Looking for nice rides in Auckland?

[scho047]

Hi,

I am new to this road cycling scene, started out to just fulfil my rehabilitation programme for my knee and now have fallen in love with it. Would be nice to hear from fellow cyclists around auckland to suggest nice rides in Auckland.

and how often do you guys ride each week??

cheers

 

[62vette]

Hot Cycles run bunch rides on Sunday mornings with a rotation of about 5 different rides. Check their web site www.hotcycles.co.nz for details.

The Avanti Plus store in Mt Eden also runs bunch rides as well, see www.avantipluscycles.co.nz

 

[xxamr_corpxx]

North Shore City council produces a nice map of "recommended cycling routes". You can ask them for a free copy from this link, near the bottom of this page.

http://www.nscc.govt.nz/transport_and_roads/cycle-strategy/default.htm

If you like hills I can highly recommend the Glenfield route. Short but painfully effective hills.

Alternatively, MAXX also provide detailed routes of cycling paths.
http://www.maxx.co.nz/cycle.html

More specifically, where in Auckland are you?

 

[scho047]

I live in Ponsonby area.... Ive looked at those links you have suggested...they seem pretty nice ride to give it a go....

I would however prefer to cycle where there are less traffic so that I feel more safe...at the moment I am going out to Mission Bay to St Heliers and back to Herne Bay and to Ponsonby along waterfront and Tamaki Dr.
Got any other suggestions??

 

[EoinC]

I live in Ponsonby area.... Ive looked at those links you have suggested...they seem pretty nice ride to give it a go....

I would however prefer to cycle where there are less traffic so that I feel more safe...at the moment I am going out to Mission Bay to St Heliers and back to Herne Bay and to Ponsonby along waterfront and Tamaki Dr.
Got any other suggestions??

I used to live in Ponsonby in 1979 - 81 and used to ride out to Muriwai and Piha - both nice rides. I don't know what they're like now - haven't been there since 1982.

 

[mikesbytes]

Guess you have looked at these;

Auckland Infrastructure Paper

North and West Auckland Cycle Map

South and East Auckland Cycle Map

 

[mrf]

imo the best way to go from ponsonby / central auckland is out thru pt chev, along the motorway cycle lane then up into the hills behind massey. Most of the way it's cycle lane, and then a few quieter roads, with a few decent hills.

 

[mikesbytes]

imo the best way to go from ponsonby / central auckland is out thru pt chev, along the motorway cycle lane then up into the hills behind massey. Most of the way it's cycle lane, and then a few quieter roads, with a few decent hills.

When I lived in Auckland, the western motorway cycle path didn't exist. The link appears to be a great improvement. Whats the quality of it like? Does it get a lot of riders?

 

[mrf]

When I lived in Auckland, the western motorway cycle path didn't exist. The link appears to be a great improvement. Whats the quality of it like? Does it get a lot of riders?

It's fairly good, gets a little muddy and wet on days like today, but nothing that would stop a road bike. Mostly it's soloists, families and small groups, afaik it's not used serious/large rides.

For me, it's the usually the warmup for the real ride, something like : http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=327642

 

[mikesbytes]

I used to live in Ponsonby in 1979 - 81 and used to ride out to Muriwai and Piha - both nice rides. I don't know what they're like now - haven't been there since 1982.

The road to Piha wasn't sealed in those days.

It's fairly good, gets a little muddy and wet on days like today, but nothing that would stop a road bike. Mostly it's soloists, families and small groups, afaik it's not used serious/large rides.

For me, it's the usually the warmup for the real ride, something like : http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=327642

Nice route, its thru fruit growing and 10 acre hobby farms if I remember correctly?

Whats Senic Drive like nowdays? Are there too many cars?

 

[xxamr_corpxx]

How is the route to Piha generally? Are the lanes quite wide or narrow? Also, how is the relief?

 

[mrf]

Did scenic drive a few months ago, going north->south. It's quite a hill going up the north side. I think most people go south->north because of it. Probably saw about 20 people going the other way. Seems reasonably popular, traffic wasn't too bad.

Haven't gone out to piha yet. The problem is those roads out to the beaches are popular and narrow. If it's anything like the road out to muriwai you end up getting a suv towing a horse float stuck behind unable to pass all the time.

It is possible to get all the way out to muriwai off the main roads, which is a nicer ride imo. It's about 95k's from town and back.

 

[EoinC]

The road to Piha wasn't sealed in those days...

That was on my old Raleigh Arena hack bike - A near Paris-Roubaix experience. A Yugoslav friend's family had a farm on the way out to Piha. I sometimes used to pick up a bottle of rakia (sp?) on the way home, just to make the post-ride bath more relaxing.