We'd been talking about riding the Kawatiri Coastal Trail for a while, and when we had the chance to stay at a friend's bach in Reefton it seemed like a good time to finally do it. My husband Darryn and I were there with his cousin Pauline and her husband Glenn, and of course the e-bikes had come with us.

Charleston was about an hour's drive away, so that was where we decided to start. We wanted to ride the trail through to Westport rather than having to turn around and ride back again, and found a car relocation service that made this really easy. We left the car in Charleston and while we were out riding they moved it to Westport for us. Knowing it would be sitting there waiting for us at the other end was a very good feeling.

I was riding my Specialized Turbo Levo R Carbon, which has quickly become a bike I absolutely love. It's probably more bike than I needed for the Kawatiri, but I don't really care about that. I'm comfortable on it, I feel confident riding it and, most importantly, I enjoy it.

We had picked a beautiful day for the ride, which is always a bit of a win on the West Coast. Once we'd sorted ourselves out in Charleston, we got on the bikes and headed towards Westport with around 40km ahead of us.

There was no hurry. We had the whole day and weren't interested in seeing how quickly we could get to the other end. We rode together, talked as we went and stopped whenever something caught our attention.

The trail had more variety than I expected. There were easy sections where we could just cruise along and other bits where I needed to concentrate a little more. I liked that. Nothing felt particularly difficult, but it wasn't so easy that I stopped thinking about riding the bike either.

As we got closer to the coast, it became my favourite part of the day. I loved being able to hear the sea while we were riding and then suddenly getting a clear view out across the water. It was quite different from driving the same coastline because we had time to actually notice where we were.

Pauline and I probably stopped for more photos than Darryn and Glenn thought were necessary. They would ride on a little way, realise we weren't behind them anymore and know exactly what had happened. There didn't seem much point in coming all this way and then rushing past everything. Sometimes those are the best rides!

The section around Tauranga Bay and Cape Foulwind was the part I enjoyed most. Being close to the sea made it feel quite different from some of the other trails we've ridden, and there were plenty of places where we just stopped for a few minutes and looked around.

There were also a few sections where I had to pay a bit more attention to the trail, which gave me a chance to enjoy the Levo properly.

The Levo was amazing. It was comfortable over the rougher sections and having the extra assistance there meant I never had that feeling of needing to save myself because we still had another 20km to go.

By the time we arrived in Westport, I'd ridden roughly 40km in Trail mode and still had around 50% battery left. I was pretty impressed with that! More than anything, though, I liked the fact that I hadn't thought about the battery for most of the day. The bike had just done what I wanted it to do and let me get on with enjoying the ride.

We certainly weren't shy about stopping on this ride. We stopped for something to eat along the way and even found time for a coffee at the Star Tavern near the end. There was always someone talking about something, and riding with Darryn, Pauline and Glenn meant the k's seemed to disappear without us paying much attention to them.

That's usually what I remember from these trips afterwards. I remember the trail, but I also remember the conversations and the laughs, sitting down for something to eat and Pauline and me deciding we needed just one more photo.

From Cape Foulwind we carried on towards Carters Beach and eventually Westport. By then we'd been riding for quite a while, but I wasn't wishing for it to be over. I still felt good and the Levo had far more battery left than I was ever going to need.

Once we reached Carters Beach, it did start to feel like we were nearly there, and the final ride into Westport was a nice way to finish.

And there was our car. I think all four of us were pleased to see it.

The car relocation had worked perfectly and saved us having to work out how to get ourselves and four e-bikes all the way back to Charleston. We loaded everything up and headed back to Reefton for the evening.

It had been a really easy day to organise in the end. Drive from Reefton to Charleston in the morning, ride to Westport and drive back to the bach afterwards.

We had great weather, the bikes behaved themselves and I got to spend the day riding with Darryn, Pauline and Glenn. There isn't really much more I need from a bike ride.

I've found that e-biking has changed the way I look at these sorts of trips. Instead of wondering whether a ride is too long or how difficult the hills might be, I'm much more likely to think, "That looks good, we should go and ride it."

And the Kawatiri Coastal Trail was definitely one of the good ones. 

My Checklist

Levo checks

• Fully charge the battery before leaving Reefton
• Check the tyre pressures
• Check the brake pads for wear
• Clean and lubricate the chain
• Charge my phone

Clothing and personal gear

• Helmet and riding gloves
• Waterproof jacket
• Warm layer, even if the forecast looks settled
• Water and enough food for the full ride
• Sunblock and sunglasses
• Sandfly repellent
• Small first-aid kit
• Any personal medication
• Phone in a waterproof pouch
• Downloaded trail map or Great Rides App for offline use
• A little cash or a bank card

Some parts of the trail have no cellphone coverage, so it pays to carry everything needed to look after yourself and deal with basic mechanical problems. I’ll download the trail map before leaving, as the Great Rides App can still be used offline. More information is available through the Kawatiri Coastal Trail safety guidance and trail map information.

My minimum kit for the ride will be a multitool, pump, tyre plugs, spare tube, tyre levers, quick link, chain tool, cable ties, waterproof jacket, warm layer, food, water, first-aid kit and phone. It’s enough to deal with the more likely problems on the trail without carrying half the workshop with me.