A number of years ago we took a number of successful cycling trips including weekends away.
As I no longer own a bike I have taken to hiring e-bikes at a number of locations around the country. I have been thinking about reviving this kind of activity in the club for some time and have come up with a trip based in Hamilton.
The Te Awa Trail runs from Ngaruawahia to Karapiro. Most of it is an easy ride largely on off-road cycle trails. So, bring your own bike or hire a bike from River Riders based at the Hamilton Gardens.
Friday April 25: Meet at River Riders in the Hamilton Gardens at 10.30am. Entrance is through Gate 2, then hard left into the carpark. River Riders is in the far corner. They have a number of cycling options available with a 15% discount for Goldcard holders. We will cycle south towards Cambridge and possibly reach the Velodrome before cycling back.
Saturday April 26: Mt Kakepuku. This is approximately 45 minutes drive south of Hamilton. The walk up and back takes around 3 hours with good views of the surrounding countryside on a clear day.
Sunday April 27: Start once again at Hamilton Gardens at 10.00am. This time we will follow the trail north along the river to Braithwaite Park. We will then return along Wairere Drive where the trail basically follows the Hamilton Ring Road back to the Hamilton Gardens.
Accommodation:
There is a range of accommodation at the Hamilton City Holiday Park, but this is entirely up to you. As we do not meet in Hamilton till 10.30am on Friday, many may wish to travel from Auckland on that day. We will possibly go down on Thursday ourselves.
NB: Leader will be in Australia from March 13th till April 10th, but should be on email much of that time.
