Tour Aotearoa 10 Years On – The Same But Different

Words & photos: Jonathan Kennett

A promising predawn glow was slowly revealing Te Rerenga Wairua. Along its spine, twinkling head lamps bobbed up and down as 100 bikepackers walked to and from Cape Reinga lighthouse. It was almost exactly 10 years since the first wave of Tour Aotearoa riders had gathered here for the inaugural 3,000 km brevet from Cape Reinga to Bluff.

Since 2016, so much has changed, but some things have remained constant. For example, the three most popular sections of the 2026 course were enduring favourites: The West Coast Wilderness Trail, The Timber Trail and the Bridge to Nowhere. They will always be hard to beat. Also, for the tenth year running, Ground Effect was the most common logo worn by TA riders.

Robin on trackers.

The choice of bikes are changing though. Gravel bikes, which didn’t even exist in 2016, are now the choice for 20% of riders. While specific bikepacking bikes (the likes of Salsa Cutthroat and various Surleys) are only used by 17%. However, it is the ubiquitous 29er hardtail mountain bike that’s clearly on top, making up half the field, with the remaining bikes being various other types of mountain bike (fully rigid, full suspension and 27.5-inch).

Still a long way to go, 90 Mile Beach.

Another sign of change was the good, the bad and the ugly of new tech. CO2 cannisters are rapidly being replaced with electric pumps, which look to be the way of the future. Almost everyone (83%) is now carrying power banks (mostly 10,000 mAh) – somehow, I managed to survive without one. Also, electronic derailleurs are growing in use, causing range anxiety and mechanicals along the way.

Mark Watson at sunset.

Perhaps the most welcome change since 2016, are the new sections of trail. The most notable are: the Kaihu Rail Trail in Northland, extensions to Auckland’s bike paths, the Hunua Traverse Heartland Ride, the new Ashurst to Woodville shared path and Te Ara Tupua cycleway into Wellington (opened last month). And we are definitely looking forward to rerouting the tour along the Kawarau Gorge Trail when it opens this September.

An Australian family of 'dark riders'.

The riders have inevitably changed as well. The event started in late February, with 300 people who had all signed up through MAProgress. Surprisingly however, businesses along the tour estimated that there were 3,000 independent riders doing the TA between October 2025 and May 2026. We called them ‘dark riders’ as we couldn’t find them on the MAProgress site. Many of these independents were young, overseas riders inspired to try bikepacking as a way of exploring the real New Zealand. Even in the event this year, riders came from 16 countries, although most entrants were still New Zealanders, and many were repeat offenders. Ingrid Taumaunu was doing her sixth tour!

Bronnie pushing up Duffers Saddle, at dawn.

This was only my third TA. In 2016, I rode a single bike; in 2018, a tandem. I loved both those tours, even though they were quite different experiences. This time, I opted for the best of both worlds! I did the North Island on a single bike, blasting along with new and old mates, averaging 160 km a day. Then, for a complete change, I rode the South Island on a tandem with my partner Bronnie. Tandems are more challenging to ride, especially on monster hills like Maungatapu Track and Duffers Sadde, but also on technical tracks like Big River. But hey! Every challenge is just an accomplishment in the waiting. The bigger the challenge, the bigger the accomplishment. That was certainly how most people felt as they coasted the last of their 3,000-kilometre journey, down to the famous yellow signs at Stirling Point, at the bottom of the land of the long white cloud.