The idea for a bike trail the length of the country took shape at a Northland beach over the Christmas holidays in the mind of a non-cyclist named Graham Wall.
Mr Wall owns a small high-end real estate business and has a background in marketing and advertising and an inability to stop coming up with ideas.
Ask where the idea of a New Zealand Bike Trail came from, his initial reaction is to say, "it came from nowhere".
Persist and he will explain how he's a believer in the transformative power of "little organic ideas", how he is a fan of how Hawke's Bay transformed itself - "the freezing works had closed, Watties had closed" - from a centre of unemployment and unhappiness, "to a place that is like Tuscany".
An example was the much repeated Black Barn wine, dine and luxury retreat concept which grew like Topsy from a small vineyard into a multifaceted business and a major provider of accommodation on the fringe of Havelock North and in the nearby Tuki Tuki Valley.
The next impetus for a bike trail came of his partner's concern for her son's safety cycling the roads around Lang's Beach. But the clincher came in the form of three intrepid visitors from Britain Mr Wall met during their ride from North Cape to Bluff.
Jimmy (31) used a handcycle. A rock-climbing accident in 2004 left him paralysed below the chest and ended his career with Britain's Commando Forces but not his sense of adventure. He retrained, gaining a degree in sport and exercise science and competes in handcycling events and triathlons.
John (25) is a visually impaired cyclist who quit his job as a computer programmer to take part in the New Zealand cycling adventure with Jimmy and Amelia, an able-bodied cyclist who piloted John's tandem.
Amelia (22) met Jimmy at Loughborough University, from where she also graduated with a sport and exercise science degree.
Inspired by their feat, Mr Wall became convinced that a safe bike trail taking in the country's most scenic places would become a prized and valuable asset.
Auckland Mayor John Banks arranged for Mr Wall to meet the prime minister and he sat down with John Key on February 20, three days before the Jobs Summit, with his concept for a New Zealand Bike Trail mapped out on one side of a single sheet of paper.
- Phil Taylor, New Zealand Herald
