New Zealand Tour - February 2016 - Queenstown to...

lrzewnicki
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New Zealand Tour - February 2016 - Queenstown to...

Postby lrzewnicki » Wed Dec 30, 2015 3:29 pm

Hi all,

I'm wrapping up a three week tour from Melbourne to Sydney and will then fly late January to Queenstown (likely). Thinking a 7-10 day tour of the South Island (obviously not the whole thing in that time) making my way to Christchurch (as a thought because I may fly out of there). Here's a rough similar ride I found that seems interesting as example:

http://travellingtwo.com/resources/newz ... avoralakes" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I will be on a lightweight carbon fiber road bike with 25mmC tires, so a little gravel is alright, but sealed roads are preferred. The idea is to see some beautiful nature. Ideally with guest houses/hotels/AirBNB/WarmShowers to stay at, but camping could be an option. I don't mind climbing with the lightweight rig. Thinking 50-80 kms a day.

Questions:
Does anyone have any recommendations for routes in the area?
Does anyone have recommendations for bike rental in Queenstown? I have a buddy that will join and may need to rent (of course this may mean returning to Queenstown).

Cheers and appreciate the help!
Luke

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RonK
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Re: New Zealand Tour - February 2016 - Queenstown to...

Postby RonK » Wed Dec 30, 2015 4:08 pm

Luke, the road to Mavora Lakes and on to Te Anau is very picturesque, but it is around 100km of heavy gravel and would be a struggle on 25mm tyres. I found it took great concentration even on 32mm tyres. I'm planning to do the ride again it's so good, but next time I'll be using 42mm semi-knobby tyres. You can read about it in my tour journal. Gone Fishin'. You will also find useful information in my other NZ tour journals, Chasing the Long White Cloud and North of South.

You will find more and cheaper flights into Christchurch than into Queenstown. Also many flights into Queenstown are not direct. I would suggest you start in Christchurch.

For bike hire in Queenstown, I have used Outside Sports, however I think you'll find daily hire rates too high for an extended period. It may be worthwhile to contact them and ask if they'll give a discount an extended multi-day hire. I'm not sure what is available in Chrischurch.

Haast is at a remote location at the bottom of the west coast and is not a logical place to start a tour. You would have to take a bus to get there. Alternatively you could ride from Christchurch across the Southern Alps via Porters Pass and Arthurs Pass (you said you like mountains) to Greymouth then continue down the west coast to Haast and on to Queenstown via Wanaka. Wanaka is a beautiful place - you will find it difficult to tear yourself away. The ride from Wanaka via Cardrona across the Crown Range is an absolute delight.This would be a great ride and would probably take up your full 10 days. I have ridden all these roads and would happily do them again.

This Doarama visualisation will give you an idea what the scenery is like from Flock Hill to Arthurs Pass.

Another suggestion would be to ride my route from Chch to Queenstown via Rakaia Gorge/Mt Hutt, Geraldine, Tekapo and Wanaka - then continue on the Te Anau via the sealed road, from where you could take an excursion to either Milford Sound or Doubtful Sound. You may even be able to continue on to Invercargil if time permits.

It's a fantastic place to tour. Have fun. Enjoy the food, the beer, and the wine. And soak up the scenery.
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Re: New Zealand Tour - February 2016 - Queenstown to...

Postby BenGr » Wed Dec 30, 2015 5:37 pm

A quick search for flights shows direct flights from Sydney to both Christchurch and Queenstown, slightly cheaper to Christchurch, but you'll probably want to use both and one end or another either way.

Fitting stuff into that time frame is tough. Queenstown to Christchurch via the west coast (I did it reverse) is doable, ~750km, but to avoid camping (and to carry the minimum food) you'll want to do some longer days (I managed 3 140km days in 6 days from Christchurch to Wanaka before a broken freehub gave me several days enforced rest, was such a chore waiting in Wanaka though...)

One problem you could have is with your time frame you can't afford to wait out the weather, and the west coast can be very wet.

For this route the standard direction is Queenstown to Christchurch. I personally quite enjoyed the reverse, The feeling of heading towards a seemingly impenetrable mountain still stays with me. For me at least finishing off with the ride into Christchurch would be a little anticlimactic, whereas the trip over the Crown Range into Queenstown is very engaging.

This is a possible itinerary avoiding camping.
Day 1 Christchurch to Springfield 71km, Day 2 to Arthurs Pass village 83km, Day 3 to Hokitika 100km, Day 4 to Harihari 72km, Day 5 to Fox Glacier 85km (nasty sting in the tail), Day 6 to Haast 120km (without camping this is the only choice, but shouldn't be too bad), Day 7 to Wanaka 145km (the prevailing winds make this doable, but you could also split it in 2 by stopping in Makarora), Day 8 Rest in Wanaka, Day 9 Crown Range to Queenstown 77km.

Between Christchurch and Fox Glacier there are options for longer/shorter days, possibly stop in Franz Josef and have a short day following to do a few detours to the Glaciers.

The best few days I had was riding from Te Anau to Milford Sound return, I had perfect weather all 3 days and the route is stunning.

As Ronk said the Mavora lakes trip is great, and I also did it on 32c tyres and also would recommend wider for a more relaxing ride.

You can't go too wrong, Ronk's inland route is pretty good, although I found the last few days a bit boring, but I was also coming to the end of 3 months in NZ.

lrzewnicki
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Re: New Zealand Tour - February 2016 - Queenstown to...

Postby lrzewnicki » Fri Jan 01, 2016 2:41 pm

RonK - thanks again. I forgot you already recommended I spend a month in NZ, so I appreciate the tips. Leaving for Sydney tomorrow so I'll take a look at these suggestions along the way. Thanks for the bike shop recommend as well!

BenGr - thanks for that breakdown and distance. Distances seems doable. Will take a look soon and get back with any questions.

Seems like the reverse is the way to go. I've heard how amazing Queenstown is as well, so probably more climatic to end there. We'll be flying in from Sydney and there should be direct flights to either CC or QT from there.

Question:
-Any suggestions on how to get a bike box from Christchurch to Queenstown? My friend will likely fly in with his hard shell case from Sydney and since we'd only do a one-way tour, would likely need to ship it from one town to the next? Might be easier to ask locals there, but I thought I'd ask in advance. The good thing is, he wouldn't need to rent as he'd bring his bike so that helps out. I'll be using a disposable box as my actual case will remain in Melbourne.

Cheers and happy new year everyone!
Luke

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Re: New Zealand Tour - February 2016 - Queenstown to...

Postby BenGr » Fri Jan 01, 2016 3:02 pm

lrzewnicki wrote:RonK - thanks again. I forgot you already recommended I spend a month in NZ, so I appreciate the tips. Leaving for Sydney tomorrow so I'll take a look at these suggestions along the way. Thanks for the bike shop recommend as well!

BenGr - thanks for that breakdown and distance. Distances seems doable. Will take a look soon and get back with any questions.

Seems like the reverse is the way to go. I've heard how amazing Queenstown is as well, so probably more climatic to end there. We'll be flying in from Sydney and there should be direct flights to either CC or QT from there.

Question:
-Any suggestions on how to get a bike box from Christchurch to Queenstown? My friend will likely fly in with his hard shell case from Sydney and since we'd only do a one-way tour, would likely need to ship it from one town to the next? Might be easier to ask locals there, but I thought I'd ask in advance. The good thing is, he wouldn't need to rent as he'd bring his bike so that helps out. I'll be using a disposable box as my actual case will remain in Melbourne.

Cheers and happy new year everyone!
Luke
I can't imagine it will be cheap to to move the hard box. I would suggest just going cardboard. The only other thing I can think of is catching a bus back to Christchurch.

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Re: New Zealand Tour - February 2016 - Queenstown to...

Postby Leaf T » Fri Jan 01, 2016 3:28 pm

What route did you end up going in Victoria? I hope it was great riding whichever way you went.

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New Zealand Tour - February 2016 - Queenstown to...

Postby RonK » Fri Jan 01, 2016 5:34 pm

BenGr wrote:I can't imagine it will be cheap to to move the hard box. I would suggest just going cardboard. The only other thing I can think of is catching a bus back to Christchurch.
This is what I would do - get the bus back to CHCH.

Inbound, there is a bike assembly area at CHCH Airport with disposal for cardboard boxes.

On a direct flight there is minimal handling and the chances of damage to a bike well packed in a cardboard box are small.

On the return trip the airlines should have boxes available, but they are also available in the terminal from Luggage Solutions. I think I covered all this in my tour journals.

Luggage Solutions also offer freight services so it may be worthwhile contacting them for a quote on shipping a hard case to Queenstown.
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lrzewnicki
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Re: New Zealand Tour - February 2016 - Queenstown to...

Postby lrzewnicki » Mon Jan 04, 2016 7:26 am

Thanks RonK and BenGr.

I agree with the cardboard solution and that is what I will be doing. However my friend is flying from San Francisco to Melbourne and then taking one ways to Sydney, Christchurch, to Queenstown and will hopefully return from there to San Francisco. It's not ideal with a large, heavy case but it may mean that. I've asked before about recommended airlines before and I am aware of Jet Star's policy. Will have to look into others, but I know I was recommended Virgin Australia at one point.

I'm on the road now, so it's hard to do the research...

LeafT - Cowes to Sydney via Wilson's Prom. I'm just arriving Wilson's Prom today.
RonK - the guide you gave me is great, though I will likely stay coastal through the 6-9 day stretch. Just so you know, there are some pages missing from that file. A few days left out.

Cheers and thanks!
Luke

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Leaf T
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Re: New Zealand Tour - February 2016 - Queenstown to...

Postby Leaf T » Mon Jan 04, 2016 8:54 am

First post you said you were wrapping up the Victoria part of your trip but you're actually still traveling. Onwards and enjoy.

Maybe you can update it in the other thread when you find time.

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Re: New Zealand Tour - February 2016 - Queenstown to...

Postby RonK » Mon Jan 04, 2016 9:37 am

lrzewnicki wrote:RonK - the guide you gave me is great, though I will likely stay coastal through the 6-9 day stretch. Just so you know, there are some pages missing from that file. A few days left out.
Thanks for letting me know. Missing pages emailed.
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lrzewnicki
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Re: New Zealand Tour - February 2016 - Queenstown to...

Postby lrzewnicki » Tue Jan 19, 2016 9:35 pm

Leaf T - definitely will do. I'm arriving into Sydney on Sunday so next week likely before New Zealand.

So looks like my friend will be bailing on me for most of the ride...so I'm taking a poll here as I'm weighing some options:

1. Just ride CC to QT 8-10 days (avoiding the west coast) then fly to Tassie and ride around there 2-3 weeks
2. Ride CC to QT 8-10 days then spend the next 2-3 weeks biking back up the west coast of NZ and around back to CC.

I guess I'm just wondering what you guys think is better, spending 1 1/2 months biking New Zealand or splitting that time amongst NZ and Tassie.*

*Please note I've spend the last 3 weeks biking from Melbourne to Sydney so my legs are strong and I've seen a bit of "mainland" Australia.

I've heard from people that Tas is incredible but that it's really a mini New Zealand. Also if anyone thinks 2 is a better option, I'm open to additional route ideas beyond what has already been suggested in the above.

Thanks everyone! Having the time of my life down here thus far and just want to keep the magic and road coming...
Luke

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New Zealand Tour - February 2016 - Queenstown to...

Postby RonK » Tue Jan 19, 2016 9:59 pm

I would agree that Tasmania is very much like the South Island but hillier.

You would have to do extra flights to visit both, and there are no direct flights between them.

So my choice would be NZ. With 6 weeks to spare I'd head north from Chch along the east coast and go over the top then down the west coast to Queenstown and back to Chch from there.
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Re: New Zealand Tour - February 2016 - Queenstown to...

Postby BenGr » Tue Jan 19, 2016 10:49 pm

6 weeks in the south island is plenty of time to see a large proportion of it, and as RonK says the hassle of flying would put me off splitting the trip. 6 weeks also means weather will affect you less.

I like mountain passes, so if I was to plan my trip again starting from Christchurch I'd head up the east coast to Picton, over to Nelson and back to Christchurch via the Lewis Pass. From there head over Arthurs Pass and down the west coast to Wanaka and Queenstown, which could be ~20 days.

Once down south there are many more options, so I'd just make a list of places to see and figure out some way of connecting them. Two things I'd definitely try to visit are Milford Sound and Mt Cook. If you don't mind a bit of gravel you could do the Alps to Ocean track in reverse towards Mt Cook, just note the section from Omarama to Twizel is quite rough, but was the most enjoyable for me.

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Re: New Zealand Tour - February 2016 - Queenstown to...

Postby lrzewnicki » Wed Jan 20, 2016 3:12 pm

Ron/Ben- thanks, I'm starting to agree with you. More time in one place means more to explore (that's my traveling mantra). I'll take a look at your suggestions, but I think the route I will still go is CC to QT per the below and then maybe UP the west coast. Obviously with 6 weeks I can add on to this route below, but I would want to go this general direction as I'll still be doing some of it with a friend leaving Christchurch at the end of January, then heading to Queenstown middle of February to take a car-trip (some good down time) to Milford Sound. Then...who knows, maybe up the west coast to make a loop...

https://www.strava.com/routes/3908000" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

1. Does this direction still make sense?
2. Should I avoid/cut out any sections of this?
3. What should I add on (perhaps the north per your last suggestions coming back to CC?

Also, it doesn't need to be a roundtrip in and out of CC. I could still fly from Queenstown or elsewhere, but with 6 weeks I could probably also handle a loop.

Cheers,
LR

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New Zealand Tour - February 2016 - Queenstown to...

Postby RonK » Wed Jan 20, 2016 3:33 pm

That route is pretty similar to the one I followed on my first tour in NZ - see my journal. However I continued north from Greymouth to Reefton and returned to CHCH via the Lewis pass. I did that very comfortably in one month.

The crossing of Arthur's Pass from the west coast is very steep, but the scenery is superb if you are up for it. However, if you choose to go this way there is no point going in to Greymouth - it is one of the few places in NZ that resembles its name.

Another option would be to continue north from Greymouth along the west coast to Westport, a truly spectacular ride, then up the Buller Gorge to Murchison, the route I took last tour, and return across the Lewis Pass via Maruia.

It doesn't much matter where you go, you will be surrounded by some awesome scenery, so I'd say start out by riding to Queenstown and wing it from there.
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Re: New Zealand Tour - February 2016 - Queenstown to...

Postby BenGr » Wed Jan 20, 2016 4:17 pm

Nothing wrong with that route, and as you say you have plenty of time to add things. The semi tricky bit about adding things up north is avoiding backtracking, there's not a whole lot of options between locations. With various different deadlines things could be a bit tricky to fit in.

A loop from Christchurch through Picton and Lewis Pass is around 900km including a side trip to Hanmer Springs. The riding is relatively easy, although busy up to Picton.

My main suggestion is don't rush yourself along the west coast, the weather can be bad and you'll enjoy it much more if you wait it out.

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Re: New Zealand Tour - February 2016 - Queenstown to...

Postby lrzewnicki » Fri Jan 22, 2016 8:22 am

Thanks again. I'll let you know what I end up doing. I like the idea of getting to QT and just winging it.

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Re: New Zealand Tour - February 2016 - Queenstown to...

Postby il padrone » Fri Jan 22, 2016 10:16 am

BenGr wrote:Day 6 to Haast 120km (without camping this is the only choice, but shouldn't be too bad
There is a motel about 30kms along at Pine Grove, cabins about halfway along at Lake Paringa, more swish lodge accommodation a bit further near Lake Moeraki.
BenGr wrote:Day 7 to Wanaka 145km (the prevailing winds make this doable, but you could also split it in 2 by stopping in Makarora)
Plenty of accommodation available around Makarora. Also a great base for airflights over the Alpine areas. We were considering doing a half-day flight/jet-boat/walk combo into the Siberia or Wilkins Valley, but the weather blew out on us.
BenGr wrote:The best few days I had was riding from Te Anau to Milford Sound return, I had perfect weather all 3 days and the route is stunning.
Skip Milford Sound; do the even more impressive Doubtful Sound boat/bus/boat tour.

Image



We spent 10 days along the West Coast from Greymouth to Haast, and only had one day of light rain; eight days were completely fine and sunny (musta been a drought). On top of that, all that way we had........ tailwinds :D :D :D
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lrzewnicki
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Re: New Zealand Tour - February 2016 - Queenstown to...

Postby lrzewnicki » Wed Feb 03, 2016 6:23 pm

Question for you all:

I'm in Mt Cook now and will head to Omarama next. I've been looking into taking some of the Alps2Ocean trail however the gravel is a bit concerning with my 25mm tires.

Does anyone know if the Twizel to Oahu to Omarama route is a suitable condition for me? The below site has "grade levels" in terms of gravel, but I always trust those that have ridden it.

http://www.alps2ocean.com/trail-map/twi ... ohau-lodge" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Honestly, the highway hasn't been bad. So many stunning views. Tops Melbourne to Sydney already just in terms of sites.

Cheers all,
Luke

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Re: New Zealand Tour - February 2016 - Queenstown to...

Postby RonK » Wed Feb 03, 2016 7:23 pm

Hi Luke. I haven't ridden the trail - my choice was to stay on the sealed road. Even with 32mm tyres I had to concentrate hard to ride the gravel. Knowing that the next day through to Wanaka across the Lindis Pass would be a long one I chose to have a cruisey day along the highway.

As far as I know Glen Lyon road to Oahu is all sealed, but I have read reports that the section from there to Omarama is quite rough in places and includes a decent climb.

BTW, the caravan park in Omarama has these little A frame cabins at a reasonable price, and the pub does a nice dinner. There's also a decent cafe for breakfast. Buy your lunch there too, and extra water. Once you leave Omarama there is nothing before Tarras at around 80km away. I got quite sunburned on that ride.

Pretty spectacular - Lake Tekapo, Lake Pukaki and Mt Cook eh? Did you do the ride along the canal?
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Re: New Zealand Tour - February 2016 - Queenstown to...

Postby BenGr » Wed Feb 03, 2016 9:10 pm

Thats a no go for 25mm tyres, at least part way. The Omarama, Ohau, Twizel was my favourite section of the track, but the section between the Ohau lodge and Omarama is extremely rocky. I enjoyed it, using 32c tyres, but it was very exhausting riding.

Up to the lodge shouldn't be a problem though, the path along the lake is nice and flowy, but take care as when I was there the surface was quite loose, except for a very narrow worn line.

https://www.strava.com/activities/239435849/overview" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; My ride for the day, reverse of what you'd do.

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Re: New Zealand Tour - February 2016 - Queenstown to...

Postby lrzewnicki » Fri Feb 05, 2016 7:18 pm

Yep, I avoided A20, sadly I even missed the Lake Tekapo Canal Rd section as it was also gravel from what I could see. It's all good, the highway has treated me well. Stunning views all the way. A bit dry of course, so I cannot wait to see that west coast, whatever it may bring.

BenGr - nice effort there! I got a 10 cup today that I was proud of, Twizel to Omarama. I also kept a 30km/h effort from Mt Cook to Twizel. I think I'm ready for more hills :)

RonK - Looks like I'm getting to Queenstown and just going to wing it (as you suggested), though I think the west coast is calling my name. I want to see what this is all about...hope the winds will be in my favor.

Il Padrone - thanks for weighing in. Good to know about those stops along the way. Hope my winds are reversed this time.

Cheers!
Luke

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Re: New Zealand Tour - February 2016 - Queenstown to...

Postby BenGr » Fri Feb 05, 2016 10:11 pm

If you head to the west coast, be a little cautious on the Descent to Haast, there's a few cattle grates. Shouldn't be too much of a problem as long as you hit them straight. Going up was a little interesting in the wet, both me and my riding partner had wheel spins...

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Re: New Zealand Tour - February 2016 - Queenstown to...

Postby RonK » Fri Feb 05, 2016 11:33 pm

lrzewnicki wrote:RonK - Looks like I'm getting to Queenstown and just going to wing it (as you suggested), though I think the west coast is calling my name. I want to see what this is all about...hope the winds will be in my favor.
Well, you'll be going the same way I did first visit. Hope you have a good rain jacket, and that you don't need it. But the weather further north has been very wet the past week or so.

You will have some nice hills coming up - it's 30 km uphill from Omarama to the Lindis Pass (but only the last 7 km or so is real climbing). Then there is Cluden Hill before you reach Tarras.
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Re: New Zealand Tour - February 2016 - Queenstown to...

Postby RonK » Wed Feb 17, 2016 8:20 pm

West coast weather has turned nasty. Hope you are not caught up in it.
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