This article was published in Tararua Tramper in February 2026
A group of nine cyclists met up on Saturday morning at the start of the Apiti Ridge Ride in Palmerston North. We breakfasted at the lovely Café Cuba and discussed logistics. As we had a mix of push bikes and e-bikes we decided not to stay together in one big group but to meet up along the way.
It was quite a navigational challenge to leave Palmerston North, with the city drawing us back in at every turn. Unfortunately one of our party had to turn back having punctured twice within the first hour or so. We met up at the Gingerbird Café in Colyton and had some much-needed refreshments. Our luck held with the weather for the whole weekend and riding under the blazing sun meant extra liquids were required. We rode through rolling grasslands and interesting little townships. The backroads were pretty quiet and some rolling hillocks presented a welcome variety of landscape. The e-bikers took off and the pushbikers followed along behind. We got to the climb of Pollock Road – up up up to 600m. The views were stunning. We came across Mike, Zita and Susi on the Ridge having lunch. Mike and Zita were heading to Apiti for lunch at the famed local pub. The rest of us carried on to Makoura Lodge.
Makoura Lodge was a delight and we supped welcome beers and a three course meal. The staff were fantastic. Some of us were staying in a suite in the lodge and the rest in a beautifully appointed house on the property. It was wonderful to have a shower and a great meal to end day 1 together.
On day 2 we all set off at different times, with the e-bikers making a leisurely start to the day. A change of route was required because a local bridge was out of use, making me a bit nervous having mapped the route on my Wahoo on the basis that the bridge was in place. As it turned out there was no need to worry. We made excellent time reaching Ashurst for a well-deserved pastry and beverage stop at the Backyard Café. The route from the Lodge to Ashhurst was absolutely stunning and we were glad to get to ride on quite a bit of tarmac after the gravel of the previous day.
We then braved SH3 to get back to Palmerston North. This part of the course was tricky and required some navigational skills. Wending our way back into Palmerston North on another brilliant sunny day was the bees knees! My reflections as trip leader: for this kind of trip everyone needs to have a well-maintained bike, be able to do basic repairs at the roadside, be confident riding their bikes and be able to navigate from maps and devices, especially when the group is stretched out. Good communication was enabled by Whatsapp, but in remote areas it may not be available. - Fleur