WEST COAST WILDERNESS TRAIL | Cycling the South Island

This Christmas/New Year period, we decided to join our Palmy Pals for a 4-day cycle trip through the West Coast of New Zealand. Whilst we were initially meant to embark on the easier, Grade 1 Otago Rail Trail, last minute COVID related changes meant that a novice like me was thrown into the deep end on the trickier, Grade 2 West Coast Wilderness Trail. It can’t have been all that bad if I am here writing about it, so read on for my take on this truly scenic journey through some of the South Island’s finest landscapes!

The West Coast Wilderness Trail spans ~150km over 4 days, cycling through the coastal towns of Ross, Hokitika and Greymouth, as well as venturing inland past Lake Kaniere, up the Kawhaka Pass, and through the Kumara township. By going through the Kiwi Journeys cycle company, we also got to experience the Hokitika Gorge Walk, Treetop Walkway and West Coast Scenic Waterways Cruise. All accomodation, bag transfers and getting to the start point of each cycle day was taken care of by Kiwi Journeys, and the four breakfasts and two dinners were provided by the accomodations.

We set out from the Ross Beach Top 10 Holiday Park on an overcast morning, and gently cruised towards the Treetop Walkway on a combination of wide gravel cycle track and sealed road. Most of our group were on e-bikes so fitness was not the issue, but it took a short while for me to get used to the bumpy terrain and sharp turns, taking a small tumble during the first half of the day. Arriving at the bustling West Coast Treetop Walk and Cafe, we spent about 45 minutes exploring the suspension bridges overlooking a rainforest canopy of Rimu and Kamahi trees, followed by a sit down lunch at the cafe which also has a souvenir shop.

After lunch, the gravel trail moves inland slightly and narrows, winding through native bush until reaching West Coast Scenic Waterways, the accomodation for the next two nights. Cindy and Gavin are wonderful hosts, serving up delicious home/chef cooked dinners, and even giving tips on where best to fly my drone during the sunset river cruise. For an additional fee, you can also book the wood fired hot tub for the evening which we thoroughly enjoyed on the second night of our stay. There is plenty of space to charge up the e-bikes on the communal porch area over night too.

Day two began with a drive to the Hokitika Gorge and a ~1 hour walk around the scenic reserve. As it had rained the previous couple of days, the gorge wasn’t its usual bright turquoise colour, but still a pleasure to see along the walking trail and swing bridges. Afterwards, we were driven to Dorothy Falls to begin the cycling portion of the day, stopping at Hans Bay on Lake Kaniere to eat our packed lunches, before motoring on to the scariest part of the four-day trail for me – riding alongside the Kaniere Water Race. With some sections of the trail being fairly narrow with a drop off into water on one side and down a hill on the other, I got off my bike at times when feeling unsteady, and also walked across some bridges and boardwalks. We passed a family whose son ended up falling a couple of metres down into the water race with his bike, which only served to make me more nervous! The final portion of the trail takes you into the Hokitika township for a spot of shopping and a celebratory ice cream (check out Sweet Alice’s Fudge Kitchen for real fruit and scooped ice cream, as well as large slabs of fudge). A couple of us purchased some beautiful glassware at the Hokitika Glass Studio, and after an obligatory photo at the driftwood sign at the beach, we headed back to West Coast Scenic Waterways for the evening.

Day three of the cycle trail began on a wide gravel road for 10km past farmland before reaching the head of the Arahura River and an ascent at Milltown up to Cowboy Paradise and the Kawhaka Pass Summit. Our non e-bike riders set the pace, winding around the switchbacks that were dotted with flowers and felt like a fairyland. We had a quick rest at the summit to eat some sandwiches before the rain set in for 15 minutes (the only time it rained when we were on the West Coast – a very rare occurrence!), and then headed down towards Trappers Rest. Unexpectedly, we had to do a couple of river crossings, one of which you definitely could not ride across unless very experienced. Our group enjoyed a cup of tea and portaloo break at Trappers Rest before continuing on to Kumara, where we stayed at the Theatre Royal Hotel for the night. We loved the spacious Miners Cottages with Victorian decor, and enjoyed a meal at the restaurant and bar to close out the evening.

The final day of the cycle trail is not technical like days 2 and 3, and takes you along the coast from Kumara to Greymouth. Rich had two popped tubes this day and ended up having to be rescued by Kiwi Journeys (as we were only supplied with one extra tube for our group of eight), so unfortunately we didn’t get a finishing photo together. After a quick bite to eat at Sevenpenny, half the group headed to their Airbnb in Greymouth, whilst the rest of us went back to Hokitika and booked ourselves in for a night at Rimu Lodge. What a great way to end the cycle trip with a bit of luxury, and we opted for some Fat Pipi Pizza and champagne at the lodge to ring in the New Year!

Tip: Knowing it would be a busy night, we phoned and ordered the pizza one hour in advance for pick up in Hokitika as Fat Pipi is very popular!

Getting to the West Coast

With limited flights coming into and out of Hokitika (especially during the pandemic), we had originally booked to take the TranzAlpine train from Christchurch to Greymouth. Unfortunately, the train did not run in 2021 due to changes in alert level settings, so Kiwi Journeys organised to pick us up from Christchurch for a fee. They also mentioned that flights get cancelled fairly regularly out of Hokitika Airport, so if you are needing to take an onward connecting flight from Christchurch, it is worth booking that flight with 4+ hours to spare after the Hokitika flight, or even the following day. This will give you enough time to arrange a last minute shuttle over to Christchurch if needed!

What to pack

Being the West Coast, insect repellant and wet weather gear is a must, followed by padded bike shorts (the terrain is very bumpy), sunscreen, snacks and spare tubes when cycling. A locator beacon is needed for day three as there are areas that have no cellphone coverage. For the days we needed a packed lunch, we headed to the On The Spot dairy on Stafford Street for sandwiches, wraps and slices. As for food in Hokitika, we heard great things about Gatherer Wholefoods & Bar and will have to visit the next time we’re in town! For a video overview of our trip, check out the West Coast Wilderness Trail below 🙂