Why this ride
On the way it passes Queenstown / South Island, near Wanaka and Queenstown. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,050 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Lindis Pass and Tekapo · part 2
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 493 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 10 h 07
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: planning record, not independently verified geometry.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distances and riding times are planning figures. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Lindis Pass and Tekapo photo pull-off
The nearest way in is a walking track, the Hollyford, which runs for days through the valley to the sea at Martins Bay, and the nearest roads stop well short of it. The ride is named for the Lindis Pass and Tekapo, which lie a long way east, so take this stop as a nod to the wilderness behind the road.
Read the complete Lindis Pass and Tekapo photo pull-off write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Lindis Pass and Tekapo photo pull-off is where the day begins. Next is Queenstown / South Island return.
2. Queenstown / South Island return
Omarama sits in the Waitaki basin, a wide, high, dry valley in the lee of the Southern Alps, and the land around it has the stripped look of the South Island's high country, with tawny tussock slopes, braided rivers and a huge sky. Omarama is best known to pilots, since the wind that comes over the mountains makes it one of the best gliding sites in the world.
Read the complete Queenstown / South Island return write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Queenstown / South Island return comes up about 238 km into the recorded legs. Next is Food stop near Wanaka.
3. Food stop near Wanaka
Planning note
A break here. Next is Lindis Pass and Tekapo checkpoint 8.
4. Near Queenstown
South of Queenstown, the road to Kingston follows the eastern shore of Lake Wakatipu, squeezed between deep, cold water and the jagged wall of the Remarkables. In winter they are white to their bases; in summer the bare rock glows gold and grey in the evening light.
Read the complete Near Queenstown write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Lindis Pass and Tekapo checkpoint 8 closes the day. Next is Back to Lindis.
5. Back to Lindis
Here the lake country gives way to northern Southland, a region of broad river flats, low mountains and farms that stretch to the horizon.
Read the complete Lindis write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Finish at Back to Lindis. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Lindis Pass and Tekapo photo pull-off to Queenstown / South Island return
Lindis Pass and Tekapo photo pull-off → Queenstown / South Island return is 238 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Queenstown / South Island return to Food stop near Wanaka
Queenstown / South Island return → Food stop near Wanaka is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Food stop near Wanaka to Near Queenstown
Food stop near Wanaka → Near Queenstown is 164 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.