Lakes, Fiords & Mountains Cycle Tour

Southern Highlights - The perfect cycle combo

 

This might just be the Ebike tour of your dreams. Discover the best the Queenstown region has to offer – cycle the most impressive sections of the Around the Mountains Trail, experience the stunning Lake Dunstan Trail, the beautiful Lake2Lake Trail from Te Anau to Manapouri, and see the Fiordland highlights you always wanted to visit. Then enjoy three nights in picturesque Arrowtown including a relaxed cycle day in the Gibbston Valley wine region before exploring the stunning Lake Dunstan Trail between Cromwell and Clyde. A vast array of landscapes, enjoyed in comfort and good company!

 

Day 1: Queenstown – Around the Mountains Trail - Cycle Day 1

You will be picked up by your guide in Queenstown around 9:30 to 10:15am and we start our new adventure. We drive by bus to the beginning of the Around the Mountains Trail at the southern tip of Lake Wakatipu in the village of Kingston. This little settlement earned fame as home to the historic steam train which shares its name – the Kingston Flyer.

After a tour briefing, we unload the bikes and get them fitted for you. Then it’s time to choose the nicest photo spot and hop onto our bikes. Off we are following the route of the Kingston Flyer railway track – past Fairlight Station – the Kingston Flier Steam Train destination.

​Then we pass through gentle rolling land and the pretty Mataura valley. Surrounded by the Hector and Eyre mountains we cross some suspension bridges, dubbed by locals the Golden Gate Bridges, with great opportunities for photo stops! Riding through the historic townships of Garston and Athol, we reach today’s cycling destination of Five Rivers. Nestled like an oasis amongst rich countryside, it is an ideal place to end our first day. From here our van will take us to our accommodation in Mossburn, self-proclaimed deer capital of New Zealand but visually surrounded mainly by cows. The main attraction is most definitely the beautiful mountains all around. We celebrate our first riding day in front of this stunning setting with your welcome drink of choice and then enjoy our first dinner together in the local pub (not included).

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Cycling: 48 km, easy 

Accommodation: Mossburn – Motel
Meals: L, S

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Day 2: Lake2Lake Trail - Cycle Day 2, plus optional Water Taxi Ride & Stroll Lake Te Anau

In the morning we drive to Te Anau and can take the water taxi across the lake to Brod Bay (~15 Mins, optional). We enjoy a leisurely stroll through impressive native bush for about 1,5 hours back to the water control gates. Or maybe you prefer to spend these 2 hours in Te Anau township or just want to hang out by the lake? Then we get back onto our saddles and start on the picturesque Lake2Lake cycle trail connecting Lake Te Anau with Lake Manapouri, following the glistening Waiau River.

We arrive in Manapouri, where we will load up our bikes for the drive back to our base for the next two nights, with our accommodation just a stone’s throw from beautiful Lake Te Anau.

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Cycling: 28 km, easy
Accommodation: Te Anau Lakeview Holiday Park - Cottages
Meals: B, L, D, S

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Day 3: Fiordland / Te Anau Region

In Te Anau we are dwarfed by the mountains looming all around us and are right on the edge of the wonderfully rugged and remote Fiordland National Park. You have today off to do whatever you might still have on your bucket list – how about exploring either world-famous Milford Sound or the serene Doubtful Sound on a day tour? Or maybe you would like to visit the Te Anau Glowworm Caves? We can help you pre-arrange any of those tours if you wish.

​Maybe you feel like stretching your legs a bit more after two days of cycling? If wandering along lake shores is not quite enough, how about walking part of one of Southlands’ Great Walks? The Kepler Track to Rainbow Reach or Luxmore Hut is well worth considering. Your guide can help with plenty of other suggestions and make any bookings from this plethora of optional activities. You can find more info on all your options in this optional activities overview.

 

Accommodation: Te Anau Lakeview Holiday Park - Cottages
Meals: B, L, D, S

 

Day 4: Around the Mountains Trail - Cycle Day 3

We are back on the saddle today and start off at the gorgeous Mavora Lakes. Nestled amongst a striking landscape of mountains, forest and tussock grass, the lakes are one of the awe-inspiring locations featured in the Lord of the Rings films and it is no wonder they are recognised as part of the Te Wāhipounamu/South-West New Zealand World Heritage Area.  After some cycling through beech forest, the magnificent Von Valley opens up in front of us. There is a real sense of isolation, and the huge mountain and tussock landscape is vast.

We immerse ourselves in the native tussock wonderland and postcard views as we pedal through to the high-country farm of Mount Nicholas Station and eventually downhill to the shores of Lake Wakatipu. Here we are greeted with stunning views of alpine peaks and snow-covered Mount Earnslaw at the head of the lake. We follow the lakeside trail to Walter Peak Station, where the next highlight awaits us. A scenic cruise across picturesque Lake Wakatipu back to Queenstown is the perfect way to finish our day’s cycle ride.

Our van will take quite a bit longer than us to make its way back to Queenstown, so we will change out of our cycle gear at Walter Peak Station and after our cruise have time to stroll through Queenstown for 3-4 hours (dinner at own cost). Then we will drive to our accommodation for the next three nights in the charming historic Arrowtown, amidst gorgeous mountain views.

 

Cycling: 50 km, moderate
Accommodation: Arrowtown – Apartments
Meals: B, L, S  

 

Day 5: Arrowtown - Gibbston Valley - Cycle Day 4

Today is especially attractive for all wine enthusiasts, and there really is no better way to enjoy Gibbston's 'Valley of Vines' than by bicycle. On a designated bike trail, we will ride along the meandering Arrow River, home of the gold rush in the 1800s. There will be photo opportunities galore with four historic suspension bridges criss-crossing the Arrow River. There are swimming holes and picnic spots along the willow-lined river's edge, so we'll take our time to enjoy our leisurely ride.

We will pass the historic Kawarau Bungy Bridge, home to the world's first commercial bungy jumping operation. The AJ Hackett Bungy Centre is a stunning piece of architecture and well worth a visit – there is a café, toilets and of course tickets for that bungy jump you've been promising yourself. But even if you are not inclined to jump off the bridge, there are many informative panels about the history of the area on the viewing platform and the views of Kawarau Gorge are epic.

From here, we enter dramatic wine country, all set within the iconic Central Otago landscape. The vineyards nestle between the steep slopes of the surrounding Pisa Mountain Range and the precipitous rocky gorge of the Kawarau River – a real visual treat.

By around lunchtime, you may have seen enough vines to feel ready for a glass of Pinot Noir, so feel free to indulge in a wine tasting of some of Central Otago's most delicate drops (optional). Apart from celebrated Pinot Noirs, you'll find fragrant Pinot Gris and flinty Rieslings and some distinctive Chardonnays – the choice is yours.

 

Cycling: 42km, easy
Accommodation: Arrowtown - Apartments
Meals: B, L, D, S

 

Day 6: Arrowtown - Cromwell – Lake Dunstan Trail – Clyde – Arrowtown - Cycle Day 5

It’s just 50 kms or a 45-minute drive by van through the attractive Kawarau Gorge to Cromwell, the starting point of perhaps THE HIGHLIGHT of our tour.

Since its opening a few years ago, the Lake Dunstan Trail has been dubbed the most spectacular bike trail in New Zealand, if not the Southern Hemisphere. Many think it is an iconic cycling day trip – today you will see for yourself what the hype is about!

The track features impressive human-made architectural and engineering feats, including spectacular bolt-on bridges that cling to rocky bluffs above the lake, as well as fantastic views of Central Otago’s rugged terrain. Along the way are sections where the land has been reshaped in the search for gold and then again when the lake was formed. New Zealand’s third-largest hydroelectric dam is the dominant feature at the Clyde end of the trail and there are plenty of drainage tunnels dotted along the length of the gorge.

One thing is sure, as we journey alongside the beautiful teal waters of Lake Dunstan, the Kawarau River and the mighty Clutha River – it will become clear to see why many early settlers chose to reside in this region. After a spectacular day cycling, we say farewell to our trusty bikes, then sit back and relax in the van which takes us back from Clyde to Arrowtown, maybe with a tad of sadness as this will be our last evening together.

 

Cycling: 42km, easy to moderate
Driving: Arrowtown to Cromwell ~45 mins, Clyde to Arrowtown ~ 1h
Accommodation: Arrowtown - Apartments
Meals: B, L, D, S

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Day 7: Arrowtown - Queenstown

With a sense of achievement and lifelong memories, we make our way back to Queenstown. We will drop you off around 10am in town or at the airport and will have to say farewell to each other.

 

Meals: B

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B-Breakfast  L-Lunch  D-Dinner  S-Snack​

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Tour Grading 

🚴‍♀️ Lakes, Fiords & Mountains Cycle Tour – Grade 2 (Easy) to Grade 3 (Moderate)

This tour offers a beautiful variety of terrain, with mostly off-road gravel trails (Grade 2), some gentle climbs, and a few more challenging sections (Grade 3) that are slightly steeper, curvier, or more exposed – sometimes depending on the wind!

See our full Cycle Trail Grading System explained → Our Cycle Trail Grading System explained

 

👉 Our recommendation
This tour is not ideal for complete beginners or riders new to Ebiking.
It’s best suited for women who’ve already cycled one of New Zealand’s other trails and are comfortable riding on winding, sometimes narrow gravel paths with the occasional bump or hill. If you enjoy a bit of variety and love the idea of riding through some of the most stunning landscapes in the country – this one’s for you!
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Make it a longer adventure - Combine with another tour

This tour ends in Queenstown - and that's where the Explore Otago Cycle Tour begins that same afternoon. Combining the two is a natural fit: you get ten varied days on the bike (with break days in between) and 13 days of enjoying a wide range of different landscapes. This works across all our scheduled departures. Get in touch if this appeals - we're happy to work out a combined price.

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