Best of New Zealand Itinerary

Overview

Join us for our amazing tour through the paradise countryside of the Southern Island of New Zealand. There is hardly any better place in the world to tour on a road bike. To prepare this tour, we joined with Brian, one of the most experienced tour operators stationed on the South Island, who has been running bicycle tours there for decades. The tour starts and ends in Christchurch, the main travel hub on the South Island. We will ride through NZ wine regions (including the famous Marlborough region), the beautiful Southern Alps, native forests and picturesque valleys and along rivers and creeks and the stunning coast of the Tasman Sea and Tasman Bay. You will have a chance to admire National Parks with some of the most stunning views of the Southern Alps peaks, to visit the famous Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki, to see a seal colony, to taste wine including the famous Sauvignon Blanc, to try sea kayaking, and much, much more.

 While the tour was originally designed for a group of triathletes who will be competing in Auckland on October 18-22, 2012 at the Age Group ITU World Championship, you certainly don't need to be a competing athlete in order to join us. We welcome and strive to accommodate cyclists of all abilities.

 See you in Christchurch!

What's Included

• 9 nights lodging in selected B&B's, motels and hotels, always with private bathroom
• Continental breakfast every morning and 5 wonderful dinners
• Van support with picnic lunches, snacks and water stops along the route; luggage transport
• Wine tasting
• Seal watching
• Option to try sea kayaking and to visit a thermal spa
• Option for extended stay in Christchurch
• Shuttle options along the entire route

Itinerary*

Please note that shuttles in our van will be available based on your abilities and desires and you DO NOT HAVE TO ride all the stated mileage!

Day One, October 23: Christchurch – Check-in and Sightseeing

After you check in (for those who are just arriving), you will have time to explore Christchurch with its many historical buildings, Botanic Garden, art shops, restored tram inner-city line, etc. During the day, we will have a bike fitting session for those renting bikes and towards the evening, we’ll meet for our welcome dinner and orientation meeting.

 Day Two, October 24: Christchurch to Hanmer Springs (elevation of 509 m) 135 km

After breakfast, we load our bikes and shuttle out of town towards the Waipara Valley, one of NZ’s famous wine regions. We'll pedal through this flat agricultural part of the South Island with its wineries during the first part of the day. Eventually, we'll hit some hills of the Southern Alps and end the day in a pleasantly low-key ski and thermal resort with many hot pools (including rock pools of various temperatures) as well as a new spa complex, Hammer Springs. In the evening, we will indulge in these springs, maybe have some of the tasty Waipara wine and slowly fall asleep…

 Day Three, October 25: Hanmer Springs to Reefton (elevation of 340 m), 130 km

After some hills in the morning, we will ride through beautiful native forest and winding valley roads, arriving in Reefton in the heart of hiking and trout-fishing country, originally a coal and gold mining town. Time permitting, you can visit some of the museums in the afternoon or do some shopping in picturesque little stores dating back to 1870’s. It feels like being in a Western movie. We spend the night here before heading for the coast of the Tasman Sea the next morning.

 Day Four, October 26: Reefton to Punakaiki, 112 km

Some small hills but mostly cruising along the Grey River down to the coast of the Tasman Sea. From Greymouth, we head north on a beautiful coastal drive until we reach Punakaiki with its famous Pancake Rocks. Here, we spend the night on the edge of the Paparoa National Forest.

 Day Five, October 27: Punakaki to Westport, 63 km

Short but hilly ride, along the coast as well as inland. Stunning nature. Spending the night in Cape Foulwind, about 13 km west of Westport. There are lots of walking options and the local seal colony is a must see.

 Day Six, October 28: Westport to Saint Arnaud (elevation 801 m), 158 km

After two days by the sea, we head back inland and to the Southern Alps. Shuttle part of the way. Beautiful ride among mountain ranges, along rivers and creeks, through valleys, forests and national parks. Saint Arnaud, our destination for today, is a small alpine village by Lake Rotoiti with stunning views of the area.

 Day Seven, October 29: St Arnaud to Kaiteriteri, 102 km

You will love this – heading down towards the sea again, toady is almost all downhill and on a very quiet road through the beautiful New Zealand nature.  Our destination is a little seaside hamlet of Kaiteriteri with excellent and safe swimming beaches and probably the best place for sea kayaking on the Southern Island. After arrival, you will have the option to try it for yourself.

 Day Eight, October 30: Kaiteriteri to Blenheim, 98 km

Today, we ride along the coast of the Tasman Bay at first, take a shuttle from Nelson to Havelock (very busy road) and then continue riding on the scenic ride to Picton, heading south from there and arriving to Blenheim, the central town of NZ’s most famous wine area – the Marlborough region. In the evening, we will taste its famous Sauvignon Blanc and others.

 Day Nine, October 31: Kaikoura to Christchurch, 65 km

We board our van this morning and take the shuttle about 200 km south. When we get to Kaikoura, we hop on our bikes and complete our tour by riding all the way to Christchurch. In the evening, we will meet for a farewell dinner.

 Day Ten, November 1: Christchurch

After breakfast, our trip is officially over. Those desiring to spend more time sightseeing this picturesque NZ city on the Pacific coast and its surroundings (for example, the beautiful Banks Peninsula) may stay a few more days.

Trip difficulty

To fully enjoy the trip, you should come prepared to complete 60-100 km per day on rolling, sometimes hilly terrain. However, we do have a van available for shuttle, so you do not need to ride all the mileage. There is absolutely no problem to take the shuttle as much as you need/want to, so the total mileage you want to spend on the bike is up to you. We strive to accommodate riders of all abilities.

 We try to design our routes along small, quiet and picturesque roads with little traffic. However, please be aware that there may be some sections with heavier traffic. Please understand that it is your responsibility to be able to negotiate possible traffic and any traffic obstacles..

Transportation

Christchurch is the South Island’s main international gateway with a domestic as well as international terminal. The airport is located about 10 km northwest from the city centre. Air New Zealand and JetStar are the two largest airlines that operate in Christchurch. Shuttle service from the airport to our hotel will be available on October 22, subject to the time of your arrival. Your other option is to take a taxi from the airport to the city.

Bike Rental

If you wish to rent a bike for the tour, you can rent a bike from our NZ partner. Road and hybrid bikes of various sizes are available (Scotts, Tricrosses and Treks). The cost for the duration of the trip is $230 NZD (approximately $160 USD or AUD).

Additional Information

Please Contact Us if you should have any additional questions and/or concerns regarding our trip. When you register for the trip, we will send you a Welcome Letter with more pre-trip details, including information on airfare, requirements for travelling to New Zealand, useful information on New Zealand, accommodation, etc.

  * We reserve the right to change the itinerary without notice especially, but not only, for safety reasons.