What better way to visit sustainable gardens than by sustainable transport? Bike Eastern Suburbs has partnered with The Eastern Bays Sustainable Garden Trail and Bionic Bikes to organise a bike tour around the Eastern Bays Sustainable Garden Trail.
Suitable for both human-powered and e-bikes, the tour will be about 20km and take around three or so hours. The route will be partly on urban roads, and there are quite a few hills involved.
Bionic Bikes is opening up early and has a special price for people who would like to rent a bike for the trip and book directly with them beforehand.
We will be meeting at Bionic Bikes (244 Orakei Rd) at 9.30. If you want to hire a bike, please arrive at 9.00 to get your bike sorted.
Bring:
Water
$2.00 cash per garden (we may be visiting up to 6 gardens)
Sunscreen
Snacks if you want
A sense of humour and a willingness to go with the flow.
Rules: We want to keep it simple, friendly and rely on everyone’s common sense to keep everyone safe and happy. However, as the event is open to everyone, we need to outline a few things in case someone leaves their common sense at home.
We will collect your name, email and phone number beforehand. This also speeds up the entry at each garden.
Please obey all instructions from the leader. They are volunteers who have the responsibility for the safety of everyone. to consider.
You will be introduced to the leaser at the start. Please don’t overtake them. They may be riding slowly for a reason.
If you do need to leave the group or decide to do things at your own speed, you must tell the leader so we don’t waste time searching for you.
Entry to each garden is $2.00. Please respect the wishes of the garden owners and follow their instructions.
Obey all the road rules. Stop at Stop signs and indicate when turning.
Give way to everyone on the shared paths, even if they may be in your way.
Make sure your bike is in good working order and wear a helmet.
Liability: This is a free event run by volunteers and is held on public roads and pathways. All the organisers are doing is organising a route and guiding you around it. You are ultimately responsible for the safety of yourself and of those around you. We take safety very seriously but accept absolutely no liability for injuries, accidents, damage or losses caused by you or others. If you do not agree, do not attend. We will be carrying a small first aid kit, and the leader has been trained in first aid.
FAQ
What if it’s raining? It’s summer in Auckland. We get wet, then it stops raining and we get dry. If it’s forecast to be torrential rain and high winds we will cancel. Keep an eye on the Facebook page for notification in the morning.
What about security for my bike? You will probably be able to walk down the driveway and leave your bike off the road at most gardens. There are helpers at the gardens who will mind the bikes for us. Bring a lock if you are at all concerned.
Can I bring my kids? It’s about 20km and some riding on the road, so if they are small enough to carry them on your bike, that’s fine, otherwise it’s probably only suited to kids 13 and over who are experienced at riding on the road.I’ve never ridden in a group, what if I can’t keep up? This is about the experience, it’s not a race. We will be riding at a slow pace and will stop frequently to make sure everyone stays together and we cross intersections safely. If you do feel unsafe or want to pull out for any reason, please tell the leader so we don’t look for you.
What if I want to ride fast and see more gardens? No problems, just tell the leader you are leaving the group so we don’t send out a search party, and we will tell you our final destination so you can catch up with us there if you want.
What if I love one particular garden and want to spend more time there? We have estimated about 20-25 minutes at each garden, but if everyone is engrossed, we will take longer. If one really takes your fancy, you can tell the ride organiser to take you off the list and you can stay there for as long as you like.
Note: If you can’t make Sunday we will be running a pre-EcoFest event on Saturday too (may be different routes each day). https://events.humanitix.com/bike-the-eastern-bays-sustainable-garden-trail-saturday-edition .
Cost: Free
Registration/Ticket Info:
Please get your free tickets through Humanitix to make sure we can cater for everyone.