applies when going south down through Hamilton on the west coast. There are alternative routes going through Tuakau and riding on the western side of the Waikato river rather than on the Waikato expressway.

Roads in the North Island not suitable for cycle touring

• Auckland to Hamilton - Waikato expressway - cyclists are permitted on this road and it has adequate shoulders but it is very busy and it is not a pleasant place to be.

• State Highway 5 - Napier to Taupo - high traffic density with limited shoulders
• State Highway 1 - Auckland to Whangarei
• State Highway 1 - Levin to Wellington

Note: This list is not an exhaustive one and are only the roads that I have experienced

The Rainbow Road and Molesworth Station

The Rainbow Road and Molesworth Station provide a fantastic opportunity to cycle tour in the South Island High Country.  The Rainbow road and the Molesworth Station are closed during the winter because of the harsh environment with frequent snow during the winter. Even when traveling in the middle of the summer you need to be prepared for sudden changes in the weather. You also need to carry all of your food for at least six nights if you are cycling and are aiming at seeing it all properly.

The Acheron Road through Molesworth station is open from Labour weekend Saturday to Easter

Monday or the second weekend in April (whichever is the later date).

The Rainbow Road entrance is about 7 kilometers from St Arnaud which is 186 kilometers from Picton.At the start to the Rainbow skifield the road is in good condition but deteriorates as you climb and some sections are very difficult to ride on. Part of the way up there is a private road to cross and there is a fee of $2 to pay.

There are options where you can ride through on a supported tour without panniers.

The Molesworth Station is spread over 180,470 hectares and is larger in area than Stewart Island and is nearly 60 kilometers long and is close to that at its widest point. The farm is owned by the Crown and is managed by the Department of Conservation. It is the single largest farm in New Zealand and is a land of dominating landscapes. 

The following are the accommodation options: 

1. Cold Water Creek - campsite, water and toilets
2. Lake Sedgemere Hut - 6 bunk DOC hut, toilet, water in creek, no cooking
3. Lake Tennyson - 10 campsites, free, Toilet. Idyllic camping by lake if weather is good
4. Acheron - 20 campsites, $6pp, tenting only,toilet,water.
5. Molesworth Cob Cottage - 20 campsites, $6pp, tenting only, toilet, water

Link to Ride Images

My New Zealand Two Islands Ride 2015

The Rainbow Road before the skifield

St James Road and Rainbow

The Rainbow Road can be difficult to negotiate

Molesworth Station

In the Molesworth

Cottage Molesworth Station

The Rainbow Road
Lake Tennyson
Cattle Muster Molesworth Station