Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail

The Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail is a cycle trail in the South Island of New Zealand. This trail is one of the projects of the New Zealand Cycle Trail project. The trail extends more than from Aoraki / Mount Cook to Oamaru on the Pacific Ocean. From west to east, it descends from an altitude of down to sea level. The trail has both on and off-road sections.

Funding for the trail from the New Zealand Community Trust budget was approved in July 2010, after the trail had been shortlisted as one of 13 from 54 nationwide proposals.

Sections

The trail is composed of eight sections:

Aoraki / Mount Cook to Braemar Station

The first section, which is long, starts out on a dedicated cycle trail, and continues on a gravel road. The first section is the most remote section of the trail and includes stream crossings without bridges.

Braemar Station to

Twizel

Continuing on a gravel road over hilly terrain, this section takes in the southern shore of Lake Pukaki and the hydro-electric system of the area around Twizel once on sealed roads. Towards Twizel, the cycle trail leads across the Pukaki Flats, an area of tussock grasslands that are typical for the Mackenzie basin. Twizel is the largest town along the cycle path until the conclusion at Oamaru.

Twizel to

Lake Ōhau

The third section is long and is the only one with a slight gain in elevation. It partly follows canals that are part of the hydro-electric system connecting the glacial lakes. A cycle trail goes around the southern shore of Lake Ōhau, finishing on a sealed road to Lake Ohau Alpine Village and the Lake Ōhau Lodge.

Lake Ōhau to

Omarama

The next section leads through an old beech forest and includes the biggest elevation changes. It climbs about along the Ōhau Range to the highest point of the trail at over above sea level, before descending to about lower after a total length of .

Omarama to

Otematata

The first half of this section over the Omarama Saddle is on a dedicated cycle trail next to SH83, from Sailors Cutting the trail follows the edge of Lake Benmore to Benmore Dam. From here it is a detour off the main route to Otematata.

Otematata to

Kurow

Continuing into the Waitaki Valley is the sixth section. It is long and follows sealed public roads and takes in Benmore Dam, the largest dam within the Waitaki hydro-electric power scheme, as well as Aviemore Dam and Waitaki Dam. An off-road cycling section was opened on 17 December 2020, from Sailors Cutting to the top of the Benmore Dam in the Waitaki Lakes region. $1.2 million was spent creating the section.

Kurow to Duntroon

From Kurow, the cycle trail continues off-road to Duntroon. The area contains limestone formations, Maori rock drawings and dinosaur fossils.

Duntroon to

Oamaru

The last section partly follows the Vanished World trail and past the Elephant Rocks on a mix of sealed public back roads and dedicated cycle trails. From Weston, the cycle trail follows an old railway line and enters Oamaru via the Oamaru Gardens. It finishes after at Friendly Bay, adjacent to Oamaru's Victorian Historic Precinct.

Sites

Sites on the trail include: • Aoraki/Mt Cook • Snow-capped Mountains • Golden Tussock Landscapes • Glacier Lake Tours • High Country Stations • Hydro Canals • Native Forests • Elephant Rocks • Limestone and Clay Cliffs • Maori Rock Art • Vanished World Fossil Sites • Boutique Shops • Museums • Lakes: Ōhau, Pukaki, Benmore, Aviemore • Historic Limestone Tunnels • Hydro Dams: Benmore, Aviemore, Waitaki • Waitaki Valley wine region • Oamaru's Victorian Precinct • Galleries & Gifts • Steampunk HQ, Oamaru • Blue Penguin Colony • Pacific Ocean

References

External links

* of the Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail, The
New Zealand Cycle Trail
Tourist attractions in Otago
Sport in the Canterbury Region
Sport in Oamaru
Sport in Otago
Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park