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Wellington Hills
November 2012 - Bushranger Bikes
North Island Volcanic
Madness and Wine Tour:
Dates:
5 to 17 November 2012 -
booking now
-
info@bushrangerbikes.com.au -13 Days/12 Nights of pure
New Zealand Back Country Cycling and Wine Magic.
Itinerary
:
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Day
1:
Arrive Wellington mid/late afternoon. A city
explorer walk, drinks and dinner. Wellington is funky city with
plenty of great shops and pubs.
Day 2:
Ride Wellington Harbour
road around the
bays – great scenery. In the afternoon we can ride up Mt
Victoria for some great views and cruise the city harbour
front. More time in the evening to check out town.
Day3: Ride the Hutt River trail and on over the
Akatarawas on the Staglands Road – awesome back country
cycling. Lunch at Staglands, then down to the Kapiti Coast and
into Raumati on the beach via Waikanae River Trail. Check
out Queen Elizabeth park in the evening - ride or quiet stroll
with the sun setting into the Tasman Sea.
Day 4: Transfer to the Ski village of Ohakune and
enter the Volcanic Plateau Region.
We cruise into the depths of Tongariro Forest following one of
New Zealand’s great new trails – the Old Coach Road – 28kms
return. The highlight is the amazing viaduct!
Then ride the awesome downhill
run (18 kms bitumen access road) from Turoa ski fields starting
above the snow line and transitioning into the lush alpine
forest. From up high on this side of Mt Ruapehu you can see Mt
Taranaki on the West Coast.
Day 5:
Around to the northern side of Ruapehu
(morning tea at the Station – National Park Village) and we
drive to Whakapapa Village and to the ‘Top of the Bruce’ for
another bitumen gravity downhill run. This is riding above the
snowline – a moon scape and it is breathtaking.
Lunch will be at Fergusons or Pihanga café on the mountain -
fantastic food.
Then on to Turangi on the southern shores of Lake Taupo with a
couple of adventure rides and some back forest sight seeing
along the way.
Day 6: Up
early for a cruise on the Tongariro River Trail. This is
New Zealand’s best trout fishing river – cool, clear and
beautiful.
Then we hit Taupo – we will unload the bikes
on the way into town at Five Mile Bay and ride the shoreline
track into town. Along the way there are fantastic views back
over the Tonagriro National Park mountains and the lake. We
will ride past the thermal Hot Springs on the lake shore at Two
Mile and then to our centrally placed accommodation.
In the afternoon we will visit Huka Falls on the Waikato (NZ’s
longest) River, awesome power. Dinner will be at my favourite
English Pub.
Day 7:
Today we cross the ranges and head into
Hawkes Bay on the east coast. We will stay in Napier which is
famous for its Art Deco architecture and the Hawkes Bay Region
is also a key New Zealand produce, fruit and wine area.
Sampling is on the agenda for today! On the bikes and we follow
another new trail - the ‘Hawkes Bay Water Ride’ - to world class
wineries – Church Road and Mission Estates. In the evening we
can check out the views from Bluff Hill and the hip Ahuriri
precinct.
Day 8:
Today we cycle south along the coast and
then pick up some back roads into the Havelock North area -
considered one of New Zealand’s most desirable areas to live.
Cape Kidnappers is a prominent coastal landmark and then we are
into the picturesque Tuki Tuki River Valley and the shadow of Te
Mata Peak – another afternoon gravity down hill ride coming up!
Black Barn and Craggy Range vineyards are impressive.
Day 9:
Hit the road south and we drive through the
rural lower Central North Island and into the Wairarapa Region –
another of New Zealand’s award winning wine regions. Our
lunch venue along the way is really something unusual and lots
of fun. We will
stay the night in Masterton and we can go for a spin on the
bikes in the evening, if we have time, to keep the legs pumping.
Day 10:
Today we are riding the back roads from
Masterton to Martinborough – definitely one of New Zealand’s
funkiest little towns and a great ride. Famous locally for great vineyards,
cafes, and markets. Lunch will be at a country pub along the
way and again our accommodation is something special.
Day 11:
We drive over the Rimutaka Range this morning
and then on the bikes to follow the old Rimutaka Rail Trail up
to The Summit and through the impressive 580 metre tunnel. It
will be a more leisurely ride back down and there is the option
to ride through to our accommodation on the Hutt River at
Silverstream.
Day 12:
We ride from Silverstream back along the Hutt
River trail in the morning to Petone – a quaint harbour village
with very interesting shops. In the afternoon we can ride
(great single track and one of my favourites) or walk the
Korokoro Gorge trail and go for an evening stroll through town
or along the shore of Wellington Harbour. If there is time
we may also fit a drive around to Eastbourne for a coffee. Then
it’s time to clean and pack bikes.
Day 13:
We can spend the morning sight seeing around
Wellington including Mount Victoria and the Wind Turbine.
Then
grab lunch at one of my favourite cafes before we head to the
airport early/mid afternoon.
Back to Tour Information
All Bushranger Bikes tours are professionally
organised, managed &
fully supported with quality
accommodation, vehicle transfers and support and most meals
included.
Ghost rider - Kapiti Coast
A
note about Bushranger Bikes Back
Country Cycling tours - click here.
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Other dates
and custom group tours are available, including Southeast
Queensland and New Zealand mountain bike tours - please contact
Bushranger -
info@bushrangerbikes.com.au for more information or to
discuss options.
Tongariro Mountains, Central North Island
Our tours are not hardcore bike races across the
country side where the scenery is just a blur. They are
adventure rides for adventurous people, of all ages with
something for riders of all
skills and fitness levels. You actually get to experience the
places you travel through, take in the magic, breathtaking
scenery of New Zealand, Victoria and Southeast Queensland, and enjoy the cycling experience with
friends. Go on – put one of our tours on your to do list, put a tick
beside it and contact Bushranger today for more information –
info@bushrangerbikes.com.au
Please Note:
Bushranger Bikes reserves the right to cancel the tour or
change tour content and trails ridden without prior notice
depending upon participant numbers, weather conditions and
other variables to ensure the safety and fun factor of our
tours.
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