Repost: Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail

With a lull in my cycling over winter (other than my usual ‘keep fit’ routes), I thought I might revisit some of my earlier posts. First up, is the Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail, which Chris and I cycled in October 2022. This is probably my favourite of New Zealand’s Great Rides for its diverse scenery and mix of easy and more challenging riding. I’m keen to cycle it again when I get the chance.

The Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail is a 306km ride from Mount Cook to Ōamaru. It is an incredibly scenic ride, passing by snow-capped mountains, high country lakes, hydro-dams and canals, and through the rolling farmland and limestone rock formations (and fossils) of the Waitaki valley. It’s a mix of grade 2 (easy) and grade 3 (intermediate) riding.

A short helicopter ride is required to cross the Tasman River near the start of the ride from Mount Cook. However, for those who want to avoid this (and a lumpy section of track shortly afterwards), there are alternative start points at Jollie River carpark or Lake Tekapō.

We opted to cycle the trail over six days in mid-October, starting at Lake Tekapō. We got lucky with our timing. The trail suffered extensive damage over winter and the last of the wash-outs was just repaired the week before we arrived. We also benefitted from a break in the weather, with clear sunny days most of the week. (A polar blast had been through a few weeks earlier and heavy rain was forecast for the week after we left.)

Tekapō to Twizel

We used Cycle Journeys to help organise our trip, transport our bags each day, and shuttle us (from Twizel) to the start point at Lake Tekapō.

From the township, there’s a short climb over the hill and then the trail follows the hydro-canal all the way to Lake Pūkaki. Most of the road is closed to traffic so it’s a fairly cruisey ride. After a picnic lunch, we continued around the lakefront track (admiring the view of Mount Cook along the way) before crossing the state highway at Pūkaki Dam and riding through tussock flats and farmland back to Twizel.

As you can see from the photo, it was a stunning day. As you can also see, we were sporting some odd-looking cable ties on our helmets. October is magpie nesting season and magpies can be very aggressive to passing cyclists. Yes, we looked silly but a magpie had swooped down and hit the back of my helmet on a previous ride, and I was not keen to repeat the experience. So, while other cyclists were ‘attacked’, we just had a few magpies check us out and fly on.

Twizel to Lake Ōhau

The cycle from Twizel to Lake Ōhau Lodge is only 38km so we started day two with a ride out to the (very impressive) rowing facility at Lake Ruataniwha. It was all quiet when we visited but it’s not hard to imagine the buzz of the crowd when there’s a regatta on.

Back on the Alps to Ocean trail, we rode along another hydro-canal, which took us out to Lake Ōhau. The riding was similar to the first day, with a gravel track winding around the lake edge to Ōhau village. Not long into our ride, we passed by a group of German tourists, who were curious about our cable-tie antennae. We explained about the magpies but they didn’t look convinced.

Lake Ōhau Lodge was an experience in itself. The owners pride themselves on maintaining a ski club atmosphere so the décor is simple (and dated) and at dinner, people are seated with other guests to encourage conversation. The food was delicious and generous, with a hearty three-course dinner and a cooked breakfast (and toast, fruit and muesli) the next morning.

Lake Ōhau to Ōmarama

There’s a big climb early in the next section of the trail, but it’s extended over several kilometres so doesn’t feel too onerous. There are also great views over the lake and across the mountains.

More challenging is the rough terrain, with small rocks to navigate on the way up and on the way down. But it’s fun and we (mentally) switched into mountain bike mode, forgetting the view for a moment to concentrate on the track in front of us. Before long, the trail joins up with a gravel road used by local farmers, and it’s a gradual downhill ride back to the main road and on to Ōmarama.

On the way, we detoured into the Clay Cliffs. The access road is hard-going on bikes, with a thick layer of loose gravel and a steady stream of cars passing by and covering us with dust. However, the Clay Cliffs themselves are worth a visit, and you can get quite close to the eroded pillars.

Ōmarama to Kurow

Day four was the longest (and my favourite) day of riding at 67km. There’s a short off-road section alongside the main highway to Lake Benmore followed by a lovely peaceful ride around the lake (with great views back towards the Southern Alps) and on to Sailor’s Cutting, a scenic reserve and popular camping and fishing spot. The track then heads away from the road through a spectacular rocky hill section (with great views of the lake).

For me, this hill section was the best bit and I felt like we were finally getting a good workout. (We did need to eat humble pie though after passing a few people on e-bikes only to turn a corner straight into a steep climb and have them whizz back past us again.) The only slightly hairy moment was when the wind came up - while it was mostly behind us, there were a few exposed sections with a drop off on each side where we were buffeted by a strong cross-wind. (I got off to walk at one point.)

The trail leads to a spot above the Benmore Dam, with great views (again) over Lake Aviemore and Ōtematata. We could have detoured down the hill into Ōtematata but didn’t fancy the ride back up again so carried on over the dam for the long ride around the back of Lake Aviemore. This is a smooth tarseal road (shared with cars) and easy riding to the next dam crossing (Aviemore Dam). With the wind behind us, it didn’t take us long to cover the final farmland section to Kurow.

Kurow to rural Duntroon

Kurow to Duntroon is a short ride (28km) so we decided to start the day with a walk. There’s a zigzag path that runs up the hill behind Kurow, and has fantastic views over the township and valley beyond. Even better, the locals have lugged armchairs up and placed them at various points along the track.

The ride to Duntroon wasn’t particularly exciting but there’s a Māori rock art site to visit along the way and a nice wetlands section coming into Duntroon. We had a fabulous lunch at the Flying Pig Café and then carried on to our farm accommodation a further 14km on.

There’s a few more hills to climb after leaving Duntroon, and the trail passes by a couple of points of interest - the Elephant Rocks (massive limestone boulders) and Anatini (home to whale fossils and one of the sites used in filming The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe).

Rural Duntroon to Ōamaru

The final day was another short day (47km) riding through farmland (with great views), an old rail tunnel, more farmland and the outskirts of Ōamaru. The trail then carries on through the (lovely) public gardens to the old town and the coast. It is easy riding.

The highlight was a late morning tea stop at Fort Enfield Tavern, with lots of outdoor tables perfectly positioned for the sun and the rural outlook. We got a few funny looks from the other patrons and realised it was our cable-tie antennae again. As it happens, there was a particularly aggressive magpie in action nearby, so this time we had no trouble convincing people of the cable ties’ merits.

Overall, we really enjoyed the trip and would recommend it. Five or six days is probably right for most people and allows plenty of time to look around. But fit cyclists (and people used to covering longer distances on e-bikes) could do it in four days and still enjoy it. In retrospect, we could have combined the last two days, and perhaps days two and three (riding a long day from Twizel to Ōmarama, with lunch at Lake Ōhau Lodge).