Written by Gary Patterson ‘The Great Rides App and Great Hikes App Guy’. These apps have all you need to know for enjoying cycle trails and walking tracks in New Zealand.
The New Zealand cycle trail offers plenty of choice for multi-day rides. The longest is the Alps 2 Ocean cycle trail, being a week long whopping 322km from the base of Mount Cook to the Pacific Ocean. However, there’s no shortage of stunning day rides too. So if you’re short on time or keen to avoid daily saddle sores, then consider a short journey on one of these top five New Zealand day rides.
1. Coppermine Trail
The top spot is reserved for the trail that has it all; convenience, charm and a circuit. Starting in Nelson City the Coppermine is as convenient as hopping on your bike and setting off from the suburbs to head up to the subalpine. Also, this track has tracks; the climb is literally on the alignment of the country’s earliest railway with the charming remains of sleepers under your tyres as it passes along the edge of the Brook Waimārama Wildlife Sanctuary. After reaching the rocky ultramafic barrens and before crossing the Coppermine Saddle, there are stunning views over Tasman Bay. Finally this scenic circuit drops you back into the heart of the city with time to spare for cafe culture. This day ride rocks!
If you’re making time to check out the cafe scene, here’s our list of The 13 Best Cafes in Nelson.
2. Roxburgh Gorge Trail
This trail connects the legendary Otago Central Rail Trail with the most underrated trail of the Clutha Gold; yet the Roxburgh Gorge Trail is greater than gold – it’s a precious cycling gem! From Alexandra, the trail gently follows beside the currents of the Clutha River; a path that navigates the rocky Central Otago landscape. The trail then abruptly terminates. This is where a pre-arranged jet boat driver picks you up and transports you downstream. This is where the guide points out historic gold mining relics and piles of tailings, and tells tales that enrich the experience. Back on the bike and on land, the trail continues on a cross-country route that takes in the sights of one of the country’s grandest river gorges.
Needing some more information on this trail or another cycle trail in New Zealand? Check out The Great Rides App.
3. Lake Dunstan Trail
The new kid on the block joins its older sister on the Otago Central Rail Trail at Clyde. The Lake Dunstan trail is the poster child of our national cycle trails network and thousands are taking to bikes (and ebikes) to experience its greatness. What makes this trail so great? Well the stars of the show are undoubtedly the suspended bridges that hang from the vertical rock cliff faces. They defy what seems possible for a route, and can be described as a magic carpet of boardwalk. Yet the meandering trail offers more than just structures, as they themselves are dwarfed by the mountain scenery dressed with desolate herb fields, garnished by rocky tors that sit above the basin of Central Otago lakes. This trail is legendary.
4. Taupo Trails
While we don’t have the Great Lakes of the States; we have just one … and the Lake Taupo trail network is hard to beat. These trails weave their way around the edge of the lake before following the Waikato River to several must-do water based stops. The first cycling rest is the whitewater shoot of Huka Falls. It’s easy to spend time here watching water being squeezed like a tube of toothpaste. Continuing downstream at the half-way point is Aratiatia Rapids. If you get your timing right here, dam water is released to surge through a narrow gorge filling in just moments. After crossing the dam the loop heads back on the opposite riverbank to reach the free hotspring at the Thermal Spa Park. This is the perfect riding finale. To sit, soak and soothe sore muscles in a free hotspring before closing the loop. Riding heaven.
Check out The Great Rides App for more information.
5. Welcome Rock Trails
This is little known but a top candidate for a day of greatness. Here in the deep south is the private hand-crafted loop of Welcome Rock Trails. Just a short hop south from Queenstown, the beginning of this circuit starts above the treeline and continues that way onto a winding ride along a historic gold mining water race. History here is in spades, literally! One of the several trailside artistic pieces is 30 old shovels standing heads up in a line; they represent the 30 workers that dug the water race over a century ago. While you can stay overnight in the restored racemans mud hut; the trail is easily short enough to cycle in a day.
This article was written by Gary Patterson at Mapworks – ‘The Great Rides App and Great Hikes App Guy’.
Get the app here – www.greathikesapp.com
