An early start this morning to get to Hokere before 9 am.
It’s only 12 kms as the crow flies but unfortunately 48 kms as the car drives – and some of that on gravel. Hokere Hotel is the end point of the twin coast cycle way, and apparently is NZs oldest pub est. 1833. If we’d been more organized we would have booked accommodation here but they were unfortunately fully booked by the time we’d got our arses into gear. Still, I think Simon enjoys a bit of a rally drive before breakfast.
The hotel shuttle dropped us and our hire bikes off in Okaihau, where we had breakfast before setting off on the 27 k ride back to Hokere. The proprietor of the cafe was quite brusque, which evoked memories of previous cycle trips in France. This is the last section of the 87 km trail which takes around three days, all the way from the Bay of Islands (Ohau).
It was fabulous. Far better than any ride I’ve done overseas. The trails are clearly marked – we never got lost once, even without a map. That meant I never did any swearing, which my daughters would tell you is most unusual for me on any self guided trip. It wasn’t quite a cuss word free day, though. Simon’s chain fell off at one point, and his water bottle fell down a cliff – I wasn’t there for either of these events but I bet he was at least a little cross.
The trail was kept separate from road traffic the entire way, too.
It was a cloudy day so never got too hot.
The trail took us through mostly farmland, rural ghost towns, along a river, through some bush and finally along a boardwalk through the mangroves.
I did it with an ebike, but Simon used an analogue mountain bike, which he didn’t love. My battery was almost fully charged at the end which just goes to show I was working hard, in spite of what all you doubters think! We were all done and dusted by 1 pm.
It was an awesome ride and I’d highly recommend it. NZs cycleways have improved tremendously in recent years, I’m enthused now to do some more. Who’s with me?