Northland Bay of Islands Weekend · part 2

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Waiuku

   Waiuku sits at the head of a long, muddy arm of the Manukau Harbour, south-west of Auckland, and for centuries it was a crossroads. Māori travellers hauled canoes across the short portage between the Manukau and the Waikato River here, linking the harbours of the north with the great river system of the interior, and early European traders used the same route. Today it is a quiet country town serving farms in the surrounding hills, with a main street of shops and cafés and an easy, unhurried rhythm.

   Read the complete Photo stop near Waiuku write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Northland Bay of Islands Weekend photo pull-off is where the day begins. Next is Northland Bay of Islands Weekend checkpoint 8.

2. 2. Near Titirangi

   Titirangi calls itself the gateway to the Waitākere Ranges, and it fits the role: a bohemian village of artists, writers and bush-clad houses, built on steep slopes above the Manukau Harbour, where the suburbs of Auckland end and the native forest begins. The finish is a few kilometres from the village, on the harbour side towards Lynfield and Blockhouse Bay, and it serves as a calm finish for long rides back from Northland.

   Read the complete Fuel stop near Titirangi write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Finish at Northland Bay of Islands Weekend checkpoint 8. That is the ride. Next is High point near Pukekohe East.

3. 3. High point near Pukekohe East

   The soil around Pukekohe is a deep chocolate red, the gift of old volcanoes, and it grows a startling share of New Zealand's vegetables. Market gardens, many started by Chinese and Indian immigrants in the twentieth century, cover the slopes with neat rows of onions, potatoes and greens, and the area remains one of the most productive horticultural districts in the country. Pukekohe East is a rural community on the low hills to the east of the town, with long views over the fields.

   Read the complete High point near Pukekohe East write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   This is where the road stops climbing. Next is Scenic stretch near Papakura.

4. 4. Scenic stretch near Papakura

   Papakura grew up on the Great South Road, built by British troops in the early 1860s to move soldiers and supplies south for the invasion of the Waikato, a key episode of the New Zealand Wars. Redoubts and military settlements dotted the route, and Papakura was one of them. Today it is a busy town on the southern edge of Auckland, with a main street, a railway station and expanding suburbs.

   Read the complete Fuel stop near Papakura write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Scenic stretch near Papakura, late in the day. Next is Back to Northland Bay.

5. 5. Back to Northland Bay

   Waiheke, a short ferry ride east of Auckland, is a hilly island of roughly nine thousand residents, with bays of white sand, wooded gullies and, over the last few decades, a collection of vineyards that makes it the country's most famous wine island.

   Read the complete Northland Bay write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Finish at Back to Northland Bay. That is the ride.