Premiere Hotels*
Accommodations may vary based on departure date. Any difference from what is listed below can be found by clicking on your desired date on the View Scheduled Dates or Private Dates tabs.
Puka Park Resort
Pauanui (2 nights)
Settle into your private chalet at this secluded wilderness hideaway nestled among 25 acres of New Zealand bush. (pool, spa)
Black Swan Lakeside Boutique Hotel & Spa
Rotorua (1 night)
A sophisticated getaway on the shore of Lake Rotorua and set on an acre of immaculate mature gardens. (pool, spa)
Hilton Taupo
Taupo (2 nights)
* Casual Hotel
A comfortable property with captivating vistas of Lake Taupo and the Onekeneke Thermal Valley. (pool)
Mangapapa Hotel
Hawke's Bay (2 nights)
Built over a century ago, a beautifully renovated country hotel with a wraparound veranda and lush gardens. (pool, spa)
This Trip Is Rated Levels 1-3
Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. We know your pace may vary from one day to the next—and your traveling companion's may differ somewhat from yours. So we present a range of mileage options, and each day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.
Daily Route Options (drag to see full )
| Daily Route Options |
| 1 |
Walking/Hiking |
3 |
0 |
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| 2 |
Biking |
13 |
700 |
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| Kayaking |
on Mercury Bay (3 Hours) |
| 3 |
Walking/Hiking |
3 |
100 |
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6 |
900 |
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| 4 |
Biking |
17* |
1000 |
21* |
1200 |
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| 5 |
Walking/Hiking |
4* |
0 |
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| Rafting |
on the Tongariro River (4 Hours) |
| 6 |
Biking |
10* |
100 |
22* |
1600 |
32 |
1700 |
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| Biking |
13* |
200 |
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| Walking/Hiking |
3* |
0 |
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| 7 |
Biking |
12 |
100 |
21 |
300 |
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| Biking |
|
|
30 |
500 |
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| 8 |
Walking/Hiking |
2* |
400 |
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| Walking/Hiking |
3* |
700 |
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Note:
To make for the most comfortable ride to this particular trip, we've outfitted our titanium road bike with slightly wider tires. You'll appreciate this on those stretches of the route with hard-packed dirt (approximately 5% dirt and 95% paved).
* Includes shuttle.
Learn more about how we determine our activity level and fully support a range of abilities and interests.
Please note that our distance and elevation figures come from Ride with GPS. Other sources (such as Map My Ride and Garmin devices) may give differing elevation figures due to different GPS and mapping technologies. Readings from a Garmin or a smart phone are influenced by other factors such as air pressure.
Meals
All breakfasts, 7 lunches, 7 dinners
Available Bike Options
The key to a stellar day’s ride is a bike that’s perfectly in tune with your cycling style… Backroads has you covered with the best bike fleet in the world! Read on for your available bike options for this trip.
Backroads Titanium Bikes (Included in your trip price)
Our custom-built titanium bikes are specially designed for you—and we offer different models for varied terrain so your bike is ideally suited to the region. Our custom-made bikes are included in your trip price.
Touring Bike (Included)
Burley Kazoo trailer bike (Included in your trip price)
The Burley Kazoo trailer bike, for children up to 85 pounds, attaches to an adult bike with your child providing some of the pedal power for a real team effort! It's ideal for kids who may be comfortable pedaling around the neighborhood but aren't yet ready for bike touring.
Burley Cub trailer (Included)
Also Included
- Expertise and services of our experienced Trip Leaders
- Snacks and beverages between meals
- Additional guides and experts from the region on many trips
- Van shuttles to support a variety of route options
- Comprehensive Travel Planner with detailed pre-trip information
- Private guided tours at museums, historic sites, wineries and other select attractions as noted in the Travel Planner
- All gratuities at hotels and restaurants
- Special events, including wine tastings and other select attractions as mentioned in the Travel Planner
- On biking and multi-adventure trips, use of fully equipped Backroads titanium bike plus helmet and accessories
- Trailercycles, carriers, and kid-sized helmets for Family Trips
- Equipment and experienced guides for kayaking, rafting, snorkeling, sailing and canoeing as described
- Park and other entry fees
- Fares for trains, ferries and other modes of travel as listed in the Travel Planner
- Select coach transfers
- Baggage transfers and porterage
Get the Straight Talk about This Trip
We want to make sure you're on the right trip and that you have the best experience possible. Every Backroads trip is unique and this one is no exception.
Accommodations
While our hotels are some of the finest in New Zealand and offer all the comforts of home as well as many modern amenities, they may not offer the level of customer service that you're used to, especially during the hectic summer holidays in New Zealand (our winter). The relaxed Kiwi approach to service is reflected in the inns on this trip—they are authentic, down-to-earth and without a lot of bells and whistles.
Traffic
While Backroads strives to include routes that are quiet and off the beaten track, New Zealand's North Island has a limited road system. This means that some of our routes sometimes see fast and heavy traffic, especially around the holidays when locals are taking their summer break. Our shuttle is always available to help you bypass more heavily trafficked or rough sections.
Why Travel with Backroads in New Zealand
The Risk of Too Many Choices
On the North Island, the incredible variety of New Zealand is evident everywhere, starting with the menu of activities offered each day by your three Trip Leaders and team of expert guides. Hike to waterfalls and thermal springs. Paddle your kayak among giant tree ferns. Bike through rolling vineyards in wine country, stopping to enjoy a glass and the incredible views. This is the Kiwi experience, Backroads-style – fine-tuned over 29 years to a level no one else can match.
Everyone at Their Own Pace
We design and support our New Zealand trips to suit mixed abilities and varied interests—so you can set your own pace, then change things up as the day unfolds. And all guests are free to do the same, traveling together or apart, with no one cramping anyone else's style. Which sounds easy in theory, but it's hard to pull off. Here's more on how we do it.
We Stand Behind Our Trips
Most companies' trips in New Zealand are run by local operators. At Backroads we manage our own trips; we would never subcontract your precious vacation to a third party. So as you enjoy the support of your seasoned Trip Leaders, along with our expert local guides and drivers, you have the confidence of knowing we're with you every step of the way.
We Invented the Multi-Adventure Trip
After more than 30 years of creating Backroads Multi-Adventures, our trip designers know how to blend the perfect balance of biking and hiking with other activities to showcase the best of a region. And then they arrange the seamless transitions that would be so hard to orchestrate on your own—adding dimensions to your trip that are exciting, inspiring and just plain fun.
More Leaders to Support You
On our New Zealand trips we have an extra leader supporting you along the road and trail—for a total of three, compared to the industry standard two. So we can be in more places at once, giving personal attention to guests traveling at their own pace. Here's more on our Trip Leaders.
Kids Who Aren't Kids Anymore
Only Backroads offers active trips in New Zealand designed for families with older teens and 20s. These trips are aimed at you and the amazingly grownup members of your clan—whether they're almost high school grads, already in college or further along. Find out more in this blog post.
The Best Leaders in New Zealand
Backroads has the best-qualified people to lead your trip in New Zealand, and our guests back that up, rating our Trip Leaders an average of 9.75 out of 10 for all-around quality of performance. Get the facts (and no fluff) on how we recruit and develop the very best people for your trip.
A Second Van When You Need It
Backroads is the only active travel company providing two support vans in New Zealand—because we know it's essential to ensure a truly great travel experience. It doubles our ability to be there when you need us to offer hydration, lighten your load or give you a lift if it's time to take a break. Read more on why two vans make all the difference.
Get the Most Out of Each Day
Coordinating multiple activities throughout a single day can be tricky, but with Backroads you'll never know it. When you explore New Zealand with us, you switch activities seamlessly without missing a beat. We invented the multi-adventure concept, and we're constantly adding new dimensions and fine-tuning the experience to make it even more enjoyable.
