THE BEGINNING
Watch the full episode on SBS on Demand now.
The adventure begins! Our 6 week odyssey travelling from the top of the North Island to the snow-capped mountains in the South Island, Aotearoa New Zealand starts in the sparkling city by the sea, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. If you’re never been here before, then let me describe it like this. Auckland is part San Fran, part Sydney, part urban cool and part big, friendly country town. That’s how it struck me anyway. What really surprised me was how much there was to see on a bike, how beautiful the city is from almost any vantage point and how well thought out the cycle paths were. I’ve been to Auckland before…but never really took the time to properly check it out. I bet lots of people do that. But you’re truly missing something special. The art that’s sprinkled all over Auckland’s bicycle network gave me the sense of a confident city that knew its place in the world. Vandy and I meandered all over the city starting at the museum and rolling through parks, dedicated cycleways and into the CBD. I never actually understood that the CBD – with fantastic shopping was 1 block from the harbour. It’s so cool. And speaking of the harbour, what a place. The highlight for me were the three America’s cup yachts on display.
Time to ride gravity! Vandy has told me all about the 440 MTB park – not that he’d been there – but he had heard it was amazing and the guy that owns it, Byron, was very cool and that I’d like him. Correct on all counts. Just the drive to the park – a super easy hour away from downtown Auckland, was ridiculously beautiful. If this part of NZ was this pretty, what on earth do we have in store for us? 440 was absolutely brilliant. You MUST ride there if you ever go to Auckland. 440 metres above sea level. 403 metres vertical. Shuttles up…incredible flow down. Grippy dirt…but being built in a pine forest…not so grippy pine needles…which I found out when I crashed (yes, it’s in the show…) and took some skin off. Byron has built an incredible bike park. There’s some old school off camber stuff and flow for beginners through to advanced.
Vandy riding at Fourforty Mountain Bike Park
The next day we jumped on a ferry to Waiheke Island…about an hour away from Auckland…a small island nestled in the maze islands and bays around Auckland. We met up with Wim, a world class 1500 metre runner who, with his partner Jo, set up a bicycle guiding business on the Island. What a place. The tour he took us on had bays, groves of wine producing grapes, winding roads and majestic views. Then lunch at Mudbrick topped off a magical morning. What a character Wim is! Great host and super cool guy.
We drove up to the start of the Twin Coast Cycle Trail from Auckland the following day in the rain to Waitangi - something I don’t recommend as the highway is rather undercooked when it comes to highways…but arriving in the Bay of Islands made the trip totally worthwhile. The TCCT goes from the east coast to the west coast, way up in the north of the North Island. It’s a stunning part of the world, and very important in New Zealand’s history, as it is the place where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed. We met Ropata, our guide for the next 3 days, and boy, what a great guy. Immediately we felt like we had known him for years. The TCCT follows the path of a rail line that was built in the late 1800’s to carry the trees from the mighty Kauri forests. Some of the line still exists, some has been pulled up and a bike path has been made. Riding through the mangrove swamps, across beautiful bridges we arrived in Kawakawa, about 30 kms from the start. What started out as an easy ride on a historical train, ended with Vandy and I being dared by Anne, the guide of the train for a race….you only need to ask Vandy once for a race. So funny!
Deetz, Vandy and Ropata race the vintage train.
The Twin Coast Cycle Trail has it all, and really stunned me with the utter beauty of the countryside. Having Ropata tell us stories, and give history and context to all that we saw made this trail even more special. From rail tunnels where it’s completely dark, to escarpments with the trail carved in the side, to elevated boardwalks that go for kilometres, the TCCT is a ride I would recommend everyone to experience in their lifetime.
After all this, my highlight was not the riding, but the amazing ‘Footprints of Kupe’ at Opononi, on the very western side of Northland. It brought to life the amazing history of the Māori in the country in a way that really hit home.
A stunning part of New Zealand and one which will stay with me forever.
Finishing the journey along the Twin Coast Cycle Trail at Hokianga Harbour.
