Winter is officially just a few weeks away for us here in the US and Canada but in New Zealand, the summer is right around the corner. And just in time for the start of the mountain biking season, the Alps 2 Ocean Cycling Trail is opening several new sections to riders. When it’s fully completed in November, 2012, the Alps 2 Ocean trail will span 312km (about 200 miles) from the base of Mt. Cook (highest peak in New Zealand) in the southern Alps to the coast at Oamaru.
The Alps 2 Ocean trail is a part of the New Zealand Cycle Trail and is funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Economic Development. The idea is to develop and promote 18 great rides that showcase the natural beauty of New Zealand and each ride is rated easy, intermediate, or advanced. Most of the rides are designed as multi-day routes and there’s at least one ride in each region of the country.
Rated as an easy ride, the Alps 2 Ocean trail can be conveniently ridden as a 6 day trip with stops in various villages offering places to stay and eat. The trail starts 780m (2,500ft) above sea level which means you’re riding mostly downhill all the way to the coast. Still, because this is rated as an easy trail I’m guessing it’s all about the scenery, not the adrenaline. It’s also not clear how much of the final trail will be off-road, though nearly all of the photos show natural surface tracks.
Alps 2 Ocean Trail (photo: nzcycletrail.com)
Fortunately, other parts of the New Zealand Cycle Trail, like the Waikato River Trail, St. James Cycle Trail, and the Old Ghost Road on the West Coast are rated advanced and the photos seem to back up the rating. All three trails can be ridden as multi-day epics from 1-4 days long, depending on your ability – and the number of times you stop to take in the incredible scenery!
St. James Trail (photo: nzcycletrail.com)
Old Ghost Road (photo: nzcycletrail.com)
Old Ghost Road (photo: nzcycletrail.com)
The New Zealand Cycle Trail website has photos and information about each trail, making it easy to plan your own off-road, multi-day bikepacking trip in God’s own country. The best part: mountain biking in New Zealand gets you on the bike in January when the rest of us are still shivering in our thermal tights!
