This article was published in Tararua Tramper, July 2025
Cycling Hawke’s Bay trails
26 - 29 May 2025
While weather forecasts were indicating varying conditions, 22 participants drove to Kennedy Park Resort at Napier to take part in four days’ cycling. On arrival we all participated in a short ride of 19 km to explore the Marine Parade shared pathway and Centennial Gardens. A small group of six rode up Bluff Hill to the Mataruahou Lookout and observed the views from Westshore around the Bay towards Cape Kidnappers. After an exhilarating ride down to the Gardens and meeting up with the rest of the group, we visited the Marine Parade Viewing Platform and the Sunken Gardens, returning via the cycleways around Kennedy Park.
On day two we completed the wineries’ ride, mostly on the Ngaruroro River Stopbank and limestone cycleways beside roads. It is better described as via Fernhill and Bridge Pa, skirting around Flaxmere to Oak Avenue with its display of iconic autumn leaves. Hawke's Bay's autumn season is slightly later than in other parts of New Zealand. This means the transition from summer to autumn, with its characteristic vibrant colours, happens a little later.
We observed a number of apple orchards where the fruit had not been harvested and was either still on the trees or lying on the ground. While our immediate thoughts were about the sheer waste, it is believed that the fruit had been spoilt by adverse weather and was not worth picking.
Lunch was at the Fairways Café, Hastings Golf Course, known for its superb food and locally roasted coffee.
As the cyclone-destroyed Brookfields Bridge has not been replaced, an alternative route back was not available, meaning we returned on the same route, taking 69 km.
The third day took the group to Red Bridge on what is called the Landscapes Ride, with Tuscan-like landscapes and Te Mata Peak in the background. The first part of the ride was along the east coast wetlands, a habitat for various birds, including the occasional spoonbill hiding in the swamp rushes. The café at Red Bridge provided a perfect lunch stop with food and drinks along with shelter from the onset of rain. The rest of the afternoon was a head-down concerted effort into a head wind with moderate rain, reaching Kennedy Park after 71 km for the day.
On our final day we completed the Water Ride; its name evolved from the near sea level land and Ahuriri Estuary where there was significant land uplift after the 1931 earthquake. Improvements have been made with drainage in this area, meaning the shared pathway was nearly all dry. The Estuary provided more birdlife with observation stations for those interested in the aquatic population. The final day of 42 km ended with a lunch stop at the SoHo and Sushi Cafés in Onekawa.
The cycleways and shared pathways were in excellent condition, reflecting the reconstruction that has taken place following the very damaging cyclone Gabrielle. A major road bridge that crosses the Tutaekuri River at Puketapu is due to be re-opened in August, coinciding with the opening of the last major shared pathway that runs on the true right of the river to Taradale.
The bikes of the large group of 22 consisted of 19 E-bikes and three manuals. Everyone gelled well together with lots of convivial chatter, particularly during the evening happy hours, briefings, and meals.
Robyn and Frank Usmar (leaders and scribe), Michele Dickson, Julia Fraser, Kathryn Kelly, Christine Whiteford, Alison Stevenson, Sue Fish, Susanne Lang, Lynne and Warren White, Susan Guscott, Jim and Diana Gibbons, Peter and Janine Archer, Graeme and Carolyn Lyon, Gordon Chamley, Anne and Malcolm Haddon, and Pamela Campbell.