Kaikokopu and Pugh #

This figure-8 shaped route heads out towards the Bay of Plenty coast before climbing back towards Rotorua and finishing with a loop of the lake:

While there are long stretches of tarseal, the route is generally on quiet roads, and the gravel sections are well worth the effort. Once you reach Old Coach Road you’re only about 8 kilometres from the beach, so it’s not too much extra to head out to the coast for an ice-cream at Pukehina Beach.