Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail: 315 km in Canterbury / Otago
The Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail is a named Ngā Haerenga Great Ride in Canterbury / Otago. The governing figure used here is 315 km (nzcycletrail.com · Alps 2 Ocean), not a straight line between towns.
Typical time on the route is 4 to 6 days. Grade: Grade 2 · easy. Season window: October to April.
NZCT publishes the trail at about 315 km. Most riders start at White Horse Hill or Twizel (the braided-river hydro canals) and finish on Oamaru’s harbour. Several hydro canals are shared with service traffic; the Tekapo–Twizel section is the most exposed to nor’westers.
The itinerary on this page is the published stop sequence: Aoraki / Mt Cook, Lake Tekapo, Twizel, Omarama, Oamaru. Cabins and holiday homes load live around each stop; hut and trailhead pins without a town page still search by radius.
Book DOC huts and Great Walks on the DOC system where that applies. Town beds are what this site lists. Carry the day’s food on remote legs — several of these routes have no shop between ends.
Stop by stop
Aoraki / Mt Cook — western trailhead under the mountain. Lake Tekapo — canal path and the first real bed base. Twizel — hydro town, the practical start for many. Omarama — clay cliffs and a night off the canals. Oamaru — Pacific finish, Victorian harbour.
Distances, grades and seasons above follow nzcycletrail.com · Alps 2 Ocean. Confirm opening dates, slips and hut bookings on the operator or DOC page before you travel; alpine and West Coast tracks close or reroute after weather.
