Fine days for fine trail pursuits in Hawke's Bay

Cyclists on Kidnappers Coast, one of the Landscape Rides, part of the Hawke's Bay Trails, between Black Bridge and Haumoana.

Hawke's Bay is very much enjoying (another) clement Indian summer.

That terminology which surrounds an almost summer-like autumn and we have indeed been enjoying an almost summer-like autumn...thus far.

You can't complain about a March 27 day when the temperature is just degree short of that figure, as it was last Tuesday.

In terms of that "term" it is not from the sub-continent of India — it is taken from the domain of the Native Americans who would embrace the above-average warm and hazy autumnal days as the best days to go hunting.

So the arriving settlers took it as the time of the "Indian summer".

Okay, history lessons are over, let us go cycling.

For on a fine day of an Indian summer, in fact on any fine day of any time of the year, the cycle trails of Hawke's Bay beckon.

And they are now beckoning a growing number of people, as one chap I spoke to a while back pointed out.

He has been cycling the Bay trails for three or four years now, to keep the well-matured joints sparking, and reckoned in that period of time the numbers of people pedalling an hour or two away appeared to have pretty well doubled.

Many holidaymakers arriving in the Bay are taking to the cycle trails alongside the fleets of locals, and even some of those aboard the cruise liners head for the cycle hire spots so they too can embrace what many reckon are the finest cycling trails in the land.

They are flat, they weave through seafronts and rural domains, and pass by wineries and other "let's have a short break here" locations.

There are trails for all ages, and the little ones have their own Marine Parade cycling spot.

The Bay was built for biking, basically.

And today one of the many events which embrace that is taking place, with more than 1500 recreational cyclists set to take on The Big Easy.

It is great to see, and all credit to all those who work to arrange and run such events.

Events which make the most of another one of the Bay's great assets...the Indian summer.