2027 New Zealand Gravel Adventure

Welcome to Aotearoa New Zealand. Meeting at a central hotel in Christchurch in early afternoon our trip starts with a short introduction and an overview of the trip itinerary and protocol.

We’ll then head up into the local Port Hills to get set up on our bikes and enjoy an introductory ride to test the bikes and spin the legs. Tonight, we enjoy our first group dinner to celebrate coming together and the fantastic riding ahead.

You’ll be picked up from your hotel at 8 am before heading south crossing the Canterbury Plains towards Geraldine for a refreshment break, then continuing to Lake Tekapo Village for lunch. Its picturesque lake is the first of the storage lakes which feed the hydro schemes in the basin and down the Waitaki Valley. The famous Church of the Good Shepherd and nearby statue stand as a tribute to the sheepdogs that make farming the Mackenzie Basin possible and are local icons.

This afternoon we set away on the first of our Great Ride Cycle Trails for this tour – the Alps to Ocean Cycle Trail, a mixture of Grades 1,2 and 3 sections.

Today, we start following quiet roads alongside the turquoise blue waters of the canal system before dropping down from the canals to Lake Pukaki, with stunning views across to the Southern Alps and Aoraki/Mt Cook. Easy single track trail then winds around the edge of Lake Pukaki to the foot of the Lake, where the trail then crosses, on slightly rougher terrain, the extensive tussock-lands of the Pukaki flats to the small town of Twizel, our accommodation for the night.

Today’s ride follows the Waitaki river down the picturesque Waitaki Valley, known for its hydro lakes, dams, geological formations and growing reputation for cool climate wines.

First, we follow the trail along the shores of Lake Benmore to Sailors’ Cutting, where we join the lakeshore to traverse around the shoreline of rocky outcrops, little beaches and even tree covered islands. This section is a Grade 3 and therefore more technical, with single track riding on mostly good surface but, at times, with some exposure on one side and tight corners. There is an easier option for less confident riders who would prefer to avoid this more technical section.

After refreshments on top of the Dam, follow the trail on a quiet back country sealed road alongside Lake Aviemore, watching out for wild wallabies as you ride. Crossing back over Aviemore Dam we ride on easy, hard-packed single track to the small town of Kurow, where our accommodation for the night is in a boutique, converted, historic building.

From Kurow the Grade 2 section takes us along the banks of the Waitaki River, past vineyards and wetlands to reach the neighbouring town of Duntroon. From here, we ride south-east along the footpath and over the Maerewhenua bridge, following the trail through several farms to the unique rock formations known as Elephant Rocks, part of the Waitaki UNESCO Geopark.

Next we head over the remote alpine Danseys Pass, a historic stock route and gold mining route linking the Waitaki District with Central Otago. The pass is unsuitable for towing vehicles, so we will be without van support in this section, as the van will be relocated on alternative roads. Riders can opt to join the van! Meanwhile, those riding over the Pass head up the graveled road and over the fractured Kakanui Mountains.

We cycle through sections of gorge where the road clings to the cliff side and up to the barren tussock covered pass at 935m where huge triangular faced mountains tower above. From the summit we coast for 9km descending to our accommodation at the Danseys Pass Coach House at the former gold mining settlement of Kyeburn Diggings. The hotel’s original stonework was constructed in 1862 by a mason known as “Happy Bill”. Bill’s remuneration was in beer, and he received one pint for every schist boulder shaped and laid!

We can relax with a drink in front of the large fireplace and explore the old Kyeburn cemetery and mining relics before dinner.

Today definitely qualifies as the Queen stage for the trip and takes us through some classic rugged and isolated backcountry Central Otago. Once again, most of the ride is inaccessible for the van but we will have the support of a 4WD vehicle.

After a van transfer to the start of the ride at Paerau, we wind our way up lonely hills from Upper Paerau to Lake Onslow. Once known as ‘Dismal Swamp’ it was created in the 1890’s by damming for a gold claim and is now a windswept lake, renowned as a good fishing spot.

The ride then follows mostly well-formed, hard-packed clay roads with nice gradients. With large open tussock landscapes littered with large rock outcrops, it is an artists’ dream. On reaching the high point under the summit of Mt Teviot, we gradually descend with extensive views of the Clutha River and the colourful orchards of the Teviot Valley below.

It’s just a short ride from here on the Clutha Gold Trail to our lodge accommodation for the night.

Riding from our accommodation, the impressive Roxburgh hydro dam marks the start of the Roxburgh Gorge Trail. With amazing northerly vistas across the Lake Roxburgh the trail dropsinto the Gorge and then heads away from the water passing through a small secluded valley with regenerating Ka-nuka (tea tree) scrubland and into sweeping hill country farmland.

At Elbow Creek, it’s a gradual descent to Shingle Creek, the halfway mark where we take a scenic jet boat ride for the next 10km to Doctor’s Point. The second half of the trail is equally remote and awe-inspiring with stone-walled water races and other remnants of gold mining activity.

We continue tracing the gorge to finally emerge in Alexandra where we join the River Trail, an easy grade trail meandering alongside the mighty Clutha River to the start of the newest Great Ride, the Lake Dunstan Trail. This trail journeys through the Cromwell Gorge along the Clutha and the Kawarau Rivers. Starting in Clyde, the trail passes the Clyde Dam and enters the stunning Cromwell Gorge where we cycle around sheer rock faces rising above the Clutha and eventually meet the Kawarau River at Cornish Point. Passing vineyards and olive groves, we’ll cross the Bannockburn Bridge and finish in the Cromwell Heritage Precinct.

This trail is a combination of Grade 2 and 3 sections. Whilst the surface is purpose-built hard, packed single track, there are tight corners and drop offs which may be uncomfortable for some so there is an alternative ride available which would avoid the more technical section.

Today we embark on the best section of the fourth of our Great Rides – the Otago Rail Trail, a beautiful journey into the heartland of the Central Otago region and rated a Grade 1 trail, so easy and absolutely stunning.

You are also welcome to have the day off the bike and perhaps explore the delightful historic town of Clyde. As one of the historic gold mining and farming locations of New Zealand, the region is full of Kiwi colonial history. After an hour’s van transfer, today’s ride starts from Hayes Engineering Works, a remarkable historic site where significant agricultural inventions were created. Passing through tunnels and over bridges that once were the secret preserve of railway workers, we witness the natural beauty and look in awe at some of the early feats of the first settlers of this region.

The ever-changing landscape includes rugged mountains and steep winding gorges, and along the way we cycle through the 229m Poolburn tunnel and over the impressive Manuherikia Bridge and Poolburn viaduct. Be sure to also watch for the planets of the solar system along the route and take note of their proportional sizes and distances. The landscape changes from rocky outcrops to farmland as we near our destination, Clyde, which owes its existence to the 1860’s Central Otago gold rush.

In the heart of Central Otago’s picturesque landscape, the new 32km Kawarau Gorge trail bridges the gap between the existing Central Otago trails and Queenstown. It’s the newest Great Ride and an engineering marvel! The trail winds through previously inaccessible segments of the Kawarau Gorge, treating you to scenery that will simply steal your breath away.

We’ll experience the sheer majesty of the Kawarau River with the trail winding its way across suspension bridges and navigating the gorge on the opposite side to the state highway, offering a unique landscape perspective. Beyond the natural wonders, the area is rich in history with incredible stories of early gold mining days, ingenious power generation projects, tales of rabbit hunting, and the ancient routes traversed by early Maori waiting to be discovered.

We finish this remarkable trail meandering around the Nevis Bluff and emerging into Central Otago’s premier wine-growing region, Gibbston, known as the ‘Valley of Vines’. Here we join the Gibbston Valley Trail which winds its way high above the Kawarau River through to the historic Kawarau Bridge, where we can witness bungy jumpers and zipliners getting their adrenaline fix.

Our final trail takes us from the bridge all the way to our accommodation on the edge of Lake Whakatipu, which is a short water taxi ride from the hustle and bustle of Queenstown on the opposite side of the lake.

Breakfast is included this morning, so enjoy at your leisure before heading off on your onward travels or spending more time in the Adventure Capital of New Zealand!