I have the luxury of my friend living only 5 mins ride from the trail in the town of Kaikohe so I was able to sample the western half of the trail in three comfortably small half day rides.
I covered the trail from it's far western endpoint of the Mangunu Mission at Horeke to somewhere close to half way along the trail between Tuhipa/Kawiti.
The trail largely follows the route of an old railway line and is mostly very easy going with only the occasional challenging section.
In just it's western half, the trail has a wide diversity of world class scenery and the trail is brilliantly well manicured with only a few places near Horeke where the trail follows a tertiary farm road and excessive road gravel poses a small threat in a few places, otherwise I found the standard of the riding track very safe to ride.
Before I arrived in NZ this time I purchased a 2nd hand Marin Muirwoods touring / commuting bike which was more than adequate to safely and comfortably carry me over the trail.
If you are contemplating a trip to New Zealand and are looking for a short, easier and safe trail to tackle then consider taking a day or three to ride the Twin Coast Cycle Trail.
