Overview
Experience more than just breathtaking alpine scenery, lakes, and rivers on the Alps 2 Ocean Luxury Cycle Tour, exploring New Zealand's iconic Alps 2 Ocean cycle trail. Enjoy luxurious accommodations and exceptional hosting experiences throughout your journey. Enhance your adventure with additional activities that create unforgettable memories.
Our Alps 2 Ocean Luxury Cycle Tour offers the best highlights and tailored support. On this self-guided trip, you can customize your travel schedule with the continuous support of Cycle Journeys.
Our itinerary features diverse experiences, but we understand you might have specific interests. Share your plans with us, and we'll strive to exceed your expectations for an extraordinary cycle vacation.
Accommodation Types
Accommodation options at a Luxury level are not available in abundance down the trail and hence we may require flexibility to achieve getting all the necessary ‘ducks in a row’. While we will attempt to utilise our key partners, at times we may be forced to identify alternative options to meet your timelines.
Some locations are best suited for smaller groups of up to 3 or 4 couples, so for larger groups, alternative options to those advertised may also be necessary.
E-Bike Upgrade
Our E-bikes are equipped with the latest technology with a smooth and powerful electric motor to provide extra assistance whenever needed. The riding position is upright and comfortable. Riding an E-bike is a great way to enjoy the Alps to Ocean experience.
Details
Difficulty: 3
Departures Daily 1 October to 20 May
Start: Twizel
Finish: Oamaru
Includes:
- Trip Co-ordinator
- You will be ‘supported’ – i.e. bags transferred daily and we’ll make contact by phone to provide daily updates and advice.
- Shuttle transfers as detailed
- Standard Bike Hire (E-Bike Upgrade available)
- Daily luggage transfers (Max 15KG per bag)
- En-suite accommodation
- Meals as detailed in itinerary (B,L,D - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
- Sir Edmund Hillary Museum
- Glacier Explorer boat trip
- Hot Tubs Ōmarama
- Wine Tasting
- Steampunk HQ
- Celebratory beer and pizza lunch at Scotts Brewery.
- Contribution to A2O Trail maintenance programme.
Please note below exclusions:
- Alcohol, soft drinks and additional coffees and beverages
- Optional activities as indicated
- Transfers to and from Twizel / Oamaru
Pricing:
Cost per person (Twin share)
October 2024 - May 2025
Start: Lake Pukaki
- From NZ$4,481*
Start: Tekapo
- From NZ$4,245*
*Your actual trip price will depend on accomodation availability and optional inclusions selected.
Optional Extra
- E-bike Upgrade: NZ$343
Overview
Experience more than just breathtaking alpine scenery, lakes, and rivers on the Alps 2 Ocean Luxury Cycle Tour, exploring New Zealand's iconic Alps 2 Ocean cycle trail. Enjoy luxurious accommodations and exceptional hosting experiences throughout your journey. Enhance your adventure with additional activities that create unforgettable memories.
Our Alps 2 Ocean Luxury Cycle Tour offers the best highlights and tailored support. On this self-guided trip, you can customize your travel schedule with the continuous support of Cycle Journeys.
Our itinerary features diverse experiences, but we understand you might have specific interests. Share your plans with us, and we'll strive to exceed your expectations for an extraordinary cycle vacation.
Accommodation Types
Accommodation options at a Luxury level are not available in abundance down the trail and hence we may require flexibility to achieve getting all the necessary ‘ducks in a row’. While we will attempt to utilise our key partners, at times we may be forced to identify alternative options to meet your timelines.
Some locations are best suited for smaller groups of up to 3 or 4 couples, so for larger groups, alternative options to those advertised may also be necessary.
E-Bike Upgrade
Our E-bikes are equipped with the latest technology with a smooth and powerful electric motor to provide extra assistance whenever needed. The riding position is upright and comfortable. Riding an E-bike is a great way to enjoy the Alps to Ocean experience.
Itinerary
Open AllArrive into Twizel from either Christchurch, Oamaru or Queenstown and meet your Trip Co-ordinator at our depot. We will have your bikes ready and will go over these with you making any fine tuning that is required.
Once the bikes have been loaded, we’ll drive a short distance to Tekapo B power station on the shores of Lake Pukaki and then you will ride the 4km of sealed road to the start of the lakeside track. Following this around the lake edge to arrive at Lakestone Lodge and meet your hosts Anna and Mike.
Lakestone Lodge is a beautifully presented 6 room lodge, designed to provide the best perspective of the lake and the views to Mt Cook.
Dinner tonight is a great prelude to the week that follows. Taking advantage of the internationally acclaimed Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve, we have a stunning night sky experience scheduled for after 10pm, just a short 10 minute walk from the lodge.
Accommodation: Lakestone Lodge (D)
Breakfast is in the amazing dining room with its stunning views up valley. Your shuttle arrives and we have a 58km drive up the western edge of Lake Pukaki into Mt Cook Alpine Village. Within the Hermitage Hotel is the famous Sir Edmund Hillary museum, part of the living history of the region and a record of his amazing expeditions around the world and down to the Antarctic.
From the Hermitage Hotel you will join the Glacier Explorers trip to get up close to the 1000 year old ice of the Tasman Glacier. After the tour, you are free to enjoy a walk up the Hooker Valley or an optional scenic flight from Mt Cook Airport. Our shuttle vehicle will then return you to the lodge to relax over drinks and your evening meal.
Accommodation: Lakestone Lodge (B,L,D)
Optional Extra: Scenic Helicopter flight
While at Mt Cook Village there are scenic helicopter flight options available.
After breakfast at the lodge and packing bags, your ride continues around the lake front and across the Twizel plains, passing Pukaki Airport, en route into Twizel township. After a short circuit of the town its time for an early lunch before you head for Lake Ohau Lodge some 38km away.
The first 20km of this ride is on flat sealed roads alongside one of the many canals taking you to the southern end of nearby Lake Ohau. The off-road trail then follows the lake edge for 8km before joining the road that takes us past the beautiful lake and onto the Lodge itself.
Dinner is provided with stunning lakeside and mountain views providing the backdrop.
Accommodation: Lake Ohau Lodge (B,L,D)
A relaxed breakfast starts the day before the ride over the Tarnbrae section of the trail. Weaving along the base of the foothills, after crossing a bush-clad stream bed, the trail starts to climb to the highpoint of the entire trail, providing great views into the Mackenzie Basin. From the highpoint, care is required as the trail drops quickly via a series of zig-zags before reaching the grassy flats below. From here, follow four wheel drive tracks to reach the top of the rural road and the historic woolshed, a relic of days gone by. After enjoying a picnic lunch, start down the gravel road until it changes to seal and leads into Omarama, home of one of the worlds best gliding sites. Relax into your evening by soaking up the views at Hot Tubs Omarama.
There is a side trip offered along the way, which takes us into the famous Clay Cliffs. An 8km ride each way.
Accommodation: Merino Lodge or Heritage Hotel (B,L,D)
The Alps2Ocean Cycle Trail now heads east towards the coast and enters the region famed for its hydro lakes. The trail weaves around the hydro lake formed by Benmore Dam – the largest earth dam in NZ. At 12km the trail reaches Sailors Cutting, the site of the classic Kiwi caravan park, where caravans arrive on opening day and remain through summer providing an outlet for the boaties and water skiers.
This is the newest section of the A2O, and in our opinion one of the most spectacular parts of the trail. Cycling along the the shores of Lake Benmore and taking in the spectacular views of the Waitaki Valley from the top of the Benmore Dam. En-route you can enjoy a picnic lunch before continuing to cycle along the edge of Lake Aviemore and past the historic Waitaki Dam and Village.
Arriving into your accommodation, there is enough time left in the day for a walk to a nearby wine outlet and a sampling of the regions finest offerings.
Accommodation: Waitaki Braids or Valley View Glamping (B,L,D)
After breakfast at the Lodge, your second to last cycle day begins with a ride down valley and alongside the Waitaki River, arriving at Duntroon some 29km later. A chance for a coffee and a break, before continuing on through the dramatic landscapes with limestone outcrops and boulders.
Nearby Elephant Rocks is worthy of a visit and then the trail continues to weave its way through the valleys and small towns. A steady climb takes you to a beautiful rural viewpoint before descending to the Rakis Tunnel and onto the small township of Enfield and your accommodation in the converted Old School Enfield. Dinner tonight will be at the nearby Tavern allowing the opportunity to mingle with the locals.
Accommodation: Old School Enfield (B,L,D)
Your finish line lies just 15km away and the final morning ride brings you into Oamaru and the photo frame on the harbour. Access to the nearby Steampunk HQ is included in your package, along with a celebratory lunch at the Criterion Hotel.
Your package includes (B, L)
Cost per person (Twin share)
October 2024 - May 2025
Start: Lake Pukaki
- From NZ$4,481*
Start: Tekapo
- From NZ$4,245*
*Your actual trip price will depend on accomodation availability and optional inclusions selected.
Optional Extra
- E-bike Upgrade: NZ$343
Itinerary
Open AllArrive into Twizel from either Christchurch, Oamaru or Queenstown and meet your Trip Co-ordinator at our depot. We will have your bikes ready and will go over these with you making any fine tuning that is required.
Once the bikes have been loaded, we’ll drive a short distance to Tekapo B power station on the shores of Lake Pukaki and then you will ride the 4km of sealed road to the start of the lakeside track. Following this around the lake edge to arrive at Lakestone Lodge and meet your hosts Anna and Mike.
Lakestone Lodge is a beautifully presented 6 room lodge, designed to provide the best perspective of the lake and the views to Mt Cook.
Dinner tonight is a great prelude to the week that follows. Taking advantage of the internationally acclaimed Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve, we have a stunning night sky experience scheduled for after 10pm, just a short 10 minute walk from the lodge.
Accommodation: Lakestone Lodge (D)
Breakfast is in the amazing dining room with its stunning views up valley. Your shuttle arrives and we have a 58km drive up the western edge of Lake Pukaki into Mt Cook Alpine Village. Within the Hermitage Hotel is the famous Sir Edmund Hillary museum, part of the living history of the region and a record of his amazing expeditions around the world and down to the Antarctic.
From the Hermitage Hotel you will join the Glacier Explorers trip to get up close to the 1000 year old ice of the Tasman Glacier. After the tour, you are free to enjoy a walk up the Hooker Valley or an optional scenic flight from Mt Cook Airport. Our shuttle vehicle will then return you to the lodge to relax over drinks and your evening meal.
Accommodation: Lakestone Lodge (B,L,D)
Optional Extra: Scenic Helicopter flight
While at Mt Cook Village there are scenic helicopter flight options available.
After breakfast at the lodge and packing bags, your ride continues around the lake front and across the Twizel plains, passing Pukaki Airport, en route into Twizel township. After a short circuit of the town its time for an early lunch before you head for Lake Ohau Lodge some 38km away.
The first 20km of this ride is on flat sealed roads alongside one of the many canals taking you to the southern end of nearby Lake Ohau. The off-road trail then follows the lake edge for 8km before joining the road that takes us past the beautiful lake and onto the Lodge itself.
Dinner is provided with stunning lakeside and mountain views providing the backdrop.
Accommodation: Lake Ohau Lodge (B,L,D)
A relaxed breakfast starts the day before the ride over the Tarnbrae section of the trail. Weaving along the base of the foothills, after crossing a bush-clad stream bed, the trail starts to climb to the highpoint of the entire trail, providing great views into the Mackenzie Basin. From the highpoint, care is required as the trail drops quickly via a series of zig-zags before reaching the grassy flats below. From here, follow four wheel drive tracks to reach the top of the rural road and the historic woolshed, a relic of days gone by. After enjoying a picnic lunch, start down the gravel road until it changes to seal and leads into Omarama, home of one of the worlds best gliding sites. Relax into your evening by soaking up the views at Hot Tubs Omarama.
There is a side trip offered along the way, which takes us into the famous Clay Cliffs. An 8km ride each way.
Accommodation: Merino Lodge or Heritage Hotel (B,L,D)
The Alps2Ocean Cycle Trail now heads east towards the coast and enters the region famed for its hydro lakes. The trail weaves around the hydro lake formed by Benmore Dam – the largest earth dam in NZ. At 12km the trail reaches Sailors Cutting, the site of the classic Kiwi caravan park, where caravans arrive on opening day and remain through summer providing an outlet for the boaties and water skiers.
This is the newest section of the A2O, and in our opinion one of the most spectacular parts of the trail. Cycling along the the shores of Lake Benmore and taking in the spectacular views of the Waitaki Valley from the top of the Benmore Dam. En-route you can enjoy a picnic lunch before continuing to cycle along the edge of Lake Aviemore and past the historic Waitaki Dam and Village.
Arriving into your accommodation, there is enough time left in the day for a walk to a nearby wine outlet and a sampling of the regions finest offerings.
Accommodation: Waitaki Braids or Valley View Glamping (B,L,D)
After breakfast at the Lodge, your second to last cycle day begins with a ride down valley and alongside the Waitaki River, arriving at Duntroon some 29km later. A chance for a coffee and a break, before continuing on through the dramatic landscapes with limestone outcrops and boulders.
Nearby Elephant Rocks is worthy of a visit and then the trail continues to weave its way through the valleys and small towns. A steady climb takes you to a beautiful rural viewpoint before descending to the Rakis Tunnel and onto the small township of Enfield and your accommodation in the converted Old School Enfield. Dinner tonight will be at the nearby Tavern allowing the opportunity to mingle with the locals.
Accommodation: Old School Enfield (B,L,D)
Your finish line lies just 15km away and the final morning ride brings you into Oamaru and the photo frame on the harbour. Access to the nearby Steampunk HQ is included in your package, along with a celebratory lunch at the Criterion Hotel.
Your package includes (B, L)
