Things to do and see
This is the story of sport and its cultural role in New Zealand. New Zealand’s major sporting achievements have been in competitive cycling, water sports and horse racing. You have an opportunity to view training facilities. The waterways, lakes and rivers have fostered a strong water sports individual and team participation on the international stage on Lake Karapiro. The journey starts with competitive cyclists…
Start the journey at the International Velodrome – NZ’s Home of Cycling and home to the NZ Cycling Team.
TIP
Join a guided tour. Discover Waikato’s newest sports & leisure facility with a guided tour. Take a guided tour of the Grassroots Trust Velodrome, including an exclusive behind the scenes look at New Zealand’s high performance set up. Grab yourself a spot in the stands and watch New Zealand’s track cyclists train, if you’re lucky you might even spot some of New Zealand’s Olympic heroes hanging around. No two days are the same here at the Velodrome.
There is a bikery cafe for a quick coffee before the tour.
From the Velodrome it is a short 3.5 km walk / ride into with plenty of things to do and see. Cambridge is an excellent place to explore the Waikato with the well known Waitomo Caves a short distance away. Tear yourself away from Cambridge and walk / cycle past the thoroughbred studs along Maungatautari Road. A horse stud is easily recognisable with its distinctive wooden fencing to ensure the highly sought after racing horses are not hurt with sturdy functional wire fencing.
Arriving at Lake Karapiro you have the option of kayaking one of New Zealand’s premier water sport training spots. Boatshed Kayaks is the place to go for equipment and a day exploring the lake
- Find hidden waterfalls only accessible by water
- Enjoy glowworms on a twilight guided kayaking tour
- Get out on the water where sporting heroes / heroines have practiced
Lake Karapiro is home to some of the world’s best athletes in the NZ Rowing team. Enjoy refuelling at the Podium Café is a must with its amazing views over the Lake.
Te Awa trail is a celebration of the Mighty Waikato River, the people who have lived by and on the river. Waikato Tainui and its local iwi ngati haua have identified sites of significance. Connecting Cambridge to Karapiro is the recently completed Te Awa walk/cycle way which is just over 8km of dedicated pathway to the Mighty River Domain on the shores of Lake Karapiro.
- Start: Cambridge
- Finish: Lake Karapiro
- Length: 8 km
- Grade: Slight elevations, flat wide firm pathway
This walk is part of the Unforgettable Day Walks in New Zealand series.
BEST BITS TRAVEL GUIDE
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