Whakatāne / Ōhope
Whakatāne / Ōhope
- GradeEasyIntermediate
- Time 1-3 hrs
- Distance 30kms
This trail, which includes the Warren Cole Walk & Cycleway runs alongside the Whakatāne River from the highway bridge to the Whakatāne River heads. It's a bit over 4 kilometres each way, completely flat, and fully paved.
Along the way, you get views over the saltmarsh, the Whakatāne marina and wharf, various artworks, and out to Moutohorā (Whale Island). This is a great trail for easy riding, walking, or running. It's close to Whakatāne town centre and passes right by the i-SITE, where there are toilets.
The best place to start is near the river heads, where there's ample parking and toilets.
This is a new trail and a great way to see the upper reaches of Ohiwa Harbour. The trail is routed near the harbour edge and is about 3km long. One end is at Ōhope Wharf, a good starting point, with ample parking and toilets. To extend the distance, loop in Ōhope's Harbour Road and Ocean Road.
This trail is the original connection between Ōhope and Whakatāne. It climbs to 100 metres elevation but not steeply.
From Maraetotara Reserve, ride the mostly-gravel Maraetotara Road, then gravel Burma Road, taking you back to the main Ōhope-Whakatāne road. From there, you can ride the roadside cycle path either back to Ōhope, or on to Whakatāne.
A good add-on is to ride up to Ōtarawairere Road, up to Kohi Point lookout / Kapu Te Rangi Pa site, which offers stunning panoramas. It's mostly gravel road, climbing to about 150 metres elevation.
The eastern end of Burma Road is more challenging than the Ōhope end. It crosses farmland, with a steep climb. The riding is 4WD farm track, muddy after rain, packed hard in summer. It comes down onto the main road east of Ōhope. The eastern end of Burma road is closed during lambing.
The bike park offers a great range of easy-intermediate-grade riding. It's a great spot for families and is just 25 minutes drive from Whakatāne. Note that the Rawhiti Mountain Bike Park in the hills behind Ōhope is no longer open.
Stanley Road is a hilly 19 kilometres ride with 12 kilometres of gravel. It includes Stanley Falls Scenic Reserve. This road is best ridden on the weekend as there may be forestry traffic during the week.
You can complete a great loop from Whakatāne, by riding SH2 to Tāneatua and beyond, then up Stanley Road, down McCoy Road, Wainui Road to Ōhope, then Maraetotara/Burma Roads (described above) back to Whakatāne. Take care on SH2 and Wainui Road. This is a super loop for gravel road riders. The roads are marked in the Motu Trails trail brochure.
- Download the Motu Trails brochure for a map that includes the above rides, though not in detail.
- Whakatāne i-SITE has hire bikes.