Queenstown Trails Great Ride ready for bumper summer

It’s gearing up to be a bumper season on the Nga Haerenga Great Rides of New Zealand cycle trails this summer and especially for new experiences in Queenstown.

Queenstown Trails last month opened the 13km-long Wharehuanui Trail after seven years of work. It forms the “missing link” in its extensive network, joining Arrowtown to Arthurs Point.

“This off-road route spanning 17km fills a gap in the Queenstown Trail network along the northern perimeter of the Whakatipu Basin, with the added benefit of integrating with the mountain bike trails on Coronet Peak, Coronet Loop and the Mahu Whenua trails,” chief executive mark Williams says in the organisation’s recent annual report.

Each year people enjoy more than one million cycling trips on the epic 23 Great Rides spread across the north and south islands, generating an annual estimated $1 billion of economic benefits to the regions and New Zealand Cycle Trails (NZCT) general manager Janet Purdey expects the new sections of trails that have opened recently to further boost both the numbers out riding and the economic return.

“Cycle tourism in New Zealand is booming. It’s a fantastic way to explore the country and enjoy the outdoors.

“There’s always something new on and off-trail to enjoy and experience. These new sections will provide Kiwis with more opportunities to go cycling, and reasons to revisit their favourite trails, especially with summer around the corner.”

On top of that, it also promises to be a hot summer, with the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) today predicting warm and dry conditions across most of the country.

“This summer, the outlook is for drier and warmer conditions for most of the country, except for eastern regions like Canterbury and Hawke's Bay, where near normal rainfall but still warmer than normal conditions are expected,” a NIWA statement says.

Main image (Queesntown Trails Facebook): Queenstown Trails' new Wharehuanui Trail joining Arrowtown to Arthurs Point is now on the map.