In recent times we have done Te Awa from Ngaruawahia to Hamilton and Hamilton Gardens to the Velodrome, also from the Velodrome to Lake Karapiro.
We want to highlight the 8k 5.9 million extension alongside the river ride, which while it is challenging is well worth it in terms of great views and an extraordinary piece of cycleway. This is a ride we have done before a couple of years ago and enjoyed.
We will do it a little different this time. We will start at the Tamahere Village on Devine Road, just off the motorway. Best to park at the playground end of the shops. loads of parking, toilets, shops café and a bar.
The start is a very easy, along wide concrete path, passing mostly dairy farms to Hooker Rd. We head to Velodrome for a quick look, and toilet stop and continue to Cambridge taking in awesome views along the way. We may have to traverse their backstreets through the road works to get to the main street. One way is about 21 kms.
In Cambridge we will have a choice of cafes for lunch .
After lunch we reverse course and go straight back to Tamahere where we could stop for ‘refreshments’ at the very lovely local bar, if you so desire.
This track is 100% concrete except for the boardwalks so you do not need off road tyres – indeed these could be a disadvantage here. You should be aware however that the Hooker Road to the Velodrome section is Grade 2-3 as it has some fairly extreme hills. Older folk will need a strong electric bike to deal with this section. On the positive side some of the boardwalks through here are sublime being way off the ground going through trees. Lots of fun. Apart from this section most of the route is fairly flat apart from the occasional bump.
Ride is about 40 km in total. Given that there is a lot of flat concrete where we tend to wind the bikes up this is not as bad as it sounds.