New Zealand cycling tours and bike trips
I would say it was a once in a lifetime trip,
but it was so good a person should not only experience it once.- Mike G., (USA) Aug 2009 Winter Rimu
"One of my FAVORITE trips EVER. Thank you for the Rimu trip that far exceeded my expectations! We saw places and had experiences that we would have never seen or had on our own or with any other kind of tour company. The trip was conducted in a professional manner yet always felt relaxed. Our guides created an atmosphere in which we were all like a group of old friends."
Carmen & Andrew Yung (Texas, USA) November 2002 Rimu
Carmen & Andrew Yung (Texas, USA) November 2002 Rimu
MEET OUR GUIDES:
Gemma van Beek
"Gemma is another top chick! She was just as awesome as our lead guide. I found her to be incredibly friendly, professional, courteous. These gals made the trip for me!"
Sandra Ellis (Queensland, Australia) November 2008 Tui
PHOTO OF THE MONTH:
Rimu Jan 2010
We love being based in Queenstown! It's the best playground in the world and there's always something new to try...
Our Cycling People
Andrew Fairfax (CEO and founder of ACTIVE ADVENTURES)
To my fellow cyclist,
I’ve had thousands of miles of solo tour cycling to contemplate what makes the difference between a fabulous cycling trip, and one you’d rather forget. I’ve often found sanctuary in cycling and my passion for long distance rides has taken me to some very interesting places, both physically and psychologically. Being closer to the terrain you’re passing through, I find it’s much easier to meet interesting people than if you’re just cruising past in some motorised manner. For me, the spirit of cycling is in exploration – both of yourself and of the world around – and it’s one endeavour where the cliché is very true – on a bike, it really is as much about the journey as the destination.
My exploration has admittedly taken me further than most. After a flying accident seven years ago, my first serious rehab mission was to turn up at Istanbul’s airport, re-assemble my bike and head west, riding exactly 3920 kilometres ‘til London showed up in front of the handlebars. I remember sitting on my bike on London Bridge, playing the Clash’s “This is England”, with tears of joy streaming down my face. Leaner, fitter, far healthier… and with some incredible memories of the people I met, the countries I saw, the phrases I’d picked up (ever tried ordering a chocolate éclair in Turkish? I have!!) and of course the sheer endorphin-ised ecstasy of grinding to the top of the European Alps, soaking in the views, and racing down the road from Chamonix to Geneva, fit, fast and free! Other trips have included the length of New Zealand (a year later), and a challenging longitudinal traverse of North Africa and Europe, which saw me starting in Casablanca, Morocco, discovering to my horror that Spain is entirely mountainous, crossing the Pyrenees, then discovering all the cool things about France before finally fronting up at the Eiffel Tower. It was the fulfilment of a long held dream. I’ve done shorter rides too – but my latest adventure was an attempt to join the long list of people who’ve done the “trans-con” – riding clear across the United States. Starting in New York with my intrepid co-adventurer, Scott Kennedy, unfortunately, I got very sick in Michigan and we had to come home. By the end of this year, though, we’re going to return to Ann Arbor, head west, and pedal all the way to San Francisco. One of the highlights of that trip was meeting some of our ex-clients, and I’m looking forward to catching up with more, somewhere between Michigan and California. I’ve now switched to a touring trike, which is much cooler than it sounds, and I can’t wait. Watch this space!
Our ACTIVE NZ trips aren’t as long as my own cycling adventures, because our clients have less time, and probably slightly more reasonable ideas than I do about what makes a great cycling vacation – but the principles remain the same. For me, I reckon there are three components that make a great cycling trip: Attitude, Equipment and Itinerary. At ACTIVE NZ, we take all three, add the fourth ingredient – YOU! – and give you an experience that can only be described as the cycling trip of a lifetime. We know New Zealand intimately, and our many years operating trips here mean that we know which roads have too much traffic to be safe; we know where the best quiet country roads are to be found; and we know how to set up the ultimate New Zealand cycling trip. We may not be one of the huge cycling companies that come down to New Zealand and set up shop here – but we do have the best staff, the best routes, and the best trips. Check out some of the comments on our website, from previous clients who’ve done our bike trips. They’ve discovered that our cycling trips are a fabulous way to see the country, crank up the calorie count, and enjoy an incredible holiday on two wheels. It’s what we do!
Happy riding!
Andrew Fairfax
To my fellow cyclist,
I’ve had thousands of miles of solo tour cycling to contemplate what makes the difference between a fabulous cycling trip, and one you’d rather forget. I’ve often found sanctuary in cycling and my passion for long distance rides has taken me to some very interesting places, both physically and psychologically. Being closer to the terrain you’re passing through, I find it’s much easier to meet interesting people than if you’re just cruising past in some motorised manner. For me, the spirit of cycling is in exploration – both of yourself and of the world around – and it’s one endeavour where the cliché is very true – on a bike, it really is as much about the journey as the destination.
My exploration has admittedly taken me further than most. After a flying accident seven years ago, my first serious rehab mission was to turn up at Istanbul’s airport, re-assemble my bike and head west, riding exactly 3920 kilometres ‘til London showed up in front of the handlebars. I remember sitting on my bike on London Bridge, playing the Clash’s “This is England”, with tears of joy streaming down my face. Leaner, fitter, far healthier… and with some incredible memories of the people I met, the countries I saw, the phrases I’d picked up (ever tried ordering a chocolate éclair in Turkish? I have!!) and of course the sheer endorphin-ised ecstasy of grinding to the top of the European Alps, soaking in the views, and racing down the road from Chamonix to Geneva, fit, fast and free! Other trips have included the length of New Zealand (a year later), and a challenging longitudinal traverse of North Africa and Europe, which saw me starting in Casablanca, Morocco, discovering to my horror that Spain is entirely mountainous, crossing the Pyrenees, then discovering all the cool things about France before finally fronting up at the Eiffel Tower. It was the fulfilment of a long held dream. I’ve done shorter rides too – but my latest adventure was an attempt to join the long list of people who’ve done the “trans-con” – riding clear across the United States. Starting in New York with my intrepid co-adventurer, Scott Kennedy, unfortunately, I got very sick in Michigan and we had to come home. By the end of this year, though, we’re going to return to Ann Arbor, head west, and pedal all the way to San Francisco. One of the highlights of that trip was meeting some of our ex-clients, and I’m looking forward to catching up with more, somewhere between Michigan and California. I’ve now switched to a touring trike, which is much cooler than it sounds, and I can’t wait. Watch this space!
Our ACTIVE NZ trips aren’t as long as my own cycling adventures, because our clients have less time, and probably slightly more reasonable ideas than I do about what makes a great cycling vacation – but the principles remain the same. For me, I reckon there are three components that make a great cycling trip: Attitude, Equipment and Itinerary. At ACTIVE NZ, we take all three, add the fourth ingredient – YOU! – and give you an experience that can only be described as the cycling trip of a lifetime. We know New Zealand intimately, and our many years operating trips here mean that we know which roads have too much traffic to be safe; we know where the best quiet country roads are to be found; and we know how to set up the ultimate New Zealand cycling trip. We may not be one of the huge cycling companies that come down to New Zealand and set up shop here – but we do have the best staff, the best routes, and the best trips. Check out some of the comments on our website, from previous clients who’ve done our bike trips. They’ve discovered that our cycling trips are a fabulous way to see the country, crank up the calorie count, and enjoy an incredible holiday on two wheels. It’s what we do!
Happy riding!
Andrew Fairfax
Jodi Narbey - New Zealand Office
Hi! When you call our Queenstown office here in the South Island of New Zealand, you'll most likely reach me to help you with your plans to travel to New Zealand. I've been into mountain biking for around six years now and love checking out the terrain around Queenstown - the mountains, valleys, rivers and lakes of the area make for spectacular riding... but I guess you can say that about a lot of areas in New Zealand!
I've done quite a bit of adventure racing and backcountry biking events - I don't go TOO hard out, but I do enjoy getting out there and seeing the country at handle bar level. I train by biking up the access roads to the local ski fields, so it's a good way to stay fit!! My favourite ride so far is the Otago Rail Trail, in the central South Island. The amazing scenery, viaducts and tunnels make it a really unique ride. One thing's for sure, if you enjoy biking, New Zealand is going to be the perfect destination for you - feel free to drop me a line if you want to have a chat about it!
Hi! When you call our Queenstown office here in the South Island of New Zealand, you'll most likely reach me to help you with your plans to travel to New Zealand. I've been into mountain biking for around six years now and love checking out the terrain around Queenstown - the mountains, valleys, rivers and lakes of the area make for spectacular riding... but I guess you can say that about a lot of areas in New Zealand!
I've done quite a bit of adventure racing and backcountry biking events - I don't go TOO hard out, but I do enjoy getting out there and seeing the country at handle bar level. I train by biking up the access roads to the local ski fields, so it's a good way to stay fit!! My favourite ride so far is the Otago Rail Trail, in the central South Island. The amazing scenery, viaducts and tunnels make it a really unique ride. One thing's for sure, if you enjoy biking, New Zealand is going to be the perfect destination for you - feel free to drop me a line if you want to have a chat about it!
Jim Hawkridge and Ben Laffan - cycling guides
Jim's a keen multisport athlete, having completed various adventure racing competitions including the Peak-to-Peak (which he's done 5 times), the Routeburn Classic (finishing first in 2007), the Kepler Challenge, Southern Traverse and the Mototapu Marathon. He's also a very keen mountain biker and cycling guide, having guided ACTIVE trips for three seasons. He's just spent the New Zealand winter cycling around France and is also the winner of our 2007 Guide's Choice awards, designing and running his own trip - the 'Xtreme Rimu'. Read what our clients have said about Jim.
Ben is a bit of a 'jack of all trades' when it comes to the outdoors - he's guided hikers on the Milford Track, driven high speed jet boats in the Shotover Canyon near Queenstown and now he's one of our main cycling guides. Last winter he headed off to Laos, Borneo and Thailand for several months of adventuring, including diving with turtles. He also holds (according to him) the title for Maker of the World’s Best Milos – a New Zealand specialty! Read what our clients have said about Ben.
