134

TH

E Q

UE

EN

ST

OW

N T

RA

IL

6

6QUEENSTOWN

ARROWTOWN

Arthurs Point

FranktonQueenstown Airport

Chard Farm

Gibbston Gibbston Valley

KAWARAU BRIDGE

Coronet PeakSki Field

Kelvin Heights

Jacks Point

Frankton Arm

Jacks PointTrack

Lake HayesCircuit

Gibbston River TrailSHOTOVER BRIDGE

Th

e R

ema

rka

bles

Crow

n Range

Lake Wakatipu

Lake

Hay

es

Shotover R iver

Kawarau River

Countryside RideArrow RiverBridges Ride

Twin RiversRide

Lake WakatipuRide

MAP LEGENDopen section

optional section

start / fi nish point

point of interest

i-SITE Visitor Centre

town

café/restaurant

toilets

accommodation

camping

state highway

13km 12.5km 13.5km 15.5km 15.5km 6.5km

QueenstownQueenstown

Gibbston Valley

Shotover Bridge Shotover Bridge Kawarau Bridge

Arrowtown Kawarau Bridge

The Queenstown Trail offers something for

everyone, whether you’ve got a couple of

hours or a few days. There are plenty of

great riding options and you can do as much

as you want.

This is an Easy to Intermediate (Grades 2-3)

cycle trail that connects the three hubs of

Queenstown, Arrowtown and Gibbston. The

trail is well signposted and because you’re

never more than 20 minutes or so from a

main road, it’s very diffi cult to lose your

way. The trail can be ridden in sections to

suit your ability or link it all together for a

longer ride.

Here are some suggested itineraries for

shorter rides:

Lake Hayes Circuit, 8km

This is one of the most scenic rides in the

Wakatipu Basin, popular with walkers and

cyclists. It circumnavigates Lake Hayes for

8km following a wide gravel trail. Starting

at the top from Rutherford Rd, an

anti-clockwise direction is easier.

Gibbston River Trail, 8.7km

The Gibbston River Trail follows a relatively

easy gradient alongside the Kawarau River

providing access to wineries and historic

archaeological sites. This is a there-and-

RIDING THE TRAIL

“Cyclists will be attracted to The Queenstown Trail because of the iconic mountain

scenery and the existing tourism attractions such as the wineries and the Kawarau

Bungy venture.”John Dunn, Programme Manager, Nga Haerenga, The New Zealand Cycle Trail

back ride starting at the Kawarau Bridge

Bungy and ending at the Gibbston Back

Rd – the return trip is 17km.

Queenstown to Arrowtown, 27km

The start/end of this 27km section of trail

is the Memorial Gates on Queenstown’s

waterfront and Manse Rd in Arrowtown.

This trail takes in the Shotover River,

crossing the restored historic bridge and

Millbrook Resort.

Riding from Queenstown, if you want to

avoid some hill climbing, turn left when

you get to Lower Shotover Rd and then

right on to Speargrass Flat Rd. Look for the

Millbrook trail sign just past the Slopehill

Rd turn-off.

For a more challenging uphill ride, turn

right when you get to Lower Shotover Rd

then on to Slopehill Rd.

Note the Millbrook trail is smooth gravel

but is steep in parts, so be prepared to

push your bike in places.

The easier (more downhill) option is to

ride from Arrowtown to Queenstown.

Stream crossing, Arrow River Bridges Ride © davidwallphoto.com

6

© AA Traveller 2015