GREAT RIDE • POU HERENGA TAI TWIN COAST CYCLE TRAIL
BEST FOR: Delving into Northland’s history, which is rich in Māori culture.
BAY OF ISLANDS to HOKIANGA HARBOUR 2 days
87km
TOP TIP – There are numerous gates along the track to deter quad bikes. Take just one pannier, bike basket or box for easier manoeuvring.
If you’re hungry to explore both New Zealand’s rolling green terrain and the stories of Māori settlement and European arrival, this 87km journey feeds both.
T
ake a ride into Aotearoa’s past in the ‘winterless’ north, peddling across a picturesque landscape etched with Māori tales. Following the same tracks once chugged by steam trains, navigate your way from the east coast to the west coast (or vice versa) via bridges and tunnels and country roads from the Bay of Islands to Hokianga Harbour. Due to Northland’s subtropical climate, the Twin Coast Cycle Trail can be ridden all year round, with rich Māori heritage as consistent as
the temperate weather. Look out for a series of pou (carved wooden posts) puncturing the route, as well as enriching marae stays. Suitable for most levels of fitness, with a largely flat landscape that also attracts multiple families, rewards come in the form of legendary fat chips served at the age-old Hōreke Pub, an equally satisfying sunset from its deck and hot mud pools at Ngāwhā Springs in nearby Kaikohe.
LEFT & ABOVE: Ōkaihau to Hōreke section © Twin Coast Cycle Trail
SEE PP 24, 26 & 29 FOR CONNECTING HEARTLAND RIDES 16
