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Grand Tour
Duration
16 days
Site savings
$59
From
$5,836 USD
This is the Grand South Island cycling experience - wonderful biking with a superb range of magnificent scenery that includes four National Parks over a 16 day tour. You will start with a magical ride around the Marlborough Sounds coastline, to Nelson Lakes National Park, and then down spectacular Buller Gorge to the wild West Coast. Stay at Punakaiki, right by the beach and see the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes at Paparoa National Park. Pedal past picture perfect West Coast lakes and Glaciers and stay at a Wilderness Lodge in the rain forest. Walk to the beach and you may see penguins!
- CategoryMulti-Activity
- TypeFully Guided
- Duration16 days
- Culture LevelFamiliar
- Skill Level2 - Novice
- Activity Level3 - Active
- Elevation3 - Intermediate
- TerrainCoastal
- Distance367.9 miles
- Avg. Daily Distance28 miles
Quick Stats
- Duration16 days
- Main DestinationSouth Island
- Distance367.9 miles
- Avg. Daily Distance28 miles
- Elevation3 - Intermediate
- TerrainCoastal
Route Map (click to view larger image)
Itinerary Details
- Day 1Picton
You will meet at 4.00 pm at Picton Beachcomber Inn, 27 Waikawa Rd, Picton.
Your tour leader will then hold a trip orientation meeting and fit you to your rental bikes. You will then take a short ride of around 20 kilometres on a quiet coastal road to Whatamango Bay.
- 12.4 miles
- Beachcomber Inn, Picton
- Lunch and Dinner
- Day 2Picton to Nelson: (pop 46,200)
Picton to Nelson: adv. 110km/69 mi
Picton to Havelock:cas 35km/ 22 mi
Picton to Pelorus Bridge:Int. 56km/ 35 mi
You will climb out of Picton along a delightful, twisty little coastal road to Mahau Sound and the sleepy town of Havelock, from where the mail boat leaves. The town's claim to fame rests on the fact that two scientific giants grew up here: Ernest Rutherford, who was the first to split the atom, for which he won a Nobel prize in 1908, and later, William Pickering, who spent his career in the U.S. and directed the first successful satellite launches in the late 1950's in response to the Soviet Sputnik program. You will also notice many mussel farms along the Queen Charlotte Sounds.
After riding through dairy farming country you will reach an attractive bush reserve at Pelorus Bridge where you will have lunch. Due to traffic volumes from here, meet at Pelorus Bridge or Rai Valley to drive into Nelson over the climbs of Rai Saddle and Whangamoa Saddle. Keen riders may enjoy an additional (cycling) side trip to Okiwi Bay on a quiet road with excellent views. The cathedral city of Nelson is New Zealand's sunniest city with its neighbouring orchards and sandy beaches.
- 21.7 miles
- Rutherford Hotel, Nelson
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
- Day 3Nelson to St Arnaud (pop 445)
Motueka to Kohatu:cas. 52 km / 33 mi
Motueka to Golden Downsint. 56km/ 35 mi
Motueka to St Arnaud:adv.97 km/ 61 mi
You will drive 45 minutes to Motueka at the mouth of the river of the same name which empties into Tasman Bay. You will cycle up the Motueka Valley, a delightful quiet road that passes apple orchards, berry farms, fields of hops, wineries and dairy farms before reaching open sheep country. After a picnic lunch at Tapawera you will continue to climb through Golden Downs forest and mostly uninhabited country before a final descent to St Arnaud, set in beech forest by beautiful Lake Rotoiti (“little lake” in Maori).
- 32.3 miles
- Alpine Lodge, Nelson Lakes Park
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
- Day 4St Arnaud to Murchison (pop 500)
You'll take a short walk (up to1 hour) in the beech forest by the lake before starting the day's ride. From St Arnaud you will follow the Buller River downhill through sheep farming country to Murchison. There are virtually no towns or shops before Murchison, once a gold mining town and best known for the devastating 1929 earthquake.
- 39.1 miles
- Murchison Motel
- Breakfast and Dinner
- Day 5Murchison to Westport (pop 3,900)
Murchison to Westport (pop 3,900): adv. 97 km/ 61 mi
Murchison to Berlins:cas/int 64 km/ 40 mi
There is the option (at extra cost) to raft down the impressive Buller Gorge to Lyell for lunch, or cycle the road which continues to follow the course of the Buller river. The river goes through a narrow gorge for parts of the route but other than the mining ghost town of Lyell and tiny Inangahua there are few services en route before you reach Westport and the sea. The sparsely populated West Coast is relatively isolated being cut off by the Southern Alps.
Westport was originally founded as a gold-mining town c.1860, then served as a port for shipping coal but is now mainly reliant on tourism and fishing. Before dinner at a superb restaurant on the beachfront at Tauranga Bay, near Cape Foulwind, there will be a chance to visit a New Zealand fur seal colony and see cheeky black wekas (flightless native birds).
- 39.8 miles
- Chelsea Gateway Motor Lodge, Westport
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
- Day 6Westport to Punakaiki (pop 75)
Westport to Punakaiki (pop 75)int. 57 km/ 36 mi
Westport to Charleston:cas. 26 km/ 16 mi
At Charleston, the only town en route, you may wish to go caving or underwater rafting. The rolling coastal road offers many spectacular views and delightful sandy coves. The Paparoa Range provides a backdrop of thick native bush and broken by limestone cliffs. At Punakaiki you will take a walk around Dolomite Point to explore the fascinating Pancake Rocks, where the sea has undermined the sedimentary rock and created spectacular layered rock formations and dramatic blow holes, especially at high tide.- 16.2 miles
- Punakaiki Resort
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
- Day 7Punakaiki. Rest Day
Options today include kayaking on the scenic Pororari River, hikes in Paparoa National Park or easy walks on the Truman Track or to the Punakaiki Cavern, featuring glow-worms. The West Coast rainforest features nikau palms, tree ferns, weeping rimu and towering rata and you may be lucky enough to encounter native birds such as weka, tuis, wood pigeons or bellbirds. Or you may choose to simply relax in the beautiful surroundings or explore the expanses of wild empty beach.
- Punakaiki Resort
- Breakfast and Dinner
- Day 8Punakaiki to Hokitika (pop 3,400)
Punakaiki to Hokitika (pop 3,400):adv. 84km / 52.5 mi
Punakaiki to Greymouth:cas./int. 44 km/ 28 mi
You will head south along the coast on a road squeezed between the mountains and the sea, crossing a few rivers, to Greymouth, the principal town of Westland. Named after Sir George Grey, New Zealand’s first Governor, it was the site of Mawhera, the largest Maori settlement on the West Coast. From here it is a flat run to Hokitika -a town famous for its gold-rush in the 1860’s and more recently timber milling. The town has greenstone (jade) and glass blowing factories and now relies on tourism.
- 27.3 miles
- Beachfront Hotel, Hokitika
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
- Day 9Hokitika to Franz Josef (pop 330)
Mt Hercules summit to Franz Josef: cas. 51 km/ 32 mi
Lake Ianthe to Franz Josef:int. 80km/ 50mi
Hokitika to Franz Josef Glacier:adv. 135km/ 84.4mi.
Crossing the Hokitika River you will head south through native bush of rimu and Kahikatea (white pine). The route takes you through an agricultural valley and forest. The country is rolling with one climb up Mt Hercules after the town of Harihari (nowhere near as daunting as the name suggests!) and a final flat run from Whataroa. Entering Westland National Park as you pass beautiful Lake Mapourika, you will have superb views of snow-capped peaks.
- 31.7 miles
- Punga Grove, Franz Josef
- Breakfast and Lunch
- Day 10Franz Josef to Lake Moeraki
Bruce Bay to Lake Moeraki:cas. 43km/27mi
Fox to Lake Moeraki:int. 89km/56mi
Franz Josef to Lake Moeraki:adv. 114km/71mi
From Franz Josef to Fox Glacier is just 24km, but includes three quite severe climbs (and descents); it is through beautiful native forest. The remaining terrain is very gently undulating. From Fox to Lake Paringa the road passes through lush rain forest of rimu and rata, flax filled swamps and past rugged hills. The many rivers become raging torrents after rain. With fine weather there will be superb views of Mt. Cook and the Southern Alps.
Lake Moeraki Wilderness Lodge was established in 1989 by owners Anne Saunders and biologist Gerry McSweeney to help protect the rainforest and to share this extraordinary natural lakeside setting with visitors. On arrival there is time to take a paddle in canoes on the lake which is stocked with trout or hike to Monro’s beach to spot fur seals and (in season) penguins. Dinner this evening is in the lodge’s dining room overlooking the wilderness area.
- 26.7 miles
- Lake Moeraki Wilderness Lodge
- Breakfast and Dinner
- Day 11Lake Moeraki Optional Rest Day or Ride to Jackson Bay
Lake Moeraki to Jackson Bay:int/adv. 79km/49mi
Haast Village to Jackson Bay:cas. 51km/32mi
After breakfast, you will have a free day with plenty of outdoor activities provided by the Wilderness Lodge, including kayaking or hiking through the rainforest. There is also a complimentary daily guided programme including glow-worm walks and giant eel-feeding. For those keen for more cycling there is the option of riding to Jackson Head, south of Haast, mostly hugging the coastline. This headland provides shelter from the prevailing wind direction, and here a fishing harbour has survived since the early pioneer days of seal hunting. The village offers spectacular views of the ocean and the Southern Alps.
Jackson Head also marks the southern end of the west coast’s narrow river plains. Beyond this point, the steep mountain ranges plunge directly into the sea -the first of the deep glacial fiords is just 60 kilometres away.When you visit this remote and geographically -gifted region, it’s easy to see why it has been designated a World Heritage Area.
- 31.7 miles
- Lake Moeraki Wilderness Lodge
- Breakfast and Dinner
- Day 12Lake Moeraki to Makarora (pop. 80)
Lake Moeraki to Makarora (pop. 80):adv. 112/70mi
Lake Moeraki to Haast:cas. 30km/19mi
Lake Moeraki to Haast Pass:int. 81km/51mi
Just south of Lake Moeraki, Knights point affords excellent views of the rugged coastline where seals can often be seen basking in the sun. From Haast you will head inland, following the Haast River towards the snowcapped peaks. You will pass innumerable waterfalls and much bird life, notably keas, fantails and bellbirds. After lunch the stiff climb through the Gates of Haast is negotiated before the gentle descent to tiny, isolated Makarora. Makarora is a base for trampers (hikers) and the renowned Siberia Experience.
- 18.6 miles
- Makarora Tourist Centre
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
- Day 13Makarora to Wanaka (pop. 7,000)
Makarora to Wanaka (pop. 7,000):int./adv. 66km/ 41mi
Makarora to Hawea turnoff:cas. 50km/ 31mi
The country is now dramatically drier, dense bush giving way to open sheep paddocks. The road closely follows lake Wanaka, crosses the Neck to Lake Hawea and then re-crosses to Lake Wanaka. There are dramatic views of jagged, rocky mountains across the lake. Wanaka is the gateway to Mt Aspiring National park and several winter ski regions.Those with energy to spare may like to hike up Mt Iron for more panoramic views or visit Rippon Vineyard (Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling wines) for a more leisurely afternoon.
- 31.1 miles
- Te Wanaka Lodge
- Breakfast
- Day 14Wanaka
Wanaka:Loop int. 56km/ 35mi
Loop adv. 115km/ 72mi
Situated at the Southern end of Lake Wanaka and surrounded by mountains Wanaka is a playground for the outdoor enthusiast with a multitude of options to fill your day. You can choose a scenic loop road bike ride with a longer options riding around Lake Dunstan. There are walks of all lengths, including one considered the best half day walk in New Zealand, the Rob Roy Glacier in the Mt Aspiring National Park, a world of mountains, jet boating, kayaking or fishing on the Lake and there is also a scenic golf course. A more leisurely day can be enjoyed exploring the town or visiting Rippon Vineyard for some stunning Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling wines.
- 34.8 miles
- Te Wanaka Lodge
- Breakfast and Dinner
- Day 15Wanaka to Queenstown via Cardrona
Wanaka to Queenstown via Cardrona:adv. 78km/ 49mi
Wanaka to Cardrona Hotel:cas./int. 27km/ 17mi
The route today takes you up the Crown Range, over the Cardrona Road. You will climb through tussock hills past the historic Cardrona Hotel; on reaching the top there will be amazing views of the Remarkables mountain range and Queenstown. The adjacent Pisa Range (1963m) features New Zealands’s only Nordic ski-touring and snow-shoe trails. You will descend the exhilarating hairpin bends down to Arrowtown, an attractive, well-preserved gold-mining village with quaint old cottages and avenues of elms. An easy flat ride beneath Coronet Peak, a winter ski field, takes us to Arthur’s Point where you will cross the Shotover River on your way to Queenstown. Look out for jet boats speeding through the narrow gorge. Surrounded by mountain peaks (including the famous Remarkables), and set on Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown (pop 35,000) has much to offer.
- 16.8 miles
- Millennium Hotel, Queenstown
- Breakfast and Dinner
- Day 16Queenstown