Molesworth Station Road (342 km)
Blenheim to Hanmer Springs · one way, about 342 km back to the start
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Why this ride
A one-way ride of 342 km, Blenheim to the finish - roughly 4 h 37 in the saddle. On the way it passes Molesworth Cob Cottage and Acheron. The highest point is about 1,450 m. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
Roadbook
- Blenheim
start
Blenheim is the main town of Marlborough, at the north-eastern tip of the South Island of New Zealand, and the centre of a wine region that has made the country's name abroad. About twenty-six thousand people live here, on a flat plain beside the Wairau river, with vineyards stretching in every direction. Sauvignon blanc made here, with its sharp, grassy, passion-fruit character, put New Zealand wine on the world map in the 1980s, and the region produces most of the country's wine. The town has cafes, shops, fuel and supermarkets, and Picton, the ferry port, is about twenty-five kilometres north.
The town was named after the Battle of Blenheim, and the surrounding area has a dry, sunny climate with one of the highest sunshine totals in the country, which suits grapes. The Wairau Plain is a river delta, and the gravelly soil drains well, while cool nights keep the acidity of the fruit high. Many wineries have cellar doors with tastings and lunches, and as always, you should save the tasting for after the ride.
For a rider, Blenheim is the start of the long road south and west into the mountains. The Molesworth Station road, the highest public road in New Zealand at about 1,340 metres, begins in the Awatere valley a short distance south, and runs across the vast Molesworth Station, the country's largest farm, over a gravel track. It is open to the public only in summer, from around December to April, and a toll is charged. Fill up in Blenheim, and carry spare fuel and water.
The landscape on the way is dramatic: tawny hills, river gorges, snow-capped peaks and wide, empty valleys. Weather is variable, with wind, sun and sudden rain, and the temperature drops at altitude. In summer, the dust can be heavy. Expect to see merino sheep, cattle, hawks and wild goats. For breakfast, try a flat white and a pie from a local bakery, and fresh salmon from the nearby fish farms. Leave early, and plan to take your time.
- Molesworth Cob Cottage
scenic
Molesworth Station is the biggest farm in New Zealand, a vast stretch of high country in the north-east of the South Island covering over a hundred thousand hectares, and the cob cottage is one of its oldest buildings. It is a simple, thick-walled hut built of earth, in the style that early settlers brought from England, and it stands in a landscape of brown hills, braided rivers and enormous sky. The station is owned by the Crown and run as a working cattle farm, and it is managed with conservation in mind, so the grasslands, wetlands and wildlife are protected. The buildings are few and far between, and the sense of emptiness is overwhelming.
The road through the station, Molesworth Road, is a long, unsealed track of about 200 kilometres that links Hanmer Springs and the Awatere valley, and it has the reputation of being one of the great gravel roads in the country. It is open only in the warmer months, usually from late October to just before Easter, and it closes in winter when snow and floods make it impassable. The track passes through gates and across fords, and the gravel can be loose, corrugated and dusty, so a rider needs good tyres, a calm head and a lot of patience. There is a fee to use the road, and rules about not stopping to camp except in designated places, so check the current conditions before you go.
The cottage is a good place to stop and look around. It is built of cob, a mix of earth, straw and water, and has walls so thick that the rooms inside stay cool in summer and warm in winter. Beyond it, the valley opens into wide, tawny plains, with mountains rising on every side and herds of cattle moving slowly across the pasture. Hawks and falcons circle overhead, and in the evening the light turns the hills gold.
Blenheim, in the north, and Hanmer Springs, in the south, are the nearest places for fuel and supplies, and they are a long way from the middle of the track. Tell someone your plans, since mobile coverage is absent, and take a few spare hours, because it will take longer than you think.
- Acheron
scenic
Acheron is the southern gate of the Molesworth road, a spot where the pavement ends, the gravel begins and the high country starts, and a rider feels the change in the air. The Acheron River runs down from the mountains, clear and cold, and there is an old accommodation house nearby, a relic of the days when pack trains and drovers used this route to move stock and supplies across the hills. The landscape is broad and open, with tussock slopes, braided river beds and a sky that seems too big. Wind is common, and in the evening, the hills catch the last light in long gold streaks.
The Acheron is a place of preparation. Before you set off north across Molesworth, you check your tyres, your tank and your supplies, because there is no help for many kilometres. The gravel here is generally well graded, but it can be corrugated and loose, and heavy rain or snow melt can make fords and stream crossings tricky. In summer the air is dry and the dust is fine and pale, working into everything. Travel with a buff or scarf, and a spare tube.
The history of the region is a story of sheep and cattle. In the nineteenth century, big runs were set up in the high country, and sheep were driven over great distances to market. The land is hard and fragile, and the mountain slopes show scars of overgrazing from those days. The modern management of Molesworth is aimed at healing them, and there is a strong sense of landscape in recovery. Native birds, including falcons and pipits, are seen along the road, and the rivers hold trout.
The road is open seasonally, so check dates and conditions before heading out, and make sure you have a full tank. The nearest place for fuel is Hanmer Springs, a pleasant town about an hour's ride from here, famous for its hot pools, and it is also the place to buy food and supplies. If you want a comfortable night before the big ride, stay there and start early the next day. The view from the hills in the morning, with mist in the valleys and the sun rising over the ridges, is hard to beat.
- Hanmer Springs
finish
Hanmer Springs is a small alpine village in the Hurunui district of north Canterbury, set in a broad basin among forested hills about an hour and a half's drive from the Pacific coast. The hot springs here were found by European settlers in the 1850s and have been in use ever since, and the thermal pools at the centre of the village, with their rock pools, sulphur baths and water slides, are what draw most visitors. Around them the village has cafes, restaurants, a handful of shops and a long list of places to stay, and about a thousand people live here year-round.
The village is also the gateway to the Molesworth Station road, the long gravel track between Hanmer Springs and Blenheim that crosses what is said to be New Zealand's largest farm. The road follows the Acheron and Awatere valleys through a vast, empty high country of tussock hills, mountains and braided rivers, and it is open to the public only in the summer months, usually from around December to April, with a small fee. In winter it is closed. If you plan to ride it, check the dates and conditions with the local information centre.
So fill up in Hanmer Springs before you leave, since the next reliable pump is in Blenheim, a long way off. Pack water and a few snacks. The countryside is arid and bare, and it feels huge, with the Kaikoura ranges standing at the edge of the view. The route is an old stock road and later a supply road to the station, and you see the old huts and yards along the way.
Back in the village, there are walks in the forest park, where the larch and redwood stands planted in the early twentieth century make a good place to spend an hour. The thermal pools are a fine way to finish a ride, especially on a cold evening in autumn, and soaking tired shoulders after a day on gravel is one of the great pleasures of the South Island.