- Cycle the North and South Islands
- Visit Maori Marae for concert and feast
- Pedal along newly designated cycle ways
Broad skies, invigorating air, dramatic scenery and a bewildering array of activities make New Zealand one of the world's most attractive destinations.
With new cycling trails springing up in both the North and South islands as well as quiet winding roads, it is also the perfect destination to explore by bike. To visit as many of the highlights as possible we will use a private bus to help cover some of the distance, but our focus will be on pedal power as we explore the diverse landscapes that New Zealand is so famous for.
Beginning in the busy city of Auckland we make our way to the distinctive bubbling thermal pools of Rotorua, before visiting a Maori Marae to enjoy a traditional concert and hangi (feast).
Other highlights include the famous wineries of Hawkes Bay, and Wellington, the picturesque harbour side capital, brimming with galleries, museums and restaurants. From here we sail across the Cook Straight, floating through the beautiful Marlborough Sounds to begin our exploration of the South Island and the varied landscape on offer.
From the relaxed Mediterranean feel of Nelson to the adventure soaked resort of Queenstown, our cycling route is simply spectacular, taking in magnificent mountain panoramas and dramatic sweeping coastline.
What makes this trip responsible?
As a part of our continued commitment to responsible tourism, we work closely with our local operator to run this trip in a way that aims to reduce detrimental impacts and to give as much back as possible to the local communities. We reduce our carbon footprint and environmental impact by restricting group size, using fuel efficient vehicles, minimising the use of vehicles and aircraft, employing recycling, re-using and composting and bulk buying of food supplies.
New Zealand Wilderness
We operate a ‘leave no trace’ policy whereby we leave nothing behind, only footsteps! When cycling, we ensure to stay to marked trails wherever possible to reduce erosion and damage to the local ecosystem, and any rubbish will be taken back to the town and disposed of properly.
CarboNZero was established by Landcare Research to assist companies to identify, minimise and offset their carbon footprint. In 2001 our local operator led the way, becoming the first New Zealand company to achieve Green Globe’s certification process. They also became the first company in NZ to subscribe to the Carbon Offset EBEX21. Developed by Landcare Research in conjunction with the Queen Elizabeth II Trust, this programme identifies the fuel usage and converts this to a carbon emission value. An equivalent land value is identified for the area of land required enabling regeneration of vegetation to act as a ‘carbon soak’. Our local operator paid a sum on money to the QEII Trust to allow them to support landowners seeking finance to fence off and retire land to allow natural regeneration.
Our local operator also works very closely with the Department of Conservation DOC to ensure that our impact on the National Parks and reserves is minimal. They are licensed concessionaries and donate a portion of each Exodus traveller’s trip payment to the DOC, this is then directed to park management. As a means of providing back to the local community, our local operator donated annually to the Otago Central Rail Trail Trust which uses funds to continue the upgrade of the Rail Trail.
Countries visited: New Zealand
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Exodus images from CYCLE NEW ZEALAND
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Beautiful coastal ride in New Zealand
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