Bike Molesworth Station

South Island: Blenheim to Blenheim

4 days

 

Experience the mysterious, rugged and vast landscapes of one of New Zealand’s most iconic and remote places, Molesworth Station, by bike. PureTrails New Zealand has teamed up with a local operator with strong community ties, The Molesworth Tour Company, to bring you this cycle trip through our country’s rich farming heritage. Cycle, at your own pace, through the open tussock landscapes and river valleys of NZ’s largest station, with the luxury of your support vehicle there for you all the way. Cycling distances range from 25 – 40kms daily, but all are flexible. Stay in comfortable and characterful accommodation complete with hot showers and comfortable beds. Meet the local people who live in the area and hear their stories.

As well as biking through Molesworth Station, our itinerary also includes cycling in the Awatere Valley, parts of Rainbow Station, and Nelson Lakes. A stay at Hanmer Springs brings an opportune and well deserved chance to soak in the villages’ thermal hot springs.

If you’ve biked the Otago Rail Trail and are looking for your next challenge or foray into another of our country’s most iconic places, then this is the trip for you.

See the complete itinerary below...

 

Day 1 Blenhiem - Upcot Station (Upper Awatere Valley)

We meet you at your accommodation in Blenheim (or Picton by arrangement) and travel a short distance to the Awatere Valley where the biking begins. The start of the ride takes us through a combination of vineyards and sheep country set amongst the river terraces of the Awatere River and the Black Birch Mountain Range, with the imposing view of Mt Tapeanuku ever present. We cycle through traditional high country scenery with Merino sheep and cattle grazing on the hillsides, and the river flats of the large stations stretching beyond the surrounding foothills. Lunch is with a local family on a high country station with a decent break and healthy refuel, before cycling on to our friendly hosts at Upcot Station. Experience station life with an overnight stay in comfortable shearer’s quarters where a hot shower, a traditional evening meal with the farmers, and a well earned good night’s sleep awaits you. (L/D)

 

Day 2 Upcot Station - Hanmer Springs

A cooked breakfast will give you plenty of energy to tackle the day! We travel through New Zealand’s largest cattle station, Molesworth Station, some 180,476 hectares, and cycle the more agreeable parts of the road. The bike ride follows through river valleys, sidling around foothills and past mountains rising straight up from the river valleys. The land is vast. Hear stories of the musterers and farmers who have worked to tame this land since 1858. Enjoy a replenishing picnic lunch and take some time to look through the historic Acheron Guest House. We continue over Jollies Pass and down into civilisation again in the alpine village of Hanmer Springs. Relax with a long soak in the thermal hot pools, and enjoy a bbq at our comfortable accommodation in the heart of the village. (B/L/D)

 

Day 3 Hanmer Springs - Tophouse (St Arnaud)

Today we head north and into the more fertile western side of Molesworth Station. Here we bike the beautiful Clarence River flats and stop off at Lake Tennyson for morning tea, taking in the views of the surrounding mountain peaks and glacial formed valleys. Travel in your support vehicle to the top of Island Saddle (New Zealand’s highest point on a public road) at 1400m, and into the head of the Wairau River to Rainbow Station via the narrow gorge of Hells Gate. After a healthy picnic lunch we have the opportunity to bike the next section following the Wairau River through beech forest, a route which was used in the mid 1800s by stockman to drove sheep from Marlborough to Canterbury. Spend the night at the historic ‘Tophouse’, one of eight accommodation houses built by the government in the late 1800s to accommodate drovers and other travellers, now restored to its former glory with a category A listing with the Historic Places Trust. Enjoy a celebratory drink in New Zealand's smallest bar, and a traditional meal of venison or wild pork in the dining room, where the glowing fire creates a pleasant atmosphere in this historic home. (B/L/D)

 

Day 4 Tophouse - Blenheim

After a hearty breakfast enjoy cycling on sealed roads to Lake Rotoiti, in the Nelson Lakes National Park, where we have time for a visit to the DOC information centre and a short bush walk. After lunch,bike or travel in our bus down the Wairau Valley and back onto the dry plains of Marlborough. Before the conclusion of your tour in Blenheim, we may have time to visit a few wineries (possibly by bike for those who are still keen!) (B/L)

 

Included in the tour package:

All prices are in New Zealand dollars and include New Zealand Goods & Services Tax of 12.5%. The fare includes just about everything including: 3 nights accommodation; 3 evening meals, 4 lunches, 3 breakfasts and plenty of healthy snacks in between (as indicated on the itinerary - B/L/D); a friendly knowledgeable local guide; access to private property; all transport and vehicle support; and bike repair support.

Not included in the tour price is wine and beer (you are welcome to BYO where permitted – 2 nights out of the 3); optional bike hire ($150); Picton transfers ($40 return); Hanmer Springs hot pool entry fees.