Day 1: Christchurch
You will be met on arrival at the airport and transferred to your accommodation. Join us for a scenic afternoon tour of this picturesque city, including a highlight stop at the "Sign of the Takahe", where you will be treated to a birds eye view of the city, the Canterbury plains, Southern Alps and the South Pacific Ocean. For those that are hiring bikes, the bike fitting will also take place this afternoon. The evening meal will give the group a chance to get to know each other in the pleasant surroundings of a local Christchurch restaurant. Day 2: Christchurch - Lake Tekapo
Experience the open beauty of the Canterbury Plains. Start cycling after viewing the Rakaia Gorge and its deep and swiftly flowing river. The relaxing ride takes us through the Mt Hutt region’s rolling countryside to Geraldine, which some consider is a transplanted English settler’s dream town. After a picnic lunch we continue cycling via Fairlie and Burkes Pass to Lake Tekapo. After our climb over Burkes Pass, we are in the Mackenzie Basin, famous for its Merino sheep, from which the fine wool is used to make a range of very high quality clothes and garments. Tonight we stay in the small lakeside township of Tekapo and enjoy the view across the Lake into the majestic Godley Valley – one of the Wilderness Areas of Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park. For all astronomy fans, the Mt. John Observatory is probably a must-see during the evening (optional). The modern visitor centre of the observatory offers tours, including pick-up from your accommodation.
Day 3: Lake Tekapo - Queenstown
Our itinerary today takes you from Lake Tekapo, via Omarama and Cromwell to Queenstown. Depending on your cycling preferences, you can choose between a flat ride along the hydro canals or a hill climb over the Lindis Pass (or both)! Lake Tekapo is part of a large hydro-energy project where six lakes are joined by canals. We ride along this awesome canal to Lake Pukaki, where on a clear day, we can view the breathtaking snow capped peaks of Aoraki, or "Mount Cook", the highest mountain of New Zealand. Continue to Omarama "Place of light" which is famed worldwide as a gliding centre. We stop here for lunch. This will give the support vehicle a chance to wait for the ‘rouleurs’, while the ‘hill-climbers’ can be on their way out of the Mackenzie Country and into Central Otago.Gently from Omarama you make your way up the Lindis Pass, a truly photographic delight with its unique scenery. Cruising downhill following the Lindis River is most rewarding. After riding alongside Lake Dunstan, the youngest storage lake in New Zealand, you reach Cromwell, the centre of the South Island’s fruit growing region. Here we will load all bikes on the trailer and drive the remaining 60km to Queenstown. As we follow the river out of Cromwell through the rugged Kawarau Gorge, you will experience a landscape full of gold mining history. Despite the days of gold being over, you will notice that the economy in the Gorge is still booming. Travelling past many vineyards and the original AJ Hackett bungy suspension bridge (43m above the river) you get a good idea of modern New Zealand’s economic success. After a stop at AJ Hackett, we cruise past Lake Hayes and along the shores of Lake Wakatipu into the well-known town of Queenstown. Day 4: Queenstown (Rest Day)
Queenstown, the outdoor ‘adventure capital of the world’! Take the Gondola ride to the Skyline restaurant, which is the viewpoint and start of the luge ride. Don’t miss the lake cruise aboard the historic steamship Earnslaw, jet boating on the Shotover River, Bungy Jumping, white water rafting, paragliding, or a visit to the Kiwi house at the base of the Gondola to see New Zealand's national icon in the flesh. Or take a day trip to Fiordland's Milford or Doubtful Sound. Day 5: Queenstown - Wanaka
We start with an early morning visit to Arrowtown, an idyllic and historic gold mining town, with its lovely tree-lined streets and fascinating shops. We follow this with a challenging ride over the Crown Range. Stops to take on more oxygen are rewarded with fabulous views back over the Arrow basin toward Queenstown and Lake Hayes. From the Cardrona Saddle there is a great downhill into the Cardrona Valley. On your left you will pass the historic Cardrona Hotel, a relic from the gold prospecting days of the late 1800's and a worthy stop to imbibe some liquid refreshments. The final ride is along a gentle downward sloping road to Wanaka. Day 6: Wanaka – Fox Glacier
At the end of this day we recommend you think back to where you started this morning! You may find it hard to believe that in the short distance we have covered today, the landscape could change so much. Today`s route will guide you through the ‘High Country’, alongside lakes Hawea and Wanaka. As we drive, the vegetation becomes denser until shortly before Makarora you become submerged in the dense Rainforest on the boundary of the Mount Aspiring National Park. We unload our bikes here, where our cycling starts with a hill climb. Should you feel more like a downhill today, you simply stay in the support vehicle for another 15km to the top of Haast Pass. We think the bike leg today is
amongst the world’s most scenic rides. It takes you through dense Rainforest, and past 100’s of small rivers and waterfalls. We travel to the summit of Haast Pass (563 m/1700 ft) and from there begins the pleasurable ride for 60km along the Haast River to the sea. If unspoilt nature exists, then it is here. You are a guest of one of the oldest and also greatest forest areas in the world – Te Waipounamu (the waters of greenstone). The United Nations has awarded this the status of an internationally protected ‘Natural World Heritage’ site. Due to that fact this ‘jewel of nature’ is virtually undisturbed. A close look into the developing stages of this landscape can be seen at the Visitors Centre of Haast, which was opened in 1991. Once everyone has arrived in Haast, we load the bikes and continue on through Rainforest, the `Pakihi` swamps and along the Coast. There may be time for short walks and photo stops depending on cycling speed and how early we left this morning. Our overnight destination is the small village of Fox Glacier, at the foot of the Glacier of the same name. From Haast, this is another 119km along SH6 (about 2 hours).
Day 7: Fox Glacier - Hokitika
First thing this morning we invite you for a walk to picturesque Lake Matheson. On a clear and windless day the peaks of Mount Cook and Mount Tasman are mirrored beautifully in the lake. After breakfast, the walk to the terminal face of Fox glacier, which is almost at sea level and only 5km form the township, is another ‘not-to miss’ experience. Today we make our way to Hokitika - an important gold and Jade (Greenstone or Pounamu) town on the West Coast. The Maori meaning of Hokitika is ‘the end of the journey’ since this is where the pre-European Maori’s journey to collect pounamu ended. They came from the East Coast over the Southern Alps to break the precious stone and transport it back over the mountains. We retrace the steps of the Maori people with our bikes and we also come close to the end of our journey! On the cycling side, you have options for longer and shorter rides over undulating terrain today. The distances range between 30km to 110 km. All riding will be through a mix of rain forest and rugged dairy farming country. Most river flats in the area have been cleared for farming which has opened up the view back to the high mountains. Once in Hokitika, you can stroll through the local art and craft shops or relax over a cup of coffee. In the evening, enjoy a pleasant stroll along ‘Hoki’s‘ wild West Coast beach and watch the sun set into the sea. Day 8: Hokitika– Christchurch
It is the last day of our tour and we intend to finish on a high note! From Hokitika via travel further up the coast, through Greymouth and into the small, historic coal mining town of Blackball. We stop here for morning tea and you have the option to ‘carbo-load’ before today’s ride. The local salami factory is well known in New Zealand for its delicious products. On the bike we follow the Grey River to Stillwater and then turn into a small backroad towards Lake Brunner. After about 45km of riding we arrive in the lakeside village of Moana for a well-deserved break. On a nice summers day the lake invites us for a swim in its clear, albeit dark-brown water. From Moana the cycling continues until we meet the main highway to Christchurch in the little town of Jackson. Here we finish in style at the Jackson’s Pub (which is actually the township!) for a pint or two. The rest of the day is spent cruising over the Arthur’s Pass back to Christchurch. There will be numerous photo and short walk opportunities along the way.
Once in Christchurch, all participants will be transferred to their post tour accommodation. The tour ends in Christchurch on the evening of day 8.
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