K2W2K

Early morning ride to the rendezvous

Kawakawa Bay to Whakaipo Bay to Kawakawa Bay. That explains the acronym. It does nothing to portray the stunning scenery and luscious trails that wind their way up from one bay, around the outcrop of headland and down into the bay on the other side.

I was invited along as part of a group heading out from Velo Espresso to have a look at the relatively new addition to the Great Lake Trail network in Taupo.

The order of the day was, "any bike will do". So I rode my 150mm travel trail bike and others grabbed whatever they had ready to go - a Santa Cruz Bullit, or a 29er singlespeed. The only common thread was in fact our threads - the Velo Espresso Trail Tops. Like some sort of wanky team ride, we faffed about with food and water provisions before finally all having our handbags packed and riding in convoy out of Kinloch.

And there's not really much more to tell about the ride - nothing controversial happened, no one got lost or crashed terribly. We came, we rode, we ate lunch, we rode again and we ate a lot of food in Kinloch at the ride's end. And it was all bloody enjoyable, so much so that I'd do it again. (In fact I have!).

Here's my photo roll from the day...

Comfortable

Epic lake vistas

Beautiful seens

Team lunch at Whakaipo Bay, the turnaround point

Run what you brung (or had in working order at the time)

Quiet time

Lake Taupo - New Zealand's largest lake

Dust tan