Explore Otago Cycle Tour

The Explore Otago Cycle Tour is a guided, small-group e-bike journey for women, starting in Queenstown and finishing in Christchurch. Riders cover the Otago Central Rail Trail, Roxburgh Gorge Trail (including a 12km jetboat section), Clutha Gold Trail and a scenic Hāwea to Wānaka route, passing through gold-mining history, tunnels, viaducts and remote gorges along the Clutha River.

The route now includes an added cycle day in the Wānaka region, plus stops at Oamaru's Victorian Precinct and the Moeraki Boulders. Terrain is varied but easy-surfaced throughout, with some climbs and descents, and an optional hot tub soak in Omarama on Day 6.

The tour can be combined with the Lakes, Fiords & Mountains tour, which ends in Queenstown the same morning this one begins.

Highlights:

• Ride the Otago Central Rail Trail through Ida Valley and Poolburn Gorge
• Jetboat through the remote Roxburgh Gorge Trail
• Cycle the Clutha Gold Trail's tunnels, viaducts and gold-rush towns
• Explore Lawrence, Otago's first gold rush town
• Ride the Hāwea to Wānaka trail beside Lake Hāwea
• Visit Oamaru's Victorian Precinct and the Moeraki Boulders en route to Christchurch

Surface and terrain:

Mostly off-road gravel with gentle gradients (Grade 2), with some steeper, narrower Grade 3 sections requiring more confidence. Includes tunnels and viaducts.

Weather:

Tour dates run November to May, spanning NZ spring to autumn, noted for wild thyme scent in spring and autumn colours.

Suitable for:

E-Bike beginners building confidence, as the tour starts easy and gradually adds more varied, technical sections.