Beginning on the slopes of a live volcano, this ride reveals varied natural and human history on its winding, often remote path to the sea.

Starting on the volcanic slopes of Mt Ruapehu, towering above the desert in the middle of New Zealand’s north island, this is an epic journey through two national parks, rolling hill country and Remote River gorges. It reaches a fitting finale at the deep, blue Tasman Sea.

A snow-capped and occasionally smoking volcano signals the start of this epic ride across an otherworldly plateau and alongside a deep wilderness river to the Tasman Sea coast. It’s a journey rich in natural and cultural heritage, featuring such memorable sights as an old cobbled coach road, towering bluffs, the Bridge to Nowhere and the mystical Whanganui River.

The trail is one of 22 Great Rides of the New Zealand Cycle Trail, known in Māori as Nga Haerenga – ‘The journeys’. True to the name, their trail network follows the pathways of those who’ve gone before, traversing a series of amazing landscapes to show you natural wonders and reveal important stories from the past.