Mount Cook High Country

A 349 km loop

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Why this ride

A rider’s loop: clean exit, memorable middle, calm return. On the way it passes Queenstown, Scenic stretch near Arrowtown and near Wanaka. near Queenstown is the high point. It tops out at about 1,300 m.

Roadbook

1. Fuel stop near Queenstown fuel

   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.

   Lake Wakatipu is a long, narrow glacial trough shaped like a lightning bolt, and it has a curious habit: its surface rises and falls by several centimetres every few minutes, a slow breathing caused by a standing wave. Māori legend explains it as the heartbeat of the giant Matau, who lies sleeping at the bottom of the lake, his body forming its zigzag shape. The water is clear, startlingly blue and very cold even in summer.

   The road south is a good one. It runs along the lake with long sweepers, a few tighter bends and a stretch known as the Devil's Staircase, where it climbs and twists above the water before dropping toward Kingston at the lake's southern tip. Traffic can be heavy with campervans and tourist coaches, many driven by visitors still adjusting to the left side of the road, so give them room. Strong winds can funnel down the lake, and black ice is a real danger on shaded bends in winter.

   The rides from here go in two directions. The Milford Road continues south through Kingston and across the plains to Te Anau, then up through the Eglinton Valley and the Homer Tunnel to Milford Sound, one of the world's great mountain roads. The vineyard ride heads the other way, through Frankton and the Kawarau Gorge to Gibbston, Cromwell and Bannockburn, where pinot noir grows on terraces of gravel left by gold miners. The first commercial bungy jump was set up on the Kawarau Bridge, and you can still watch people leap from it.

   Fill the tank in Queenstown or Frankton, which have everything. On the way to Milford, Te Anau is the last reliable fuel stop, and there is a long stretch beyond with almost nothing. Bring warm, waterproof layers whatever the season, because weather in Fiordland and around the lakes changes fast.

2. High point near Queenstown pass

   You top out here; the road stops climbing.

3. Near Queenstown finish

   The route ends here after 349 km.

4. Scenic stretch near Arrowtown scenic

   Scenic stretch near Arrowtown, about halfway.

5. Photo stop near Wanaka photo

   Photo stop near Wanaka sits at 199 km, about halfway.

6. Queenstown / South Island return swim

   Clyde is a small, handsome town on the Clutha River in Central Otago, and it lies in one of the driest and sunniest parts of New Zealand, where schist hills run in smooth brown folds under a huge sky. The old gold-rush town of the 1860s survives in its main street, with stone buildings, cafes and a historic hotel, and the Clyde Dam, completed in the early 1990s, now holds back the waters of Lake Dunstan to the north. It was a major engineering project and a controversial one, and the old Cromwell town was partly drowned in the process.

   The Otago Central Rail Trail, one of the country's most popular cycling routes, ends here, and the town is full of cyclists in the summer months. The dry climate makes the district a centre for apricots, cherries and stone fruit, and fruit stalls beside the road sell them in the warm months. In autumn, the poplars and willows along the river turn bright gold, and the contrast with the brown hills is memorable.

   Riding here is easy, relaxed and enjoyable. State Highway 8 follows the river with long, flowing bends, passing orchards and vineyards, and the surface is generally good, though the traffic can be busy in summer. The wind can be strong and dry, and the temperature swings from over thirty degrees in January to well below freezing in July. The Roxburgh Gorge and Alexandra, a larger town with more services, lie a short distance to the south.

   Clyde has a few cafes and a bakery, and fuel is available in Alexandra or Cromwell. Take a swim in the river or the lake if the day is hot, though the water is cold, and bear in mind that currents below the dam can be strong. The old town is a good place to walk around, and the stone buildings, the gold-miners' history and the quiet pace of the place give it a character that is hard to find in busier parts of the country.

7. Food stop near Kingston food

   A break here at 299 km.

8. Back to Mount Cook finish

   Aoraki is the Māori name for New Zealand's highest mountain, and it matters. In Ngāi Tahu tradition, Aoraki and his brothers were sons of the sky who came down in a canoe, which ran aground and turned to stone; the canoe became the South Island, and the brothers became the peaks of the Southern Alps, with Aoraki the tallest. Mount Cook, the English name, honours the navigator James Cook, who never actually saw it up close. The summit stands at about 3,724 metres.

   The mountain lies far to the north-east of this point, which sits in the mountains west of Queenstown, and the ride called Mount Cook High Country goes there by way of Twizel and Lake Pukaki. The lake is the great surprise on the way, with water of an almost unnatural turquoise colour, caused by rock flour from the glaciers, and the white mountain reflected in it. A road runs along its western shore towards the village at the foot of the mountain, with views that justify frequent stops.

   The first ascent of Aoraki was made on Christmas Day 1894, by Tom Fyfe, George Graham and Jack Clarke, who climbed from the Hooker Valley without much equipment. Edmund Hillary learned his craft on its slopes, and the Hermitage hotel at the village has long been a base for climbers and walkers. The Hooker Valley track, an easy walk of a couple of hours, leads to a glacial lake with icebergs floating in front of the mountain, and it is hard to beat.

   For riding, the road to the village is very good, with long, open bends beside the lake, exposed to wind from the mountains and sometimes crossed by sheep. The weather can change rapidly, with snow possible on the approach at any time of year, and cloud often hides the summit. The traffic is mostly coaches and campervans in summer. Make sure you have enough fuel, because services in the village are limited, and fill up in Twizel, which has stations and a supermarket.

   The Mackenzie Basin is high, cold and dry, and the nights are brilliant with stars. If you can, camp or stay overnight and watch the mountain turn pink at dawn.

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