7 minute read
Cycle the Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail
AORAKI MT COOK VILLAGE to ŌAMARU - 6 DAYS - 306KM
© AA Traveller 2021
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© AA Traveller 2021
Southern Alps © George Empson
The trail is split into nine parts ranging from easy to intermediate, so it’s also possible to create a day trip. Alternatively, you could tick off a couple of sections over the course of a weekend. The benefit of making it a multi-day affair is staying at various lodges, motels and cosy B&Bs.
Riders can start from either Tekapō or Aoraki Mt Cook from where a mix of sealed road, dirt and grass pathways, as well as smooth and rough shingle make up the route. Tracks wander below chalky-white mountains of Mt Cook National Park, vast open plains such as the Pūkaki Flats, springy forest trail and six expansive lakes, including the phenomenally blue lakes of Pūkaki and Tekapō.
You’ll take in the lofty views of Aoraki Mt Cook reflecting in Lake Pūkaki, and a small detour leads to the hoodoo-style rock formations at Clay Cliffs. You’ll climb to the highest point on the trail to marvel at the Mackenzie Basin and enjoy long stretches of fast downhill. This ride also takes in as many small towns, pubs, cafés and vineyards (specifically in Waitaki wine country) as it does natural highlights, so you’re never too far from good food and a yarn with the locals. Your ride concludes when you reach the Pacific Ocean next to Ōamaru.
Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail near Aoraki Mt Cook © Rachel Gillespie
RIDING THE TRAIL
AORAKI MT COOK to BRAEMAR Rd, 35km
The trail starts at White Horse Hill Campground, 2km north of Aoraki Mt Cook Village, offering riders the chance to soak up the stunning mountain scenery before setting off down a glacier-carved valley. It’s just over 7km to Mt Cook airport where a short helicopter-hop transports bikes and riders across the Tasman River to Tasman Point. Please note there is a charge for the helicopter ride and it must be booked in advance. The trail is a little bit lumpy as it winds alongside the Tasman River’s braided waters, which eventually empty into the turquoise blue of Lake Pūkaki. After 10km of riverside trail, Jollie Car Park marks the start of a 17km gravel road section to Braemar Rd. If you wish to avoid the helicopter crossing there are several alternative starts: Lake Tekapō, Tekapō B Power Station or Jollie Car Park.
LAKE TEKAPŌ TO TWIZEL, 54km
The trail’s alternative start takes in the striking contrasts of the Mackenzie Country’s turquoise blue lakes and canals, surrounded by golden tussock plains and bound by majestic mountain ranges. Leaving Tekapō township, the trail heads off on gravel tracks past Tekapō A Power Station, and on to the long but rather lovely Tekapō Canal Rd which is closed to vehicle traffic. The road passes two salmon farms and reaches Tekapō B Power Station. The trail then drops down to Lake Pūkaki and meets Hayman Rd where riders join the Aoraki Mt Cook section of trail following the shoreline to Pūkaki Dam and across the tussock-covered flats to Twizel.
BRAEMAR RD TO TWIZEL, 42KM
The trail follows a quiet country road along the eastern shore of Lake Pūkaki, with notable flora and fauna and Tekapō B Power Station among the highlights. All eyes, however, will likely be latched on to Lake Pūkaki and the Southern Alps, all the way down to the bottom of Hayman Rd where an off-road trail heads towards Pūkaki Dam. After the dam, riders will have their sights set on the laid-back little town of Twizel, an oasis of green streets amidst the desert-like Pūkaki Flats.
TWIZEL TO LAKE ŌHAU LODGE, 38KM
The next leg heads out on a pretty country road to reach Loch Cameron at the 6km mark – a great place for a swim if time and temperature are on your side. Just ahead, across the canal bridge, a straight easy pedal leads to the edge of Lake Ōhau. The Ben Ōhau Range dwarfs all and sundry as you follow the lake foreshore across Ōhau Weir and onward along the lake past Lake Ōhau Village to the Lodge. Note: there is no way across Ōhau Weir when it is in flood, so be sure to check this link https://alps2ocean.com/trail-status for updates.
LAKE ŌHAU LODGE TO ŌMARAMA, 45KM
It’s a gentle 6km warm up to Freehold Creek. The next section has a 300m climb to conquer over a generous 5km. The trail then winds through golden meadows and past an historic woolshed before joining the quintessentially rural Quailburn Rd. Checking out the Clay Cliffs is a worthwhile (14km return) side trip off Quailburn Rd if you have time. From the SH 8 junction, Ōmarama (with its soothing outdoor hot tubs) is just a few kilometres away.
ŌMARAMA TO ŌTEMATATA, 35KM It’s a whole new world after Ōmarama. Over Chain Hills, it’s a big Welcome to the Waitaki Valley with its big blue hydro lakes and little country towns. This short leg takes riders down to Lake Benmore, along its edge past Pumpkin Point and on to Sailors Cutting Scenic Reserve – a popular boating, fishing and camping spot. From here the trail follows the lakeshore on a scenic route expertly carved into the side of the hill until Benmore Dam is reached. Ōtematata is well worth the visit to restock and replenish.
ŌTEMATATA TO KUROW, 45km
Head back to the Benmore Hydro Dam – the last 800m to the top of the dam is a bit of a grind. From Benmore Dam (New Zealand’s largest earth dam) the trail follows the road along Lake Aviemore (swimming possible) to the Aviemore Dam. The next 16km of newly built trail delivers grand lake and river views and even a ghost town, before arriving in Kurow, notable for locally produced award-winning wines (and Richie McCaw).
KUROW TO DUNTROON, 28km
This section follows a smooth shingle path down the Waitaki Valley, traversing ancient alluvial plains and crossing three side rivers. This is the heart of Waitaki wine country – taste it where you can. The trail then hugs the highway as it gets closer to Duntroon, taking a minor detour to Takiroa Māori rock art site along the way.
DUNTROON TO ŌAMARU, 54km
It’s just 7km from Duntroon to one of the trail’s strangest sights – the huge limestone boulders scattered across a grassy paddock, aptly named Elephant Rocks although mammoths and even hippos may well be imagined. More limestone oddities crop up as the trail leads onward on- and off-road through bucolic farmland to Rakis Railway Tunnel. The trail then hops on and off the railway line through the dots of Windsor, Enfield and Weston, and on to Ōamaru. The town’s magnificent public gardens are a fine prelude to the grand finale of gargantuan Victoria warehouses overlooking Ōamaru Harbour and the Pacific Ocean.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TRAIL
• Ōmarama is famed for its indulgent outdoor hot tubs which are surrounded by bucolic views and tussock land.
Ōmarama hot pools © Waitaki Tourism
• The Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve is the world’s largest dark sky reserve, so the star gazing in the villages of Tekapō, Twizel and Aoraki Mt Cook is incredible.
Milky Way over Lake Tekapō © Adobe Stock
• Aoraki Mt Cook is a bobby dazzler. Get there in time to watch the sun rising over its ice-white peak.
• Lake Pūkaki affords stunning views of the Aoraki Mt Cook mountain range.
• It is a rite of passage to take a dip in the glacially fed Lake Pūkaki. Yes, it’s cold!
• At Elephant Rocks, the enormous boulders look like a herd of grey elephants grazing in green pastures.
• A slight detour to the unique and immense pinnacles of Clay Cliffs is a must-do.
• In Twizel, see how salmon is farmed, feed the fish and catch your own at High Country Salmon.
• Take a break at a local winery in the Waitaki area to sample a superb drop of wine.
• Rakis Tunnel is a 500m-long abandoned rail tunnel with no lights. There is an alternative route if that sounds too claustrophobic.
• Waimate’s White Horse Walkway Thirty-five minutes from Ōamaru, this two-hour return pathway leads to the White Horse monument of Waimate.
