 This tour contrasts two scenic wine regions with the stark & surreal landscapes of the remote Molesworth Station, as well as visiting a traditional family run sheep ranch and the marine wildlife capital of Kaikoura.
Gaining fast popularity, the Molesworth High Country Cycle starts out of Christchurch, with five days of cycling in the Northern Canterbury & Marlborough districts. We visit the emerging wine growing district of Waipara Valley and travel via idylic Hanmer Hot Springs onto the isolated road through the Molesworth Station, New Zealand’s largest farm. After a night in the shearer’s quarters of a back country Merino sheep station, we follow the river down the beautiful Awatere valley to emerge amongst vineyards alongside the Pacific Ocean. We overnight in Kaikoura with options to view whales, dolphins and albatross before returning to Christchurch via the spectacular Inland Kaikoura road.
- Cycle via the scenic Ashley Gorge to Oxford where we visit Jo Seager’s famous café & cooking school
- Spend a night on a vineyard in the Waipara Valley, The Old Glenmark Vicarage Lodge, 2010 winner of the South Island Best of Wine Tourism Award for Accommodation
- Soak in the therapeutic hot springs at Hanmer
- Cycle the remote Molesworth Road and visit the historic Molesworth Cob Cottage and Acheron Accommodation House
- You will dine with a third generation farming family as you overnight in the shearers' quarters of a high country merino sheep farm
- Cycle alongside a spectacular river as it makes its way to the sea via the famous Sauvignon Blanc producing vineyards of the Awatere valley
- Picnic in a modern environmentally sustainable vineyard alongside the Pacific Ocean
- Take an optional swim with the dolphins, whalewatch or pelagic bird (albatross) tour in Kaikoura
- Rental of our Trek 7500 hybrid bikes is available at NZD $150pp/AUD $120pp, these bikes are perfectly suited to the varying road surfaces you will encounter.
- All accommodation provided
*A NZ$50/AU$40 surcharge will apply for tours during Easter, Christmas & New Year holidays where additional costs may be levied to meet statutory obligations. We will advise clients of any cost, prior to departure.
Molesworth Station - The name Molesworth Station evokes New Zealand’s high-country identity – musterers and stockmen and their dogs working livestock in vast tussock landscapes, while for Maori, the area was an easy summer route to the West Coast. Administered by the government for over 50 years, Molesworth Station covers over 180,000 hectares & is the largest farm in New Zealand. Sitting in a valley that endures a continental climate of extreme weather with hot dry summers balanced by harsh cold winters and surrounded by alpine ranges on either side, the landscape is stark and arid with a surreal beauty. The Dept. of Conservation now manages the farm at the same time as protecting the threatened alpine landscapes.
Click here to read the Marlborough Express' recent interview with Bill Stevenson, owner of Upcot Station & host to Adventure South, reporting on the Annual Autumn Sheep Muster.
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2011/2012 |
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Apr 2nd |
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2012/2013 |
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Dec 30th |
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Jan 21st |
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Feb 4th |
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Feb 18th |
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Christchurch |
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Mar 4th |
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Christchurch |
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Mar 18th |
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Christchurch |
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Mar 30th |
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A:Available
G:Guaranteed Departure
C:Closed
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