Cycle Touring - Transportation within New Zealand

Internal Transport for Bikes in New Zealand

When cycle touring around New Zealand there may be times where you want to use public transport to carry your bike between cities.

The options available include flying,bus, train and boat.

Because bikes are not that easy to transport there are special conditions that you need to be aware of when you include your bike with your luggage.

Christchurch International Airport

Air Travel

Bikes in general can be carried on planes at no additional cost provided you do not exceed your ticket weight restriction. This means that you have to have a good idea of how much your pannier bags and bike weigh.

The main domestic carriers are Air New Zealand and Jetstar.

Both airlines offer cheaper fares but you have to book well in advance of your travel to take advantage of these.

Air New Zealand require that your bike is contained in a bike bag or a bike box and their requirements are:

Air New Zealand Bike Policy
 

Jetstars bike Policy

http://www.jetstar.com/au/en/planning-and-booking/baggage/bulky-items

As can be seen from the airline policies bikes need to be disassembled in order to be carried by Air New Zealand and Jetstar.

There are bike assembly spaces at Auckland, Christchurch and Queenstown airports that are not that easy to find. It is a good idea to carry some duct tape to use when you are packing your bike.

The main thing is to ensure that you have plenty of time before your flight departs to get a bike box and to then pack your bike. This can be very important when you are boarding a flight going out of New Zealand. Air New Zealand can sell you a bike box.

Bus Travel

I recently travelled from Opotiki to Auckland by Inter City bus which was a enjoyable although a slow experience. The main consideration is the possibility that you will not be able to carry your bike on the bus because of lack of space even though you have booked a ticket. If you travel at peak times you will run the risk of not being able to load your bike because of lack of space and  some services do not carry bikes.  When you make your booking you are required to inform the bus company that you have a bike to transport and all bikes must have the pedals removed and   chain covered. I got around this by tapping a carton over the chain and bubble wrap around the pedals. The Naked Bus Company also offer cheap fares and the following is the link to their policy covering bikes.

http://nakedbus.com/nz/bus/can-the-customer-take-oversized-excess-luggage

Boat Travel

The boat trip between the North and South Islands is a popular way to move between the islands and is scenic as well as convenient as you do not have to disassemble your bike.

https://www.interislander.co.nz/faq.aspx

Train Travel

I have travelled from Wellington to Auckland by train which was an all day trip with the most interesting part being the ride through the volcanic plateau which includes the Raurimu spiral passing by Mt Ruapehu, Tongario and Ngauruhoe. It is a convenient way to travel as there was plenty of storage space but the ticket costs have gone up and it is now not the cheapest way to travel but is worth considering rather than flying.

http://www.kiwirailscenic.co.nz/northern-explorer/?servicename=Northern%20Explorer

New Zealand Cycle Route - Tauranga to Gisborne

This route is via the East Cape around the coast to Gisborne and is a journey of 493 kilometers.



The ride can be done in easy stages so that there is time to enjoy the ride and the towns that you visit each day. The ride out to the East Cape from Te Araroa is short but is a day not to be missed.There is a climb to the lighthouse which includes 728 stairs so you need time for that.
At Tikitiki the St Marys church incorporates the carvings and Tukutuku woven panels which were created by the local Ngati Porou craftspeople and the pulpit was a gift from the Te Arawa tribe.

From	To	Distance
Awakeri Hot Springs	Hawai	87
Hawai	Waihou Bay	75
Waihou Bay	Te Araroa	65
Te Araroa	East Cape	44
Te Araroa	Tokomaru Bay	80
Tokomaru Bay	Gisborne	93
Total		444

This route is through isolated and remote country so is ideal for cycle touring. The scenery is spectacular as the route hugs the coast with fantastic beaches and a dark blue ocean and while it is rolling country and there are demanding hills they are not to difficult. There are camping grounds and other accommodation on offer.

One thing to watch out for are the logging trucks especially as you near Gisborne. The drivers we found were professional and we took great care to allow for the trucks but if there are logging trucks going both ways there is not a lot of room left on the road for bikes. The condition of the roads are also deteriorating as a result of the high volume of trucks.

Papamoa Beach

Whakatane

Pacific Coastline

Road out of Hicks Bay

On the road to the Cape Lighthouse

Road to the East Cape

Road to the East Cape

East Cape Lighthouse

The splendid isolation of the East Cape

Te Araroa

Church at Tikitiki

New Zealand Cycle Touring Route - Auckland to Tauranga

In selecting a cycling route out of Auckland to the Coromandel or points further south the main consideration is to avoid busy main roads.

A good option is to catch the ferry from central Auckland to Pine Harbour and you also get to see one of the main attractions of Auckland the Hauraki Gulf. The ferry leaves from downtown Auckland and takes about half an hour. Once you are in Pine Harbour you are on quiet country roads which head  south alongside the coast to Maraetai and then to Clevedon and then down through Kawakawa Bay to the Thames coast and down to Kaiaua.

From Kaiaua ride onto Waitakaruru and then on the right take the Canal E Road through to the main highway and  turn left and you are on State Highway 2 and you can ride through Ngatea to Paeroa.

This can be a busy road with lots of trucks and there is an option of using the following back country roads. Heading along state highway 2 turn right into Central Road and then Torehape Road/Kaihape/Ferry/Reservoir Chanal Road/Awaiti Chanal Road/Awaiti W/Wani Rd/Pukahu. Then turn right into State Highway 2 cross the bridge and ride into Paeroa.On this route there will be very few cars or trucks to contend with.

Once you are in Paeroa you head up the Karangahake gorge but not on the main road as it is very busy and does not have an adequate shoulder. Instead use the Hauraki Rail Trail which is not steep. To get on the rail trail heading out of Paeroa turn right into State Highway 26 and then left into Rotokohu Road and this leads to the Rail Trail. Continue on the rail trail and exit the rail trail by turning right at Waitawheta Road.

This back country route joins up with State Highway 2 about 15 kilometres from Katikati. The main highway into Katikati has a shoulder but the traffic is very busy and care needs to be taken over this section.

The ride into Tauranga from Katikati is the busiest on the route and on this section there are no shoulders on the bridges. Great care is therefore required and you may have to wait to allow traffic to go by before crossing the bridges.

Past Maraetai

Hauraki Gulf

Crossing the Hauraki plains on the back roads

Hauraki Rail Trail

Katkati

The Firth of Thames

New Zealand Cycle Touring Route Map

Planning Your New Zealand Cycling Tour

Another Hill near Middlemarch

When planning a cycle tour in New Zealand it is important to be aware that not all roads are suitable for cycle touring. This is because some of the main roads around the larger urban centres, including Auckland and Wellington,  are very busy and do not have adequate shoulders on the roads for cyclists. As well drivers on these main roads tend to be aggressive so that while you  are entitled to ride on these roads it will not always be an enjoyable or a safe experience.

The goal of this blog is to provide basic information on the rides that I have done that I have enjoyed the most usually as part of a longer cycle tour. This hopefully will give cycle tourists some inspiration as to the best places to visit when they plan their tour.

In this blog I will identify the best cycling routes in New Zealand where there is spectacular scenery, great people and where there are adequate roads including shoulders on the roads for cyclists and low traffic volumes. On some roads there may not be any shoulders for cyclists but there are very low traffic volumes.

In planning your route as already mentioned you should avoid the main roads around Auckland and Wellington and concentrate on the areas where there are low traffic volumes. Fortunately most parts of New Zealand have a low population density and there are great touring routes in both the North and South Islands. As a cyclist using the road you are required to obey the rules of the road so you should make yourself familiar with these before you start..

Link to New Zealand Road Code

New Zealand is a hilly country and you will need to look forward to a few challenging hills along the way. Some of the roads are on shingle which can take some getting used to but can negotiated reasonably easily with a little practice.
When planning your trip you should also consider the off road rides included in the New Zealand Cycle Trail such as the Otago Rail Trail.

As you ride around you will note that New Zealand countryside is often very green and this is because most areas of New Zealand have between 600 and 1600 mm of rainfall, spread throughout the year with a dry period during the summer. You therefore need to be prepared for some rain during your stay. Because no part of New Zealand is more than 120 kilometers from the sea you are also likely to be affected by the wind.
 

Finally a good strategy is to learn from those who have gone before you and I have included a link to the Cycling Dutch Girl who has a fantastic website with great images of her cycle touring in New Zealand. She has included a map of her New Zealand routes which generally avoid the main roads as much as possible.
http://cyclingdutchgirl.com/route/new-zealand-2012-2013/

If you have any questions on cycle touring please use the contact form at the bottom to contact me  and I will endeavour to answer promptly.
 
I will also include posts on the issues that are facing the cyclist on the road as cycling becomes more popular as a pastime and as a mode of transport.

Auckland Cycleway - Sylvia Park to Penrose

This cycleway runs alongside the southern motorway and is useful because it links Mount Wellington with Penrose and the Penrose to Onehunga cycleway. It is not well known because it is not signposted and is short. The Mount Wellington Highway is too busy to ride on so do not use this but come out of Sylvia Park Shopping Centre and cross with the traffic lights into Aranui Road then turn first left to get to the start of the cycleway. Finding your way to Sylvia Park on quiet local roads is not easy.

Entrance to Cycleway Sylvia Park

Cycleway runs alongside Southern Motorway