This self-supporting tour will take you
on 3 days of riding and sightseeing through
the Fiordland region of New Zealand's
South Island. You will ride through scenic
valleys with expansive meadows and plains,
along creeks, waterfalls, rivers, and
lakes. You will climb challenging mountain
roads before arriving at one of the most
picturesque and awe-inspiring fiords in
the world, the Milford Sound. More...
This self-supporting tour will take you
on 3 days of riding and sightseeing through
the Fiordland region of New Zealand's
South Island. You will ride through scenic
valleys with expansive meadows and plains,
along creeks, waterfalls, rivers, and
lakes. You will climb challenging mountain
roads before arriving at one of the most
picturesque and awe-inspiring fiords in
the world, the Milford Sound.
The first day of the tour will take you
on a long ride from the bustling resort
of Queenstown alongside Lake Wakatipu
to a small town of Mossburn, where the
first day’s ride concludes. From
Mossburn you will ride through rural country
roads to Lake Te Anau and its namesake
lakeside town. After a good night rest
in Te Anau, you will venture on a beautiful
and challenging 74 mile (118km) ride heading
northwest through Fiordland National Park
to Milford Sound where the tour ends.
If you plan on taking a bus rather than
cycling from Milford Sound back to Queenstown,
make sure you arrange for transportation
before you leave Queenstown. Alternatively,
there is a bus service which transports
bicyclists between Milford Sound and Te
Anau. Ask for available transportation
options out of Milford Sound at the Te
Anau Visitor Information Center. Less...
Any time between
November and late March (barring any snow
storm that could shut down the Milford Sound
Highway (SH 94)) should be the most pleasant
time of year to ride this tour. However,
note that during the high summer season
(December - January) traffic will be heavier
than usual, especially around Queenstown
and on Milford Sound Highway where buses
will be transporting tourists back and forth
between Te Anau and Milford Sound. Less...
How to Get There
The tour begins and ends in Queenstown. Queenstown is serviced by buses and airlines. The Queenstown airport was upgraded in the 1990s to be able to handle jet aircrafts, including international flights from Australia. The airport is serviced by regular domestic services from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. International flights from Melbourne and Sydney also service the airport.
Several bus services serve Queenstown from many regions of the South Island. If you are planning on taking a bus to Queenstown, check the internet for bus companies and their schedules. If you are touring on a tandem without S&S couplers, check with the bus company ahead of time to make sure they can accommodate you.
If you are traveling by car, then the primary road access to the Queenstown area is via State Highway 6 (SH6), which travels from Cromwell through the Kawarau Gorge to Frankton, where a 9km section (SH6A) leads to Queenstown city center area.
Transportation out of Milford Sound: If you plan on taking a bus rather than cycling from Milford Sound back to Queenstown, make sure you arrange for transportation before you leave Queenstown. Alternatively, there is a bus service that transports bicyclists between Milford Sound and Te Anau. Ask for available transportation options out of Milford Sound at the Te Anau Visitor Information Center. Less...
Accommodations
Most of New Zealand's accommodations are clean and well serviced and relatively affordable. You can simply camp (if you prefer to carry your own tent) or stay in a basic hostel, or you can select a more comfortable option such as motel, hotel, private flat, or B&B (Bed and Breakfast).
You will find that many private and B&B accommodations in New Zealand offer shared bathroom (generally for lesser rate) which may have a shower but not bath, or vice versa. If you prefer a room with private bath or shower (or both) look for accommodations advertising "ensuite" and always ask if the bathroom has a bathtub. (There is nothing more soothing than a good bath after a hard day's ride).
The accommodations on this tour are sparse, especially once you leave Te Anau. Milford Sound is quite remote with very limited accommodations. It is absolutely essential to make reservations while in Milford Sound if you are planning on spending your night in something better than a camp site. Less...
The Roads
The quality of roads on this tour is good. However, you will find that the roads on this tour are "chip seal" (most roads in New Zealand are chip seal), and therefore somewhat less suitable for thin high pressure tires (too much vibration).
The Milford Sound Highway can be narrow in places and quite twisty with minimal or no guardrails to shield you from the steep drop-offs. Also, the Homer Tunnel (about 0.75 miles/1.2 km) is considerably narrow and steep with a very rough road surface. The traffic through the tunnel is directed by traffic lights. It is advisable that you follow a "friendly" car to light-up the tunnel for you because there are no lights in the tunnel. Less...
Recommended Gear
Besides
the standard
touring gear & spare parts, it is
recommended that you bring at least two
extra foldable tires with strong Kevlar
casing. Clothing layers and cycling rain
gear is absolutely essential for this
tour. Additionally, if you like to use
rearview mirrors, whether they are helmet
mounted or bicycle mounted, make sure
you bring one that can be switched for
riding on the left hand side of the road.
As previously mentioned, a cycling helmet
is required by law in New Zealand and
if you ride after sunset, your bicycle
must be equipped with rear reflective
lights and front headlight.
It is absolutely necessary to bring with you more than one set of well-functioning bicycle lights (back/front) to be used in the Homer Tunnel to assure that cars can see you, especially if you are planning on riding back from Milford Sound to Te Anau (the Home Tunnel grade is quite steep and it will be all uphill from the Milford Sound side and hence very slow).
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