The Ultimate Wānaka Experience - John Creek, Lake Hāwea, Wānaka Lakeside Trail Incl. Shuttle & Bike Rental

The Ride

Our experienced local support crew will collect you from outside the Wānaka iSite and deliver you to the start. If we have on-board riders for our Lake Hāwea to Lake Wānaka experience, we will drop them off first

The Ultimate bike ride will take you on an adventure through a number of local gravel cycle tracks. Starting in the hidden haven of John Creek, nestled among trees in the south-east corner of Lake Hāwea, this self-guided cycle ride will lead you all the way back to the township of Lake Wānaka.

The ride begins along the Gladstone Track, a section of the Te Araroa Track and the newest track in the area, offering some of the most scenic views of Lake Hāwea. The total distance is 37km, but you can add extra distance by continuing along the Lakeside trail towards Waterfall Creek once you reach Wanaka.

Activity Schedules: We operate this ride with our 08:30/ & 10:30 shuttle to Lake Hawea. Whilst it is possible to book the 12:30 shuttle, we do not automatically include this time as it makes it more difficult for you to complete the ride before 5pm. At 5pm we collect the bikes from our collection area in town. If you do decide to start at 12:30 then you will have to “get motoring” to complete your ride before our 5pm cutoff time.

What We Provide

·       Shuttle from Wānaka to John Creek. Departures leave at the scheduled time from outside the Wānaka iSite

·       Latest-model mountain bike, helmet & bike lock

·       Helmet and bike lock

·       All bikes have a water bottle cage.

·       Comprehensive trail safety briefing with a route guide printed map

·       On-call breakdown support if needed

·       Bike pickup at the end of the day

What You Should Bring

·       Day bag or backpack (for those larger water bottles or extra clothing layers)

·       Plastic water bottle (fits bike bottle cage)

·       Shorts and T-shirt

·       Sturdy closed-toe footwear

·       Windbreaker jacket

·       Sunglasses & sunscreen

·       Mobile phone (our Support Crew Member will hand you an emergency contact card)

Food & Refreshments

·       Pembroke Patisserie (Albert Town) usually closes at 2:00pm

·       Refreshments are available at The Albie Tavern next door or nearby takeaway options

·       The Hook Wānaka is open Wednesday to Sunday

If you’d like to pick up some emergency rations before starting the ride, our driver is happy to make a quick stop on the way to Hāwea.

Riding With Small Children

Children under 13-years riding bikes are not recommended, however, for children over 130cm, we do have limited numbers of 24” e-bikes.  For young children being towed in a bike trailer, may find a short section of the trail challenging.

Our driver can Show you how to bypass this section, or advise where children can safely dismount and walk

The remainder of the ride is well suited to families. Please note that the trails are gravel with some undulations, and basic bike-handling skills are required.

Minimum & Maximum Numbers

·       Minimum: 2 participants*

·       Maximum: 10 participants

*Each shuttle has a maximum of 10 passengers.  We often have single participants joining us for the activity.  If you are a solo participant and you are the first person to book for the particular day and time then you will join our “pending” list for this activity.  We recommend that you choose the “Bank Transfer” payment option, then when the booking moves to “Confirmed” status we will send you a payment link if your preferred payment method is credit card.

Important Information you need to know

RIDE DURATION: Take your time, Full-Day Hire, most people complete the ride in 4 hours. All riders need to finish by 5pm at the very latest. E-bike riders usually ride this 37km route in 3-3.5hrs and Regular MTB riders take a little over 4hrs to complete the ride.

DIFFICULTY: Easy, however, some rutted areas which require concentration and consideration. We do not generally suggest that children under 13-years complete this ride.

TERRAIN: Smooth easy mainly flat gravel tracks most of the way, some rutted areas closer to Albert Town.

FITNESS LEVEL: Moderate fitness required

Bookings & Enquiries

Pre-bookings are essential.

For more information, please call or email us at hello@wanakabiketours.co.nz

For larger groups, custom tours can be arranged — just get in touch with us to discuss your requirements.