Greater Wellington’s Bike the Remutaka Family Day on 13 February will make it easy for the whole whānau to get out and enjoy the magnificent Remutaka rail trail on two wheels.

Greater Wellington Councillor Ros Connelly, who’ll be joining the pack, says cycling the historic route feels like travelling through time.

“This is an outstanding piece of our region’s history right on our doorstep. For three quarters of a century, the railway was vital for connecting communities on either side of the Remutakas. It was an amazing feat of engineering when it was constructed almost 150 years ago, because it needed to cut through the windy, steep and rugged landscape of the Remutakas. There’s evidence of the railway, and the lives of the people who built and serviced it, all along the trail. On a bike, you can take it all in at a cruisy pace,” she says.

Starting in Kaitoke park, the 18km track will take bikers through the best bits of the iconic rail trail, including the chance to explore a restored railway bridge, and zoom through historic tunnels before arriving at the Summit to take in the views and re-fuel with light refreshments provided by Greater Wellington. After that, cyclists will traverse through the 585m long Summit Tunnel to the Wairarapa, crossing the spectacular Siberia Gully suspension bridge and then heading downhill to old Cross Creek railway settlement. Lastly, a shuttle ride to the base means there’s no need to back-pedal.

Tamariki must be over 10 years old to take part, and those under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Cyclists will require sufficiently large wheels to take on the steep and gravel parts of the track, so a 20-inch bike is minimum.

People are encouraged to purchase their tickets to ride online early, as the event caps at 100 participants.

“There are so many health and environmental benefits to embracing cycling. Not only is being out in nature good for our mental and physical health, but each time we choose taking a bike over a car, we keep harmful CO2 emissions out of the air. Events like this that get the whole family out together help to foster a love of biking and nature that will last a lifetime,” adds Cr Connelly.

Bike the Remutaka Family Day is one of the dozens of events across the region hosted by Greater Wellington as part of its summer events programme. To discover more, visit www.gwsummer.com

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