This ride starts with a shuttle from Around The Basin’s shop in Queenstown to the starting point in Arrowtown. You’ll be set-up with a bike or E-bike, given a map and some trail tips, before you set-off on this self-guided adventure.

The first section of the ride heads south-west from Arrowtown along the Countryside Trail. A short distance along this trail an avenue of oak, elm, and hawthorn trees will lead you into the Millbrook Golf Resort.

From there a right turn will join you onto the newest addition to the Queenstown Trail network, the Wharehuanui Trail. Its gentle slopes start by heading upstream alongside Mill Creek. Bridges and boardwalks have been installed to ford the waterway. And recent efforts of riparian planting will showcase the region’s native flora at its finest.

Now heading in a westward direction, the bike trail follows the base of a mountain range that serves as the northern border to the Whakatipu Basin. Above and to your right, the tussock-clad heights of Coronet Peak will glimmer golden in the sunshine; while in the distant south the mighty Remarkables stand: a pinnacle of rock and snow towering 2,000m above the plains below. These spectacular alpine views can be seen at every turn, giving a sense of awe and wonder that only being surrounded by mountains can bring.

Branching off from Malaghans Road, the trail runs alongside Coronet Peak Station Road for a short distance. Here you’ll pedal through classic rural New Zealand countryside before plunging down passed Downey’s Dam. The last rise of the trail takes you back up to the finish in Arthur’s Point. A well-earned beer is in order from either Gantley’s Tavern or Canyon Brewing, from where you will be collected for the return shuttle back to central Queenstown.

This ride is on an off-road gravel bike trail, 2 metres wide for most of its length. It is predominately Grade 2 (Easy) with some short sections of Grade 3 (Intermediate).