Motu Trails: 91 km in Bay of Plenty
The Motu Trails is a named Ngā Haerenga Great Ride in Bay of Plenty. The governing figure used here is 91 km (nzcycletrail.com · Motu Trails), not a straight line between towns.
Typical time on the route is 1 to 3 days. Grade: Grade 2–4 · mixed. Season window: October to April.
NZCT packages three very different rides as one Great Ride totalling about 91 km. The Pakihi is Grade 4 singletrack and a shuttle is normal. Motu Road is the historic coach road. Dunes Trail is the easy coastal day.
The itinerary on this page is the published stop sequence: Ōpōtiki, Motu, Matawai, Pakihi Hut. 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
Ōpōtiki — coastal hub and Dunes Trail. Motu — settlement on the old coach road. Matawai — SH2, shuttle meeting point. Pakihi Hut — backcountry night on the Pakihi.
Distances, grades and seasons above follow nzcycletrail.com · Motu Trails. 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.
