Top Things to do in South Island
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Things to do in South Island, New Zealand: The Best Biking Trails
Discover the best top things to do in South Island, New Zealand including Otago Central Rail Trail, McLeans Forest, Clutha Gold Trail, The Old Ghost Road, Wither Hills Mountainbike Park, Gibbston River Trail, HighR Rentals, Alexandra to Clyde River Track, Station 2 Station Cycle Trail, Christchurch to Little River Railtrail.
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1. Otago Central Rail Trail
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,149 reviews
The Otago Central Rail Trail - New Zealand's Original Great Ride. Open all year round this cycleway takes you through 152kms of remarkable Central Otago landscape away from roads and vehicles, yet never far from the next town. Whether you start from Clyde or Middlemarch, the wide easy gradient is suitable for riders, walkers and cyclists of all ages. You may choose to go solo, or share the experience with friends, either way it's a trail of discovery best enjoyed at a leisurely pace. Discover historic villages, enjoy local food and drink and the famous southern hospitality. As you travel through this untamed natural environment there is plenty to explore on and off the trail. Don't miss this 'must do' experience.
Reviewed By talloaks1
We completed the Otago rail trail at the beginning of this week starting in Clyde and ending in Middlemarch. We had an awesome tour operator Nick, who went above and beyond and organised awesome accommodation including his own home, a well appointed home near St Bathans. We loved the whole experience including curling in Naseby. Highly recommend, especially on an E - bike for this 58 year old!
2. McLeans Forest
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 4 reviews
3. Clutha Gold Trail
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 100 reviews
The Clutha Gold Trail is one of the ‘Great Rides’ of Nga Haerenga The New Zealand Cycle Trail. Open year-round, this smooth, wide, well-formed trail over undulating, flat and meandering terrain requires moderate fitness. Whether you walk or ride, the trail offers a unique heritage experience in a diverse and stunning landscape - a journey of discovery around every corner.
Reviewed By Kiwibird248 - Christchurch, New Zealand
This trail has a different character to the Roxburgh Gorge Trail and the Otago Rail Trail. The first section from the Roxburgh Dam is beside the river. Millers Flat is a lovely place to stop for refreshments. In the following section from Millers Flat to Beaumont it is worth taking the time to visit the bridge at Horseshoe Bend. And, prior to Lawrence the Big Hill Tunnel is fun to ride through. It is a pleasant and peaceful trail on a well-maintained track.
4. The Old Ghost Road
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 297 reviews
Experience an unforgettable adventure on The Old Ghost Road via our range of exciting new packages. Choose from one of our options and then sit back and let us help connect you with the magic of The Old Ghost Road.
Reviewed By 66kiwitraveller - Dunedin, New Zealand
4 of us walked TOGR over 4 nights, 5 days. It was awesome. We walked south to north, and the first two days it rained, so on Day 3 when we awoke to beautiful blue skies we walked back 2.5klms without our packs first thing in the morning from Ghost Lake hut, so that we could see the views from Heavens Door and the Tombstone. So glad we did, the views were absolutely worth it. The terrain and scenery on this track is ever changing, and always spectacular. Great huts, well equipped and plenty of hand sanitiser available. Thanks to the people who built this track and to those who maintain it. Loved it!
5. Wither Hills Mountainbike Park
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 21 reviews
Reviewed By 741sarahb741 - Tauranga, New Zealand
As far as walks go they really don’t get much better than this. We absolutely loved the walk up to Mt Vernon lookout which took about 1.5 hours (including stopping at top and a couple of breathers on way up) - total distance about 6.5kms. Parked at base and the scenery of surrounding hills, tussocks, kowhai and cabbage trees as we walked was outstanding. Not one piece of litter and evidence suggests a well respected walk which is extremely well cared for. Path is super easy and very safe so even if you’re not the fittest person in the world give it a go you’ll thank yourself for it - a must do in Blenheim
6. Gibbston River Trail
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 12 reviews
Reviewed By TylerNelson - Nelson, New Zealand
We spent a week in the area and we hired Eco bikes and bike the trail to Arrowtown for lunch one day and on another day we hiked the other direction towards the Gibbston Valley vineyards. Great way to work off all the good food and wine you consume on holiday. Highly recommend doing any part of the trail you have time for.
7. HighR Rentals
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 4 reviews
MTB rentals within the amazing Kaiteriteri MTB Park. With bike models for all ages, shapes and sizes. We have everything from 20" Kids bikes, every size possible of our hardtail mtb range, full suspension bikes, and even E-MTB options.
8. Alexandra to Clyde River Track
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 8 reviews
Reviewed By jonathank893 - Inverness, United Kingdom
This track which follows the Clutha is much nicer, and no longer that the rail trail route, which, especially if there is a head wind, is just a flat boring slog. The little twists and turns and small undulations add interest, and on a hot summer day the shade from the trees is always welcome.
9. Station 2 Station Cycle Trail
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 4 reviews
Reviewed By RupertAlgyAndBill - Canberra, Australia
We completed the station-to-station bike ride from Mt Nicholas to Walter Peak. Four adults – two fit (young adults), two (parents) less so. After picking up bicycles, we were given a rudimentary briefing on the bicycle. Assumed knowledge that you know how the gears work. The bike came with a pump and an emergency tyre repair kit. Really? They also gave us a mobile number to call in case of emergency or breakdown. The bikes are simple touring bikes, easy to ride, and all have a cross bar. Ladies in skirts and Scotsmen in kilts note. ;-) The bike sizes were meaningless to us. We ordered one Large and three Medium bikes. We were lucky that we could swap one of the medium bikes for a small bike (actually an extra small), from another returning tour, for my wife who, at around 1.55m tall, was not comfortable on the medium bike. Swapping bikes is not always an option. We were fortunate. As part of the briefing we were told that we had 90 minutes to ride the 14km. We would then have an hour and 30 minutes for lunch and wandering around Walter Peak stations before we were due to return on the TSS Earnslaw. We were scheduled to leave at 11am but were delayed ~15 minutes due to the tardiness of a group. The member of crew with whom I spoke said that it would not affect our trip. What he meant was that the travel time over was unchanged but the amount of time that we had to do what we needed to do was reduced. I thought it was a poor decision allowing a small group to delay so many who were on board. Parking the car was blamed when the blame should have been directed at the poor time management of the group. Parking in Queenstown is limited and expensive. There is a perfectly adequate bus service that gets you around for $2 per person (with a locally available bus card). We travelled over on the Spirit of Queenstown with a short detour into Bob’s Cove where the captain provided some interesting commentary on the history of the early European settlement. The views a cross lake Wakatipu are stunning as are the views of the approaching Mt Nicholas station. Other reviewers have commented that Mt Nicholas is prettier than Walter Peak. I agree. Our late arrival meant that we were advised to ride the short cut rather tackling the longer 14km route. We were also advised to get riding. We had paid for the full trip and wanted to enjoy the ride but had no time to explore Mt Nicholas. The highly structured nature of the ride, sandwiched between the arrival and departure times, means that the ride is effectively a time trial. If you want to stop and smell the flowers you can do so but you will likely miss the BBQ lunch – more on that later. A longer ride option would be better and might be possible if you rent bikes from another source – we had to get our bikes back. We were given a small bottle of water each for the journey, which fitted into the bike’s bottle holder. These were woefully inadequate for the journey on a warm day. Bring your own water in a backpack. The initial ride was up a steep hill, the steepest part of the entire ride. We made it half of the way then chose to push the rest as we could stop and look across the lake. One good piece of advice from the initial briefing was to look back over your shoulder. A lot of the good views are to be found facing the other way. Once up the top of the rise we headed left across a cattle grid. There were many of these on the journey. Best to get off your bike and walk across them rather than risk riding across. There was only one gate closed and chained, which we left as we found it. We shared the ride with another group but they rode ahead to the chained gate, so we were effectively riding by ourselves for the entire journey. The riding was relatively easy with a few up hills and down dales which were made easier with a little bit of effort in order to get up the other side. A few times we hopped off and pushed the bikes too. There were mile markers along the way and we were looking at our watches to check on our own time keeping. We encountered only two farm vehicles during the entire 90 minutes and we pulled over to allow them to pass. The ride follows the only gravel farm road through some stunning countryside and it was a balance between wanting to go slow to enjoy the moment and to keep riding to keep pace with the itinerary. I did feel that I was facing the road more than I would have liked and, with the effort needed to ride the distance in the 90 minutes, there was not a lot of time to just stop and smell the flowers. A fitter group would have no doubt managed it (they were the other family riding the same route as us whom we passed at the close gate). The ride was absolutely stunning but we were a little sore at the end. Having not ridden for years. The reason for the time trial riding is the sublime BBQ on offer at the end of the ride. The BBQ is a high quality all you can eat buffet with BBQ roasted chicken, lamb, pork (with cracking) and beef. The Pork was my favourite. There’s a mix of vegetables and salads, an amazing dessert tray with small portions of sticky date pudding, cakes, ice cream and sweets. One young lad was heard to shout, “this is paradise” possibly to his mother’s embarrassment, but we laughed. It was pretty special. The journey back on the TSS Earnslaw was therapeutic. We got seats against the boiler room and made use of the warmth to ease our aching bones and muscles. The boiler room doors above are open and it’s fascinating to watch the coalman feeding the boiler with coal. If you are considering the bike ride … do it. It’s stunning. If you are not confident of making the distance within the allotted time you should consider renting an e-bike from another company and taking that in lieu of the one Southern Discoveries provide. Speak with them first about this option and try and get a refund on their bike hire. Great day out. Exercise, scenery, food, therapy and history. A bit of everything.
10. Christchurch to Little River Railtrail
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