Riding the mountain to sea trail

The trail starts in Ohakune at the base of Mt Ruapehu and runs 245km all the way to the Tasman Sea at Wanganui.

Right now the trail is only complete to the Mangapurua Landing but even still it is an amazing 1-2 day ride.

The first part of the rideable section is called the Old Coach Road which starts at the Ohakune Railway Station.

The highlight of this 9km section is the Hapuawhenua Viaduct. From here you can carry on down the sealed road to Raetehi (or you could drive this) and onto the Mangapurua Track toward the Bridge to Nowhere, a 36km ride.

The raw and rugged beauty of this area is hard to put into words.

From the Bridge to Nowhere it's only a short 3km ride to the Mangapurua Landing on the banks of the Whanganui River and the end of the trail.

You need to organise a jetboat operator to pick you up and take you 30km downstream to Pipiriki where you can either ride back to Raetehi or arrange a ride. I'd recommend Joe from Bridge to Nowhere Tours.

A real kiwi character who can pick you up in his jetboat or arrange canoes for you to paddle back to Pipiriki and then drive you back to Raetihi.

There are a number of campsites along the route if you want to pack a tent or an awesome option is the Bridge To Nowhere Lodge situated half way down the Whanganui River.

If you don't have a bike then no worries, the guys at TCB in Ohakune offer some great deals on bike hire over multiple days.

For a more detailed route description check out NZbyBike and for a few more photos of the trail you can check out my website.

In den
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