Hamilton has a new way to bar-hop — and it involves pedals.
Beercycle, the party-on-wheels pub crawl that’s already become a fixture in Auckland and Christchurch, is now officially rolling through the streets of Waikato.
The Dutch-made 15-seater bike, complete with music, lights and a lively host, lets groups cycle between bars while soaking in the city’s nightlife (or daylife) — all without splitting up or hailing a single Uber.
Beercycle rolling through the streets of Hamilton CBD.
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The Beercycle is hard to miss, and that’s entirely the point.
Founder Nick Wilson, 33, who grew up in Hamilton and got his start as a delivery boy for the Waikato Times, says the idea for Beercycle came during a family trip to the US when they spotted a fully booked beercycle outside a bar.
His mum joked they should start one back in New Zealand – and when Wilson realised it didn’t exist here, she told him he should be the one to do it.
And he did. Beercycle launched in Auckland in January 2016.
“People didn’t really know what it was, but they loved it straight away … people smile and wave and stuff as you go past and everything like that. People still really like it, which is great.”
The Beercycle now operates in Auckland, Christchurch and Hamilton, with a fourth bike being prepped for Queenstown.
Hamilton’s tours start at The Roaming Giant in Claudelands and run Fridays through Sundays, with two-hour slots from midday through to 8pm. The route includes multiple bar stops, with flexibility built in – some groups cycle hard and hit a few venues; others take it slow and soak up the scenery.
“It depends on how fast you drink and how fast you cycle,” Wilson said, laughing.
“Some groups will just speed through and drink real fast, and other groups will be quite slow and go to maybe one or two bars. We totally don’t mind what the people do.”
Beercycle, the party-on-wheels pub crawl, launched in Auckland and Christchurch nearly a decade ago.
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At the moment, the Beercycle doesn’t serve drinks on board – but that could change soon.
Wilson says they’re working through the licensing process to allow alcohol to be sold and consumed while riding, which would bring the Hamilton experience in line with some of the international models that first inspired him.
That said, it’s not all about the booze. “We’re not all about the drinking, we do do non-alcoholic ones as well,” he says.
Wilson’s recollection of early highlights includes Valerie Adams’ hens do “which was pretty cool, and she doesn’t even drink”.
Over the years, the Beercycle has become a go-to for hens and stag dos, office parties, birthdays and even the occasional surprise proposal.
“We recently just had a group in Christchurch who were doing their daughter’s 19th birthday, and they were like, oh, last time we did it, she wasn’t old enough to come on.”
There are also repeat riders who’ve tried it in every city. Wilson says the shared experience is part of the magic. “Sometimes if you’re going out somewhere, the group can get all split up. One cool thing about the beercycle is it keeps everyone together,” he says. “It’s a really good way for people to meet and do something fun together.”
A group of up to 15 people can book a two-hour Beercycle ride for $450.
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And despite almost a decade on the road, the Beercycle has a spotless record. “We’ve been going for 9.5 years and we’ve not had an incident at all, like everything’s gone pretty smoothly. No-one’s hurt themselves, we’ve never crashed or anything, so we’re really proud of our safety record.”
Each ride costs $450, and that price hasn’t changed since the day Beercycle launched.
“We think it’s a totally fair price and so we’re happy with it,” Wilson says. “It might go up with rising costs of everything, but we’re happy with the price at the moment.”
Winter is usually the quieter season – ideal for booking without the summer rush, Wilson added.
But the company’s already seeing strong demand in Hamilton.
“People in Hamilton are already loving it,” he says. “For our first tour, I got a bunch of mates on it and people were coming up and asking when they could book it out.”
For Wilson, the launch in Hamilton felt long overdue.
“People have always said, bring it to Hamilton, and it was time,” he says. “Hamilton’s really become such a cool city now … and we just want to be part of it.”
Article by Waikato Times. Written by Avina Vidyadharan
