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New Zealand’s trail network expands to 2,500 km

As with most bike parks, you could easily spend hours at the in Whakarewarewa Forest, outside Rotorua, New Zealand. In August, during New Zealand’s transition to spring from winter, I did spend a while on the trails that range in difficulty from beginner to advanced.

Whakarewarewa Forest
by Maryam Siddiqi
Canadian Cycling Magazine The Thermal by Bike trail in Rotorua
The Thermal by Bike trail in Rotorua. Photo credit: NZ Cycle Trails

As with most bike parks, you could easily spend hours at the in Whakarewarewa Forest, outside Rotorua, New Zealand. In August, during New Zealand’s transition to spring from winter, I did spend a while on the trails that range in difficulty from beginner to advanced. Some wind their way through lush forested areas, while others consist of undulating (sometimes grinding) climbs and jumps. But if you visit Whakarewarewa Forest, you should also try the 70-km Thermal by Bike trail that connects to the park. The trail is part of a new national network of bike trails being completed in 2013.

By the end of 2013, the country will see the completion of 22 trails across both of its islands totalling almost 2,500 km. Collectively, the network is known as the New Zealand Cycle Trail, or in Maori, Nga Haerenga, which means “the journeys.” As a political initiative launched in 2009, the government invested NZ$50 million toward the infrastructure, not entirely out of a love of nature nor a celebration of fitness. The inspiration for the expanded network was the community-led Otago Central rail trail, which opened in 2000. (It was incorporated into the national cycle trail in 2012.) The 150 km of easy trails that wind through 20 townships brought a massive tourism boom to these communities. Millions of dollars from local and foreign visitors riding through have rejuvenated the old gold-mining region of the central South Island. It’s expected that the other trails will have the same effect.

Canadian Cycling Magazine The tour of New Zealand
The Tour of New Zealand cycle race starts at both the north and south ends of the country, ultimately meeting up in Wellington. Photo credit: ronwillemsphoto.com

“Recreational cycling is booming in New Zealand,” says Jonathan Kennett, author of several books about cycling in New Zealand and a member of the project team that launched the development of the nationwide network. The population of recreational cyclists has grown throughout the past two years. Kennett expects numbers to increase for several more, with visitors to the country joining locals on the paths. “We expect that a proportion of tourists coming to New Zealand will have a go at cycling while they are here, even if that is not the main purpose of their trip,” he says. It helps that Tourism New Zealand is now promoting the sport as one of six special-interest activities, he explains. (Golf, skiing, fishing, walking and honeymooning are the others.)

Canadian Cycling Magazine The Whakarewarewa Forest trails on the on the North Island near Rotorua
The Whakarewarewa Forest trails on the North Island near Rotorua. Photo credit: Graeme Murray

The rides vary in grade – from beginner to advanced – terrain and distance. Like Thermal by Bike, the Clutha Gold trail, recommended as a two-day ride from Roxburgh Dam to Lawrence on the South Island, is 73 km of meandering paths through pastoral farms and sites once home to the country’s gold rush. The demanding, six-day, 300 km Alps 2 Ocean trail is the country’s longest continuous ride, and takes cyclists through a national park, past glacier lakes and limestone cliffs, with a total descent of more than 600 m.

“The New Zealand Cycle Trail network is specially designed to help people explore the most iconic parts of the country on dedicated cycle paths and quiet country roads,” Kennett explains. “Most of the new cycle trails have been recently constructed, specifically for cyclists, so they are highly enjoyable to ride, and they usually pass through small, bike-friendly towns.”

It’s not all recreation, though, as Kennett notes many locals are using the trails to commute to work: “Farmers, for example, are common users of the new cycle trails that pass nearby their farms.”