This adventure starts at noon on Sunday 7 April, with a delicious buffet lunch of fresh, local Fish & Chips in the pretty seaside village of Kaiaua. The Shorebird Coast is a hidden gem and home to protected species of migratory birds. As you ride, discover the ecosystem, wildlife and learn about this protected natural habitat.

Ride to Rangipo Museum & Pā Site. Located on Rangipo Station, a 200 ha farm just one mile south of Kaiaua on the Firth of Thames, take in the stunning views of the Firth and Coromandel Ranges. The Museum has over 600 years of Māori and European hand tools, rare Mimulus repens plants and longfin eels.

Channel your inner All Black and kick a goal at the Old Rugby Club, before riding on to the Pūkorokoro–Miranda Shorebird Centre, where you’ll learn about the area’s precious birdlife and incredible feats of the Godwits annual migration.

Following the Trail South, stop at the Access Bay Shelter to take in the views, before riding to the Shorebird Coast’s award-winning Holiday Park to complete the pump track for a little extra fun and freestyle, before cycling on to the Robert Findlay Wildlife Reserve for shorebird watching with the incoming tide. 

The amazing annual migrations of Bar-tailed Godwits, nearly half the world population of Wrybill, thousands of shorebirds, and the expansive estuary, make the Robert Findlay Wildlife Reserve among the best places to view common and rare shorebirds in New Zealand.

End your ride at the Bay View Hotel, Kaiaua. Grab a cold drink, kick back, and share the highlights of your Bike Fest experience with family and friends.