New Zealand Biking Adventure

Most people leave the Northern Hemisphere on a Friday evening, arriving into Auckland early Sunday morning. You’ll lose a day crossing the dateline – but you get it back on the way home! It’s a short flight from Auckland to Christchurch on the South Island where we’ll meet you. Christchurch, New Zealand’s second largest city, is framed by the Canterbury Plains and Southern Alps to the West and the Pacific Ocean and Banks Penisula to the East. After fitting our bikes we’ll take a warm up ride at McLeans Island. Depending on where you’re coming from, you’ll probably find jetlag is no big deal – for instance, it’s a 12 to 13 hour direct overnight flight from Los Angeles to Auckland, and there’s only a 3 hour time difference between New Zealand and US Pacific time. If you’re coming from further afield, you’ll appreciate the gentle start to your New Zealand adventure.Merivale Manor, Christchurch (Lunch, Dinner)Biking Distance: 5-10 kilometres (3-6 miles), 1-2 hours

This morning we’ll head west to Kuru Tawhiti Conservation Area in the heart of the Southern Alps. We’ll take a gentle one-hour walk among the imposing limestone tors of Castle Hill, which were once a meeting place for moa hunters of the Ngai Tahu tribe. The Dalai Lama visited this area and described it as a ‘spiritual centre of the universe’. Aftwerwards we’ll continue on to the West Coast via Arthur’s Pass, one of New Zealand’s impressive alpine passes - look out for the Otira Viaduct. After lunch, we’ll take an afternoon ride on a section of the West Coast Wilderness trail from Greymouth to Taramakau and then it’s a short drive back down to Kumara. Once an old bustling goldmining town, Kumara is one of the many West Coast towns given a new lease of life by the opening of the West Coast Wilderness Trail cycleway In November 2013. We’ll spend the night here, enjoying dinner at the local pub.Theatre Royal Hotel, Kumara (All meals)Wilderness Trail Biking Distance: 18 kilometres (11 miles), 2-3 hours

We’ll journey down the coast this morning and inland to the small settlement of Kumara and the start of our next ride along another section of the West Coast Wilderness Trail. This trail offers contrasting cycling along water races, tramways and railway lines and through dense, lush rainforest. Passing by the Kapitea Reservoir, we’ll head inland towards the Great Southern Divide and the raging Arahura River. We’ll find a nice spot for a picnic lunch before continuing along the trail back towards the Tasman Sea and Lake Kaniere. The bike ride today will get your heart pumping and the excitement levels rising, in anticipation of all the trails you’re soon to experience. Later we’ll carry on down to Franz Josef, nestled in the rainforest-clad foothills of the Southern Alps, where we’ll stay for the next couple of nights. Rainforest Retreat, Franz Josef (All meals)Biking Distance: 38-46 kilometres (24-28 miles), 4 hours - Medium technical ridingElevation Gain: 300 metres (984 feet)Elevation Loss: 300 metres (984 feet)