West Coast Wilderness Trail
A five-day self-guided ride from Hokitika, with the TranzAlpine home to Christchurch. Start any day that suits.
Self-guided
5 days, 4 nights
Hokitika to Christchurch
Grade 2, some Grade 3 on road
Spring to autumn, October to April
From $1,749 per person
The West Coast Wilderness Trail is one of the most accessible and rewarding rides in the country: rainforest, glacial rivers, historic water races and the Tasman Sea, all on a trail built for enjoying rather than enduring. Our self-guided tour runs it over five days from Hokitika, and it has a shape we think you will love: three nights based in one Hokitika hotel, so you unpack once and ride out each day with the shuttles doing the positioning, then a night in the old gold town of Kumara before the final run to Greymouth and the TranzAlpine rail journey over the Southern Alps to Christchurch.
You make your own way to Hokitika to start, and we are happy to point you at the best options when you book. From the moment you arrive, the logistics are ours: beds booked, bags moved, bikes fitted, and the train home ticketed.
This tour is our curated version of the trail, its finest legs ridden as relaxed day rides from the Hokitika base, rather than an end-to-end march. The full trail, Ross to Greymouth, every section and grade, lives on our map page >
What self-guided with us actually means
Self-guided is not unsupported. Before you ride, we book every bed and ticket the TranzAlpine. Each riding day, the trail shuttles position you and your bikes where the day starts, and your luggage travels ahead to wherever you sleep next, one bag each of up to 15 kilograms. Your bikes are fitted to you at the depot briefing on your first riding morning, you carry the trail notes, directions and map info we prepare, and the depot team is a phone call away throughout. What is left is the part you came for: the riding, at whatever pace the day deserves.
Day 1: Arrive in Hokitika.
Make your own way to Hokitika and settle in: it is a vibrant little town and worth an afternoon of wandering. The riding starts tomorrow.
Stay: Hokitika Fire Station Boutique Hotel. Meals: none included today.
Day 2: Ross to Hokitika. 34 km, Grade 2 with Grade 3 on-road sections.
After your bike fitting and briefing this morning, you will be shuttled with your bikes to Ross, where you start the ride! Cycle along the historic Ross rail route before heading through wetlands and incredible native bush. We recommend a stop at Treetops Walkway (walk not included in tour) before you continue your journey to Hokitika, where you will spend the night.
Stay: Hokitika Fire Station Boutique Hotel. Meals: none included; the hotel has a kitchenette and the town has plenty of cafes.
Day 3: Dorothy Falls to Hokitika. 30 km, Grade 2 with Grade 3 on-road sections.
A short ride to the depot, then the shuttle carries you to the Hokitika Gorge for a two kilometre walk through podocarp forest above that improbable aqua water. From Dorothy Falls the riding begins: along the outlet of Lake Kaniere, onto the single-track Kaniere waterway trail, then the water race and tram road back into Hokitika, with the Hokitika River for company at the end.
Stay: Hokitika Fire Station Boutique Hotel. Meals: none included; kitchenette and cafes as above.
Day 4: Canoe Cove to Kumara. 49 km, Grade 2 with Grade 3 on-road sections.
The shuttle drops you at Canoe Cove on Lake Kaniere and the trail climbs gently through the zigzags above Milltown, crosses the Macpherson Suspension Bridge, and rolls through bushland on a mix of boardwalk and gravel to Kumara. Your bags are at the hotel when you arrive.
Stay: Theatre Royal Hotel, Kumara, Miners Cottage. Meals: breakfast.
Day 5: Kumara to Greymouth, then the TranzAlpine to Christchurch. 31 km, Grade 2.
An easy, flat last day straight from the door: the Taramakau River, the Tasman Sea and the Grey River carry you into Greymouth, where your luggage is waiting at the depot. Then it is the TranzAlpine over the Southern Alps, departing Greymouth at 2.05pm and arriving in Christchurch at 6.31pm. A station pickup in Christchurch can be arranged for an additional charge.
Meals: breakfast.
Map
Our five days on the trail: four riding legs from the Hokitika base, then the TranzAlpine home.
Is this tour right for me?
Honest answer: the trail riding is Grade 2 and genuinely friendly, and the connecting on-road sections are Grade 3, which mostly means sharing quiet roads and holding your line. Days run 1.5 to 5 hours in the saddle depending on the day and your pace.
Self-guided means you are the navigator: the trail is well marked and our notes are thorough, but there is no guide riding with you, so you and your riding partner should be comfortable fixing a flat between you. The depot team is a phone call away, and mobile coverage is patchy in places, which is normal for the Coast and worth knowing before you come.
More on fitness, confidence and what our trail grades mean >
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:
Four nights of accommodation, per the itinerary.
Shuttle services on the trail.
Luggage transport for the whole journey: one bag per person, 15 kilograms maximum.
Four days of Merida Crossway hire with helmet and pannier. E-bike upgrade $265 per person.
One breakfast.
The TranzAlpine train from Greymouth to Christchurch.
Trip itinerary, directions and trail map information.
Not included:
Meals and food not listed in the itinerary. Hokitika has plenty of cafes and the hotel has a kitchenette.
Getting to Hokitika, and the optional Christchurch station pickup at the end.
Treetops Walkway entry and the zipline.
Drinks, telephone and mini-bar costs, and drink bottles.
Personal expenses such as laundry.
Travel insurance, which we strongly recommend.
Price: $1,749 per person, twin share, two people minimum. Single supplement $510. E-bike upgrade $265 per person.
Deposit: A 10% deposit per person secures your booking. Prices valid until April 2027.
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 do we get to Hokitika?
That leg is yours to arrange, and we are happy to point you at the best options for your dates when you book. The most direct, quickest and easiest way it to catch a flight from Christchurch through Air New Zealand. The journey home is included: the TranzAlpine from Greymouth delivers you to Christchurch at 6.31pm on your final day.
How fit do we need to be?
The trail riding is Grade 2 and the on-road connections are Grade 3. Days run from 31 to 49 kilometres. If you can comfortably ride a couple of hours with a cafe stop, you will enjoy this.
What if something goes wrong on the trail?
The depot team is a phone call away throughout, and your bikes carry the basics for a puncture. Mobile coverage is patchy in places on the Coast, so we brief you on the quiet stretches before you ride.
What is the accommodation like?
Three nights at the Hokitika Fire Station Boutique Hotel, so you unpack once, and a night in the Miners Cottage at Kumara's historic Theatre Royal Hotel. Preferred lodging is subject to availability, and we tell you at booking if anything changes.
Can we do it on e-bikes?
Yes, for an upgrade cost, and the trail suits e-bikes beautifully. Say so when you book, since e-bike numbers are limited.
Ready to ride, or questions first?
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Where to next
Alps, Valleys & Lakes, guided
West Coast Wilderness Trail map
