Alps 2 Ocean · 8-day
The full trail, with the big final day split into two with a with a farm-stay night at the Tokarahi Huts.
Self-guided
8 days, 7 nights
Christchurch to Dunedin, or return to Christchurch
Grades 1 to 3
Riding days 38 to 67 km
From $2,425 per person
The Alps 2 Ocean is New Zealand's great long ride: from the turquoise lakes of the Mackenzie beneath Aoraki/Mt Cook, down the Waitaki Valley to the Pacific at Oamaru. This is our eight-day version, and the extra day is spent exactly where the trail spends its biggest effort: the classic's 82 kilometre finale becomes two easy days of 46, with a night between them at the Tokarahi Huts, a pair of farm-stay cottages built by one of Oamaru's finest craftsmen from the salvaged timbers of the villa that once stood there, on a working 200 hectare farm where the owners are your hosts.
Everything else is the trail at full strength: the InterCity bus in from Christchurch, your bags travelling ahead, every bed booked, bikes fitted at the trailhead, and at the far end the bus to Dunedin, or back to Christchurch if you prefer.
Which Alps 2 Ocean suits you?
We run the trail two ways, and the honest difference is the finale. Both versions ride the same first five days, including one long 67 kilometre day beside the lakes. Then they part: the classic finishes with the famous 82 kilometre run to the sea in a single day, while this version, the 8-day, turns that finale into two easy days of 46 with a farm-stay night at the Tokarahi Huts between them. Same trail, same beds-booked-bags-moved support. If the 82 reads as a crescendo, take the classic >. If two gentle closing days and a night on a working farm reads as the better story, you are already on the right page
Day 1: Christchurch to Lake Tekapo. No riding.
The InterCity bus leaves central Christchurch and has you in Tekapo by lunchtime. The afternoon is yours: the Mt John summit circuit is about three hours and earns its coffee at the top, the Dark Sky Project earns its reputation after dark, and an Aoraki/Mt Cook sightseeing flight can be arranged, none of them included in the tour price. The evening is yours too.
Stay: The Godley Hotel or Lake Tekapo Village Motel. Meals: none included today.
Day 2: Lake Tekapo to Twizel. 54 km, Grade 2.
Meet our partner in Tekapo for your bike fitting, wave your bags off to Twizel, and ride: golden tussock, the surreal blue of the canals, and one of the trail's great lookouts over Lake Pukaki to Aoraki/Mt Cook, before the wide open run across Pukaki Flats into Twizel.
Stay: The Alps Motel or The Lakes Motel. Meals: none included today.
Day 3: Twizel to Lake Ohau. 38 km, Grade 2.
Easy riding along the canals to the edge of Lake Ohau, where the off-road trail begins beneath the Ben Ohau Range. The foreshore passes the Te Maiharoa Pou, then the last ten kilometres follow the sealed lake road past the village to Lake Ohau Lodge, in time for a late lunch.
Stay: Lake Ohau Lodge. Meals: dinner at the lodge.
Day 4: Lake Ohau to Omarama. 44 km, Grade 3, plus an optional 14 km return to the Clay Cliffs.
The trail climbs the lower slopes of the Ohau Range to Freehold Creek, where the track narrows for the steady climb to the trail's highest point at 900 metres. The descent from Tarnbrae summit deserves respect: it is moderately technical with rough and loose patches, so ride within your ability, and walking the first descending kilometre is a perfectly good choice. From the historic Quailburn woolshed it rolls down to Omarama, with the Clay Cliffs side trip there if the legs want it.
Stay: Sierra Motel and Apartments, Omarama. Meals: breakfast at the lodge, and a packed lunch from the lodge for the trail.
Day 5: Omarama to Kurow. 67 km, Grades 2 to 3.
The week's long day, and one of its most beautiful: along Lake Benmore and through the newer Sailors Cutting stretch to Benmore Dam, across the dam, then down the north side of Lake Aviemore to your B&B a couple of kilometres shy of Kurow.
Stay: Riverside B&B or Western House B&B, Kurow. Meals: none included today.
Day 6: Kurow to the Tokarahi Huts. 46.3 km, Grade 2.
Down the Waitaki Valley out of Kurow, past the Takiroa rock art site just across the road from the trail, and through the Duntroon wetlands to Duntroon itself, a great lunch stop. Then on, with the Elephant Rocks a short detour, to the night that makes this version: the Tokarahi Huts, about four kilometres off the trail, hand-built from the salvaged villa that once stood on the site, on a working 200 hectare farm with the owners as your hosts. The huts are fully insulated and include a panel heater, power outlet, and a small cold-water sink just outside. A spacious communal kitchen and dining area is housed in the beautifully restored 1870s limestone building, while the adjoining shower and toilet facilities have been tastefully rebuilt in the former shearing shed. Dinner is cook-your-own with the supplies provided, and it suits the place perfectly.
Stay: Tokarahi Huts. Meals: breakfast, and dinner at the Huts, cook-your-own with supplies provided.
Day 7: Tokarahi Huts to Oamaru. 46.6 km, Grade 2.
Back to the trail after breakfast and on through the Rakis railway tunnel, then the last easy running down to the sea, finishing at Friendly Bay in Oamaru where the trail meets the Pacific. Photo taken, drop the bikes at our partner depot and stroll the fifteen minutes up to your hotel, with plenty of refreshment options along the way. The evening is yours to celebrate.
Stay: Poshtel Hotel, Oamaru. Meals: breakfast at the Huts.
Day 8: Departure day. No riding.
After a continental breakfast, the InterCity stop is a one minute walk from the hotel: the bus to Dunedin or Christchurch, whichever you chose at booking. Congratulations: that was one of the great rides.
Meals: continental breakfast.
Is this tour right for me?
Honest answer: this is the gentler finale, not a gentler week. The first five days are the full Alps 2 Ocean, including the 44 kilometre Grade 3 day over the trail's 900 metre high point, where walking the first kilometre of the descent is a perfectly good choice, and the 67 kilometre lakes day that follows it. What the eighth day buys is the ending: the classic's 82 kilometre finale becomes two easy days of 46. Self-guided means you navigate and fix the odd flat between you; the trail is well marked, our notes are thorough, and the depot team is a phone call away. The e-bikes shrink every climb, that 900 metre one included.
The bikes
You ride a Merida Crossway, chosen for exactly this kind of trail: an upright, comfortable position, smooth-rolling 29 inch wheels, front suspension, a quality gel saddle and powerful disc brakes, with easy gearing that keeps the pedalling honest rather than hard. A low-rise step-through version is available, so tell us when you book if that is your preference. Helmets and panniers are included, and an e-bike upgrade is available for $265 per person.
What's included
Included:
Seven nights of accommodation as per the itinerary. Pre- and post-tour nights can be arranged on request at additional cost.
Four breakfasts, one lunch and one dinner, plus the cook-your-own supplies at the Tokarahi Huts.
Luggage transport for the entire journey: one bag per person, 15 kilograms maximum.
Merida Crossway hire with helmet, rear carrier bag and bottle cage. E-bike upgrade $395 per person.
InterCity bus transfers: Christchurch to Lake Tekapo, and Oamaru to Dunedin or Christchurch.
Not included:
Meals and food not listed in the itinerary.
Drinks and drink bottles.
Personal expenses.
Travel insurance, which we strongly recommend.
$2,425 per person, twin share, two people minimum. Single supplement $1,029. E-bike upgrade $395 per person.
Deposit: A 10% deposit per person secures your booking. Prices valid until 30 April 2027.
How is this different from the classic?
Same trail, same support, same first five days. The difference is the ending: the classic finishes with the 82 kilometre run to the sea in one day, while this version splits it into two easy days of 46 with a farm-stay night at the Tokarahi Huts between them.
What is the deal with dinner at the Tokarahi Huts?
It is cook-your-own, with the supplies provided, in a beautifully built farm cottage: less hotel restaurant, more the good kind of bach evening. Guests consistently call it a highlight, and if self-catering genuinely is not your thing, the classic's route stays in towns every night.
When can we go?
We offer this tour in Spring, Summer and Autumn. Let us know the dates that suit you and we build the tour around them.
How fit do we need to be?
Fit enough to enjoy the full trail: the honest days are day four's 900 metre climb with its technical descent, and day five's 67 kilometres. The e-bikes shrink both, the trip notes flag everything, and the finale is the gentlest on any version we run.
What if something goes wrong on the trail?
The depot team is a phone call away throughout, your group carries pumps, tubes and repair kits. Someone in your group needs to be able to change a flat tyre. There is mobile phone reception for most of the trail (and gets better as time goes on) but you are welcome to hire a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) to take with you. Please mention this at the time of booking.
Can we do it on e-bikes?
Yes, for an upgrade cost, and the climbs shrink accordingly. Say so when you book, since e-bike numbers are limited.
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Where to next
Alps 2 Ocean, classic
West Coast Wilderness Trail
Extend your stay, Hanmer Springs
Extend your stay, Akaroa
