23-28 September 2021

Leader: Susan Robertson

Somebody in our group had a direct line to the weather gods. I had asked for somebody to speak to those invisible powers and arrange for three days of sunshine, light winds and temperatures of around 18 to 20 degrees - and that was almost exactly what we had. (Could this person please arrange the same weather for the Nelson Lakes trip in November?).

It was a very enjoyable three days of cycling on established trails in the Napier area, taking in the odd vineyard, cafe and restaurant. Basing ourselves at the Kennedy Park Resort we headed out onto a different trail (or combination of trails) each day.

Day one involved a 48 kilometre loop starting at Waitangi Regional Park and then following the Ngaruroro River into the wine trail through Bridge Pa and Fernhill, looping back along the river trail to where we began. Some of us decided to sample the wines at Trinity Hill. This made the afternoon a little more challenging than the morning. The problem was not the actual wine tasting. It was more about having to carry several bottles in the backpack for the return journey while maintaining an air of strict sobriety.

On Day Two people had some interesting options. We had planned a core loop of 32 kilometres taking in Awatoto, Taradale, the Ahuriri Estuary and back through Napier. People could extend the day by cycling up to Puketapu and back (a 15 kilometre loop including a stop at the famous Puketapu Hotel which was well worth a visit) and by cycling the Bay View loop past the airport (this also added 15 kilometres and allowed some wonderful bird watching in the estuary area).

The final day involved a very scenic ride south along the Napier coastline towards Clifton where we stopped for a picnic lunch before returning along the same route. This was a relatively relaxing 32 kilometre return ride, finishing in the early afternoon which allowed people to drive back to Wellington that day. Great company, exercise, very scenic trails, cafe culture and wine-tasting - and perfect weather - made for a lovely few days.

A follow up trip, timed to coincide with the apple trees in blossom, is already at the planning stage for 2022.

Those on the trip were:

Brandon Holman, Bryan Wild, Chris Keating, Dave Cox, Elisabeth Hynes, Glenda Robb, Marian Cox, Neville Grubner, Owen Cox, Rob Dey, Sandra Rowland, Sue Pate, Susan Robertson, Yingjun Shelton, Elizabeth Holman

Photos were not supplied for this report.