Queenstown to Arrowtown - a kiwi adventure (January 2020)
- Velo.adventurer
- Sep 10, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 5, 2020
A trip to New Zealand’s South Island would not have been complete without experiencing some of the region by bike. Whilst Queenstown is known as a mountain biker’s playground, we opted for hitting some of the more leisurely gravel trails around the city dubbed the ‘adventure capital of the world’.
A bright and breezy mid-summer’s day greeted us as we headed down into town to Vertigo Bike Hire. The staff were friendly and super helpful in getting us kitted out on some nice Giant bikes ready for our day’s adventure. We were joining friends Amanda and Ed, both of whom were from the UK but living and working in Queenstown for a period. After snapping an obligatory photo on the shoreside of Lake Wakatipu, we made our way through Queenstown Gardens. The plan was to follow the well-marked cycle trail all the way to nearby Arrowtown. We glided along the tarmac section of the trail hugging the lakeshore through to Frankton. The flat section gave us the chance to take in the views of the opposite shore that is back-dropped by the Remarkables mountains (also known apparently by the Maori name Kawarau). The jagged and dramatic peaks were said to be named by Alexander Garvie in the late 1800s as they're one of two mountain ranges in the world that run directly north and south.
The trail took us under state highway 6 and the impressive bridge on the Kawarau River. The shaded areas of the Kawarau Falls Scenic Reserve park came as welcome respite given the heat of the summer’s day. As we headed away from the tourist area of downtown Queenstown, it became quieter. The trail was a nice compact gravel and our hire bikes made light work of the conditions. At the confluence of the Kawarau River and Shotover River, the trail took us northwards along the Shotover River and between the oxidation pond. We then crossed over the river following signs for Arrowtown via Shotover Bridge which is an historic local landmark. The original bridge was built in 1871 but the latest bridge was opened in 2005.
The route then leaves the riverside and takes a steep path heading east through Spreagrass Flat down towards Lake Hayes. The undulating and sometimes rocky gravel sections made it hardgoing in places but not for very long. Our efforts were rewarded with views over the Millbrook estate as we meandered through this very smart golf resort. Coming out of this reverie we soon had to cross over the busy main road to Manse Road eventually following the Tobins track towards the Arrow River and arriving in ArrowTown. The famous gold rush-era maintains a rustic charm despite its quaint country setting. The reward for our toils up the Gibston valley were ice creams at Patagonia ice cream and chocolate parlour. With the sun setting on our day’s adventure we were happy to hop onto a bus back to Queenstown taking advantage of the bike storage up front.
Ride highlights
Trail is well signposted
Gravel heaven in some parts
Take a map, water and some snacks
More leisurely around Queenstown and then undulating further up towards Arrowtown
Links
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