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Tour Aotearoa is an annual cycle tour event [1] and cycling route in New Zealand. [2] The route travels 3,000 kilometres (1,900 mi) from Cape Reinga to Bluff. [1]
Tour Aotearoa's debut [3] event in 2016 included about 250 riders. The event was organised by Jonathan Kennett, a manager of the New Zealand Cycle Trail project. Kennett said that as the Cycle Trail project manager, he was often asked what was the best route from Cape Reinga to Bluff, which was part of the inspiration for the event. Kennett described the route in 2016 as a "mix of off-road trails, back-country roads, a few bits of highway, and even 90 Mile Beach", and that more sections would move off-road every month as more cycle trails were built. [1]
The event is a brevet, meaning that it is not a race and cyclists ride at their own pace, [1] though participants are expected to complete the challenge in under 30 days and reach 30 photo checkpoints, as well as carry all their own gear. [4] [5] The event was biannual, held in 2016, 2018, and 2020, [6] then moved to yearly with an event in 2021. [4]
The New Zealand Herald reported that Jackson Kelly was believed to be the youngest person to complete the event, at age 16. Kelly and his father entered the event in 2021 and completed the route over 28 days. [4]
Writer Graeme Simpson said in 2018 that although the route was only a few years old, "it's already one of New Zealand's great cycling adventures and is recognised as one of the best in the world, too." [5]
The route is a mix of sealed roads, gravel roads, 4WD tracks, cycle trails and mountain bike tracks. [7] The route segments are selected to include as many Great Rides as possible and avoid high traffic main roads. Route segments are updated as new trail is created. [8]
All cycling on the route is free and open to the public all year round, however the route does require four or five commercial boat rides: Hokianga Harbour, Kaipara Harbour (optional), Wanganui River, Cook Strait, and Lake Wakatipu.
The Kennett Bros is the business name for brothers Paul Kennett, Simon Kennett and Jonathan Kennett. They have been heavily involved in mountain biking in New Zealand since 1984, and in publishing books about cycling and cyclists. They were inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 2018.
The Otago Central Rail Trail is a 150-kilometre walking, cycling and horse riding track in the South Island of New Zealand. A pioneering project for New Zealand, the successful rail trail joined the New Zealand Cycle Trail umbrella organisation in 2012, having been one of the inspirations for it.
Te Araroa is New Zealand's long distance tramping route, stretching circa 3,000 kilometres (1,900 mi) along the length of the country's two main islands from Cape Reinga to Bluff. Officially opened in 2011, it is made up of a mixture of previously made tracks and walkways, new tracks, and link sections alongside roads. Tramping the full length of the trail generally takes three to six months.
The East Cape to Cape Egmont Traverse is a pilgrimage in New Zealand that holds historical and cultural significance. Two authors have documented their experiences in books: Raymond Salisbury's "Cape to Cape – 80 Day Traverse of the North Island" and A.H. Reed's "From East Cape to Cape Egmont On Foot at Eighty-six".
State Highway 1 is the longest and most significant road in the New Zealand road network, running the length of both main islands. It appears on road maps as SH 1 and on road signs as a white number 1 on a red shield, but it has the official designations SH 1N in the North Island, SH 1S in the South Island.
Waitiki Landing is a locality near the northern tip of New Zealand's North Island, in the Far North district of Northland. Located on State Highway 1, it is 20 kilometres from the end of the highway at Cape Reinga.
Bike Auckland, formerly Cycle Action Auckland (CAA) is a pro-cycling advocacy group in Auckland, New Zealand. The predominantly volunteer group aims to improve infrastructure and conditions, as well as perceptions of cycling to encourage more "everyday people" to use bicycles, including for commuting and recreation.
Cycling in New Zealand is the 5th most popular form of active recreation, but a very marginal commuting mode, with the share hovering around 1–3% in most major cities. This is due to a number of factors, principally safety fears.
The New Zealand Cycle Trail project is a New Zealand government initiative, co-funded together with local councils and charitable trusts, which is to build and operate a network of cycle routes through the country.
Tino Tabak is a Dutch-born New Zealand cyclist who raced in the Tour de France in the 1970s.
Spokes Canterbury is the main cycling advocacy group in Canterbury, New Zealand. It was established in November 1998, as a successor to the former Canterbury Cyclists' Association. Cycling Action Network is the parent organisation for Spokes Canterbury. It has about 900 members, including "everyday" cyclists, road cyclists and mountain bikers.
The Waikato River Trails is a combined walk- and cycleway along the Waikato River. Originally conceived and started by local politicians and trustees, in 2009 the trails became one of the seven Quick Start Projects that form the beginning of the New Zealand Cycle Trail. The trail is proposed to be 100 km long, out of which 50 km existed before the NZCT scheme was created. In mid-2011, work on the last sections of the cycle trail project sections was begun, while the official grand opening occurred early November 2011.
Cycling in Auckland is a mode of transport in Auckland, New Zealand. The dominance of the car in the city, the negative attitudes of car drivers and general changes in transport patterns have made it a very marginal transport mode in the early 21st century, with remaining cyclists often riding for leisure and sports purposes.
Cycling in the Australian state of New South Wales is a common form of recreation.
Aaron Gate is a New Zealand road and track cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam Burgos BH. He represented his country in track cycling at the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics. Gate is the first New Zealand athlete to win four gold medals at a single Commonwealth Games.
Motor sport in New Zealand can be traced back to a least 1901 when the Pioneer Cycle Club held a three-mile handicap race which included both motor bikes and cars. Since then it has developed and now almost all types of motor sport events are represented.
Kathleen Lynch is a retired competitive cyclist from New Zealand who competed both on and off the road. With a talent for multiple sports disciplines, she won the canoeing events New Zealand White Water Downriver and Slalom Championships in 1987 and represented her country at the 1988 Canoe Slalom World Cup. Around the same time, she was also a successful triathlete, but did not continue with that sport. She bought her first mountain bike in 1988 at the age of 31 in order to compete in an adventure sport event, and within a year she had become the New Zealand national cross country champion. Around the same time, she also took up road cycling. She was included in the New Zealand team for the 1990 Commonwealth Games and was assigned as domestique for the top New Zealand road rider, Madonna Harris. Harris and Lynch finished in fourth and ninth places respectively. In September 1990, Lynch competed at the inaugural UCI Mountain Bike World Championships and finished tenth. In November 1990, she became a household name in New Zealand by winning a 22-day multi-sport race the length of the country that had prime time TV coverage every night.
The Gravel and Tar Classic is a one-day cycling race, held annually in the Manawatu region of New Zealand, since 2016, finishing in Palmerston North. It is rated 1.2 and has been part of UCI Oceania Tour since 2018. The race is primarily on sealed roads, however the highlight of the race is the multiple gravel sectors throughout the course. The race is now considered to be the toughest one-day elite race in the Oceania region. The race is held in January each year, making it one of the first races on the UCI Calendar, and a key chance for teams and riders to gain early UCI points. The event has seen teams enter from countries such as Sweden, Japan, the US, and Australia, along with the best New Zealand men's trade teams.
Portages in New Zealand, known in Māori as Tō or Tōanga Waka, are locations where waka (canoes) could easily be transported overland. Portages were extremely important for early Māori, especially along the narrow Tāmaki isthmus of modern-day Auckland, as they served as crucial transportation and trade links between the east and west coasts. Portages can be found across New Zealand, especially in the narrow Northland and Auckland regions, and the rivers of the Waikato Region.