New Zealand, the kingdom of trails, is not only proud of its walking trails! It also has plenty of cycle trails for cyclists to enjoy.
Today, from Stuff, a major New Zealand media outlet,
New Zealand's best cycle trails for wine lovers
I would like to introduce an article that is perfect for this site, which introduces recommended trails for cycling around wineries.
But first, the most important thing!
Cycling while drunk is a no-no! Absolutely not!
Like Japan, New Zealand does not have any penalties for drunk driving on bicycles. However, of course, cycling while intoxicated to the point that it interferes with your ability to control your bike is a no-no! Enjoy wine tasting by just putting it in your mouth without swallowing it, or use the accommodation facilities!
To bring a bicycle from Japan to New Zealand, please refer to the Air New Zealand website. There is detailed information on the conditions under which a bicycle can be accepted as checked baggage.
▶ Oversized Baggage and Sporting Equipment – Baggage – Plans | Air New Zealand – Japan
By the way, although I have lived in New Zealand for almost nine years, I have never visited any wineries because I was a student there, so I am writing this with the hope that I can visit soon!
Hawke's Bay Trail
Let's start with Hawke's Bay, located in the east of the North Island. Hawke's Bay is New Zealand's oldest and second largest wine producing region, with over 70 wineries.
Read more about Hawke's Bay here!
As mentioned in the article above, there are 10 tastings available on the 30-60 km course around Gimblett Gravels, a sub-region created by the earthquake. You can enjoy Hawke's Bay's signature Chardonnay, Bordeaux-style red wine, Syrah, and more. If you have time, you can also enjoy more than 200 km of trails.
Along the Cape Coast you can visit some of Hawke's Bay's iconic wineries, including Clearview, Elephant Hill, Te Awanga Estate and further afield, Crab Farm, Mission Estate and Church Road.
Gibbston River Wine Trail
Next is Central Otago, said to be the southernmost region in the world, famous for its Pinot Noir.
▶ Central Otago: the world's southernmost wine region attracts wine lovers
The Gibbston River Wine Trail, overlooking Gibbston, one of the six sub-regions in the Otago region, is a relatively easy 9km trail that starts at Kawarau Bridge, famous for bungee jumping. It takes you around the cellar doors of representative wineries such as Peregrine, Kinross, and Gibbston Valley.
Otago Central Rail Trail
The Otago Central Rail Trail allows you to visit the wineries of Arexandra, one of the Otago sub-regions.
There are about 15 wineries, but you can also enjoy the region in pubs and cafes.
There are also plenty of delicious foods that represent Central Otago, such as lamb, cheese and stone fruits (a general term for fruits with a hard core in the center, such as peaches, plums, cherries, nectarines and apricots)!
If you're thinking about losing weight while cycling, this might not be the trail for you!
▶ Alexandra – Otago Central Rail Trail
Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail
The Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail, New Zealand's longest cycle trail, also takes you through the wineries of the Waitaki region.
Waitaki, which straddles the Canterbury and Otago regions, is a small wine producing region with only a handful of wineries.
Tastings are available at wineries such as Ostler, Pasquale, and River-T Estate.
Tasman Great Taste Trail
If you want to visit wineries in the Nelson region, try Tasman's Great Taste Trail. In addition to tasting at 20 locations, souvenir shops, galleries, garden cafes, and beer breweries are also popular.
A 2-3 hour light cycle from Stoke to Brightwater will take you to five wineries. Brightwater also has a memorial to Ernest Rutherford , a local physicist and chemist known as the father of atomic physics and winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Speaking of New Zealand cycling stories...
When I first studied abroad (as a first-year high school student), I was riding my bike to school, but I didn't follow the rule of staying on the left side of the road, and my host mother immediately told me,
Your Japanese friend was riding his bike on the wrong side of the road.
I was the only Japanese person there in the countryside, so whatever I did stood out and my mother was contacted right away!
In New Zealand, be sure to ride on the left side whenever possible, it is prohibited to ride with more than three people abreast, use hand signals when turning (extend your arm in the direction you are turning, raise your hand when stopping), and don't ride on the sidewalk!
▶ New Zealand Transport Agency website (Riding responsibly | Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency)
