I just cycled nearly 200 miles on one of New Zealand’s most gorgeous bike routes – the Alps 2 Ocean cycle trail. It is the longest of the Great Rides of New Zealand, starting at Lake Tekapo near Aoraki Mt. Cook and stretching all the way to the east coast at Oamaru.
I traveled with Adventure South on their Alps 2 Ocean Classic itinerary, which looked like:
- Guided group trip with set dates (6 days/5 nights)
- Starting and ending in Christchurch
- Van for luggage and cycling support all throughout the journey
- Two professional guides (for our full group of 14)
- All accommodations
- Most meals
- Your choice of regular or e-bike
Our group consisted mainly of US-Americans, plus one couple from Ireland, and we all became fast friends! (This was not a JUMP trip, this was one of Adventure South’s regular group trips that I signed up for along with some of my friends and family).
Before I go on with beautiful photos and stories from the trail – SAVE THIS PROMO CODE! If you’d like to travel with Adventure South on the Alps 2 Ocean trail or any of their signature hiking or cycling trips, you can use code JUMPAdventures10 to save 10% when you book one of their trips on their website! (You’re welcome! 🤩)
Now on to my experience along the beautiful Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail!
Day 1: Lake Tekapo to Lake Pukaki
With an early start in Christchurch, we transferred about 3.5 hours by van to Lake Tekapo where we stopped to enjoy a picnic lunch before hopping on our bikes. Our trip was the first week of February, 2026, so essentially the equivalent of August in the Southern Hemisphere summer. Weather can still be tricky and change quickly, but we were very lucky with the amount of sunshine we got for our trip, starting with a gorgeous first ride from Lake Tekapo to Lake Pukaki.
The Alps 2 Ocean cycle trail follows the Waitaki Hydro Scheme, which is responsible for 18% of the nation’s electricity and reflects the same beautiful turquoise of the glacial lakes it draws from.
We ended the first day on the shores of Lake Pukaki, at an access point seldom viewed by travelers because it’s far from the main highway. The views of Aoraki Mt Cook from here are breathtaking!
We finished our bike ride and took a short transfer by van to the town of Twizel and our accommodations for the night.
Day 2: Lake Pukaki to Twizel
After breakfast at a local cafe, we transferred by van back to exactly where we stopped on Day 1 and got back on the bikes for what would be one of the most beautiful sections of the entire trail, against a dramatic sky with threatening rainstorms.
And we stopped for a break at the Lake Pukaki Visitor Center where they actually sell salmon sashimi straight from where it’s farmed in the canals nearby. DE-LISH.
From here we continued on through forests and farms to our accommodations in Twizel, where we had lunch and loaded back up into the van to spend the afternoon at Aoraki Mt Cook National Park.
We hiked the Tasman Glacier Lake lookout trail with sweeping views down the valley and back toward Lake Pukaki, and it felt good to mix up the muscles from cycling to hiking.
Fun fact: Aoraki (the Maori name of Mt Cook) means cloud-piercer, and on this day it was hiding from us up in those clouds, so we were extra grateful to have had such beautiful weather on Day 1.
Day 3: Twizel to Omarama
We woke up to rain this day, so we hoped to wait it out by having an extra long breakfast, but unfortunately the rain decided it was here to stay, so we decided to face it head on! We donned our rain jackets and gloves and set out on what would be our longest of the 6 day cycle along the Alps to Ocean trail. And oh was it beautiful!
This trail wove in and out of bushes and trees all around Lake Ohau, boasting more glacial turquoise waters and devoid of its normally windy shores (lucky for us!). On the western side of the lake, after a hot lunch at Lake Ohau Lodge, we followed the up and around a mountain to the high point of the Alps 2 Ocean.
We continued on to Omarama where we indulged (for my third time!) in the wood fired hot tubs right there in town. A must do if you find yourself in Omarama!
Day 4: Omarama to Kurow
This is my favorite day. I have done this section of the Alps 2 Ocean cycle trail three times now, because when I led JUMP trips in NZ in Nov/Dec of 2024 this was part of our itinerary. It was one of my favorite days then, and it was even better this time around because we went even further, and we ended with wine!
The trail between Omarama and Kurow cuts away from the highway for a large section known as Sailor’s Cutting, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. It’s a quiet, remote single track along beautiful Lake Benmore to the Benmore Dam.
We stopped for lunch at a secret tiny lake where a few people went for a swim, and then we continued on the dreamy champagne gravel trail all the way to the adorable town of Kurow, where of course, we found a winery to cap the day.
Day 5: Kurow to Burnside Homestead
If I have one complaint about the Alps 2 Ocean trail, it’s that it goes by WAY TOO FAST. We easily could have finished on this day, but we stopped just 20K short of Oamaru to enjoy one last night together as a group before crossing the finish line. And the last night was in the most beautiful of accommodations of the entire trip: Burnside Homestead.
Oh also – we stopped at an ancient seafloor rock garden, cycled through sheep farms, and we definitely took a detour (ahem) to a pub that wasn’t on the itinerary. WORTH IT!
Okay the Burnside Homestead – like stepping into the past! I mean, this place has a conservatory! Like, “Colonel Mustard with the Candlestick” style conservatory! We dined together in the ornately decorated dining room, made friends with the wolf hound in residence, and laughed our faces off during our final night together.
Day 6: Burnside to Oamaru
As I mentioned, we only had 20K of the trail waiting for us on the final ride, and we rode it together, winding through botanical gardens and into the cute coastal town of Oamaru. We celebrated a week well-spent as we crossed the finish line and took photos together, not wanting the experience to be over.
If you have any desire to do this trail – DO IT! And I highly recommend that you go with Adventure South, because they have been doing this for years, they are an incredibly well oiled machine, and they will make your trip go so smoothly you’ll forget how to order food for yourself by the time it’s over. 😂
Again, if you choose to travel with Adventure South, make sure they know I sent you by using code JUMPAdventures10 when you book A2O on their website!
Also – grab my packing list and stick to it! I forgot so many things on this trip because I failed to look at my own list, I’d rather not talk about it. 🙈 Just get it, trust me.
Thanks for being here and reading this, and happy trails to you! If you have questions about this trip, throw them in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them!
