Biking 16km Loop around the Tongariro River Trail

It's been a long time I hadn't ridden a bicycle. Because of a skiing injury 5 years ago, I always feel not confident when my partner suggests trying out mountain biking. Recently, I feel that I have gradually recovered, thanks to practising healthy habits, I think I am getting better and better. So we decided to go on the Tongariro River Trail biking on our New Year holiday trip.

Located in Turangi in the Central North Island region, Tongariro River Trail is a scenic looped ride along both sides of the Tongariro River. This is a perfect activity for a nature lover to enjoy the unspoilt native bush and cool views of the clear waters of the Tongariro River. It is also a great alternative option for those who don't have a lot of time or just don't want to spend half of a day hiking around the river.

This is a friendly bike track. On average, it only takes 1.5 hours to cycle to see the whole scene. So we plan to rent bicycles for 2 hours.

Welcoming us at the bike rental was a friendly and enthusiastic staff from Hamilton. After a quick chat, I share with her that I was a bit nervous because I haven't ridden a bike for a long time, she helped us to adjust the bikes to make our cycling trip easier. She also didn't forget to tell us how to safely go up the road and where is the best place to go for a viewing. I am so grateful to get a great service from her.

_{We asked the staff to take a commemorative photo for the 3 of us before we left.}

_{Following the staff instruction, we did a short ride on the main road}

_{We entered the entrance to the trail.}

When looking at the map, we thought it was easier to explore the lookout first and it would be great to see the whole view of this beautiful town. Unfortunately, it was not a wise decision. We just did a difficult hike the day before and the trail to the lookout was a bit hard to go with the bike. Both my friend and I were not able to ride it of course so we had to walk uphill with our bikes.

Another thing that made it difficult at the beginning of our ride was the difficulty to use mountain bikes. With all the gear settings, what number is the best to go uphill, which one to use for flat conditions and even when to use right or left breaks. I was confused at the beginning and almost crashed into the bushes when going downhill because I used the wrong break.

The next part of the ride was quite pleasant as we passed through a small path next to farms. My friends and I were so thrilled to see sheep, cows and horses happily enjoying their lives there. It all created a beautiful painting with forest and mountain as a background for farm animals on a beautiful summer day

_{On the way to a lookout, view of the river from a bridge}

_{Passing through a nice place for a short break}

_{Nice views of a farm on the other side of the river}

_{I got scared as all the cows were looking at us. They probably thought why these two aliens are here}

_{In another farm, we witnessed a competition between two stubborn cows, I had spent a lot of time telling them not to do it but they wouldn't listen}

_{We took our time to enjoy the views as we won't have many opportunities like this}

We were so engrossed in the beautiful scenery that we forgot the time we need to return the bikes. It was 11:30 am and we were 15 minutes late. My partner made a quick call to tell the bike rental staff and luckily the lady said it was all good.

The way back was a bit difficult because we had to run along a small road next to the highway, it was quite noisy and I felt unsafe. In addition, due to sitting for too long on the bike, our butts were sore. I wonder what you could do to prevent this pain if you are a mountain-biking lover.

Thankfully, there is one thing that makes me quite happy, since we already got a hang of using the bike, we rode quite proficiently. I started to pick up my biking skills as I drove my motorbike quite well when I was in Vietnam. I even went faster than my partner on the way back.

Arrived at the rental place at noon, the morning staff came out to greet and ask us about the trip. We all apologize for being late. Surprisingly she didn't blame anything and said all good. We then left with excitement and satisfaction with the service of this place as well as excited about a new experience we tried in New Zealand.