Cycling Through History

The 317km Mountain to Sea Trail begins on the slopes of Mt Ruapehu, passes through two national parks (Tongariro and Whanganui), includes a jet-boat ride down the Whanganui River, and ends at the Tasman Sea on the southwest coast. The Boston Globe’s Kari Bodnarchuk describes the 33km Mangapurua Track section of the trail: “We biked by old chimney stacks, fences, and hedges that stood as reminders of hardy [WW1 returning servicemen setters]. Wooden markers listed the family name of each pioneer who had homesteaded there. We also passed a quarry and an old explosives cave near Mangapurua Trig, the trail’s highest point at 2,175 feet.”