Greetings from kingston!
I hope you are all doing well and happy in your bubbles! I’ve been keeping myself busy lately, holed up in isolation, here in Kingston for the past 6 weeks. Vernon managed to catch the last flight out of NZ before everything went pear-shaped and he’s now back with his wife and family in Japan. Meanwhile, I moved into Vernon’s house so I could put all the bikes, vans and equipment away for the winter and continue to work away on my “secret project” during lock-down. I accidentally let the cat out of the bag last night on Facebook but anyway… We’ve got some big news for you! We have a new name, a new website, new tours and some special offers!
A new name
The big news is that we have changed our name! The business was originally called “A2O Cycle Tours” when it was the first commercial cycle tour on the Alps 2 Ocean 11 years ago. As new trails were developed and new tours were added, the name was changed to “Not A Rail Trail”. We are now taking the company into a new era and we felt the business needed a new name more in keeping with the ethos and direction of the company – Escape by Cycle. We still have the same great cycle tours as always, with the same excellent food, accommodation and level of service. We are absolutely committed to maintaining and building on our reputation for high quality and great value.
Our cycle tours are an escape from the pressures of modern life. An escape to share an outdoor experience with friends and family. An escape to have fun cycling through some of the most beautiful and remote landscapes in New Zealand!
As the world comes out of lockdown, it’s becoming more important than ever to get away from the crowds and reconnect with nature in a fun, healthy way. That’s what Escape by Cycle is all about!
new website - new tours
We are excited to be launching a new style of tour this summer, which we call “Combined Cycle Tours” (not to be confused with a power station). These tours cherry-pick the highlights of our favourite trails and combine them with other great outdoor activities which we love. We have 2 options to choose from:
- Escape by Golf – cycle our best trails and play up to 4 rounds of golf on a selection of fabulous courses around Central Otago and Southland.
- Escape by Yoga – New Zealand’s only combined Cycle Tour Yoga Retreat! With great cycling, daily yoga and meditation classes and 2 in-depth yoga workshops.
before you go...
It’s been a tough time to be a small business in the tourism industry lately! We are all hoping there will be a strong resurgence of domestic tourism next season. Please don’t leave booking until the last minute – support your local businesses! If we are prevented from operating our cycle tours by ongoing health and travel restrictions, we will simply defer your booking until a later date that suits you, at no extra cost. We did this recently for over 50 of our customers who were booked on tours when the restrictions were enforced. You will not lose anything by booking in early!
I’d be delighted to hear any feedback on the new website! Please feel free to drop me an email or give me a call.
Ian Schnauer
Managing Director
Great Outdoors NZ Limited
www.escapebycycle.com
PS: I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped creating the new brand, logo and website. In particular the team at LOGIC1 in Wanaka.