A new adventure for the E-bike Social Riders Hawkes Bay group – exploring trails of the Wellington Region. Four days were planned out. Day 1 – Baring Head to Upper Hutt, Day 2 – Upper Hutt to Featherstone, Day 3 – Kapiti Coast and Day 4 – Linton to Palmerston North.

Day 1 – Baring Head to Wallisville, Upper Hutt.
The day was all about the wind! We set out from our accommodation in 3 mini buses towing our ebikes on trailers to start our ride from Baring Head. We unloaded and rode back along the road to the start of the trail. The initial steep rocky hill was challenging for some of the riders, going up and coming down. Some had to walk the last part of the uphill.

Loading up the bikes

Start at Baring Head

Baring Head

Baring Head

From the top of the first hill

From then on, we were mostly pushed along by the extremely strong southerly tail wind, apart from strong gusts from other directions. It certainly made for an exciting ride along the coast with the waves crashing on the rocks. And it was difficult to stand up without being blown away in some places. Bikes had to be laid on the ground when we stopped to take photos. At Eastbourne we stopped for refreshments at Hive Cafe. As we continued around the coast, the waves from the retreating high tide splashed us as we rode by. After making our way through a marina and an industrial estate, we finally made it to the quieter Hutt River Trail and returned to our accommodation.Distance: 50 kms

Shipwreck

Waihine Memorial

Day 2 – Upper Hutt to Featherstone
The weather was a complete opposite to the previous day, so calm. Perfect for a slow climb to the Remutaka summit. We rode from our accommodation to join the Remutaka Incline Trail at the Maymorn Entrance.

The rail trail has a climb gradient of 1:15 and it can appear as though you are travelling downhill instead of uphill, but it does require some power! There are straight tunnels and curvy tunnels (make sure you have a good light), straight bridges and curvy bridges, beautiful trees, information boards, birdsong to hear when stopped, river scenery and valley scenery. An altogether stunning ride, that is worth doing more than once. The new 90 metre swing bridge across Siberia Gully is a fantastic addition. The ride downhill from Siberia Gully was rough and stony. And the narrow Cross Creek track was also rough and stony. It made for a challenging downhill for the non-mountain bikers. The final stretch was along Western Lake Road into Featherstone. There is a shared limestone pathway along this road, but it was very much in need of maintenance and we chose to ride the smoother road. We were picked up in Featherstone by the shuttle service. A few opted to travel by train back to Upper Hutt. Distance: 51 kms

Accommodation: Wallaceville House
Shuttle Service: Everyones Adventure

Whilst the Remutaka Trail is generally viewed as a semi loop trail, with a little thought it can be broken down to a number of good shortish ride options for individuals or small groups. These rides require minimum preparation and can be done without the need for organised shuttles.Download a PDF of suggestions => Wellington and Remutaka Shortish Ride Options for Small Groups.

Closing thoughts –

Photo credit: Jenny Garrett