New Kawarau Gorge Trail - e-bike hire and shuttle included - Opens 19 Sept 2026

Ride the Kawarau Gorge Trail with Official Trail Partner nzbiketrails

From 19 September 2026, ride New Zealand's spectacular new Kawarau Gorge Trail with nzbiketrails from our base at Kinross Winery in the heart of the Gibbston Valley.

nzbiketrails will start this ride at the Kinross Winery. It is a great place to start because we genuinely love it. Like nzbiketrails, it's Qualmark Gold accredited, has an outstanding team, excellent food and wine and a relaxed atmosphere that perfectly complements a day on the bike. On your return from your ride there is no better place to relax, enjoy great food and have a celebratory drink after enjoying New Zealand’s newest NZ Great Ride.

The Kawarau Gorge ride will be nearly 38km in length. It is graded Grade 1–3 (Easy to Intermediate) and includes a long remote section with approximately 30km between access points. This ride is for confident riders. If you have grown up with a bike and are confident on a bike, able to use gears and remain in full control of your bike you will love this ride. We will get you comfortable on our bikes before you start. If you enjoyed the lake Dunstan Trail you will love the Kawarau Gorge.

What makes the Kawarau Gorge Trail different?

Even if you've already ridden the Lake Dunstan Trail or Roxburgh Gorge, the Kawarau Gorge Trail offers a completely different experience. The trail follows the dramatic Kawarau River through steep schist cliffs and remote gorge scenery. The trail surface is similar to Lake Dunstan and Roxburgh Gorge, while the impressive cliff-mounted boardwalks are generally wider than those on Lake Dunstan to accommodate maintenance vehicles.

Because the gorge is deeper and narrower, you'll often experience cooler temperatures and stronger prevailing winds than on nearby trails. Mobile phone coverage is limited throughout much of the ride, and there is very little vehicle access, so we recommend riding with a friend or as part of a group rather than riding alone.

Photo credits: Southern Lakes Trail Trust (2025–2026) – images captured during construction of the Kawarau Gorge Trail.

nzbiketrails recommends e-bikes on all trails. nzbiketrails uses Sinch EZ 2.0 Trail Bikes which are great for all riders. These have a 630Wh battery and 85Nm of Torque. These bikes are designed to be great on these trails. Sinch is a New Zealand brand recommended by Consumer NZ. If you are a frequent rider and ride a full suspension bike at home, or are thinking of purchasing one, you may want to upgrade to one of our Trek Rail 8+ Full Suspension Trail Bikes (+$75pp). This is one of the best full suspension bikes that you can hire on the trails.

Who is this ride suitable for?

We recommend riders are 10 years or older, confident riding a bike and comfortable on varied trail surfaces especially compacted gravel. Children 10 years+ should be on e-bikes. nzbiketrails offers premium children’s e-bikes including Specialized Turbo Levo SL 24-inch models and Sinch 26-inch e-bikes, allowing families to ride together comfortably. Providing your child is a confident rider at home we will get them use to the e-bikes before they start.

Make it a cycling holiday

If you're travelling from further afield, we highly recommend staying at the Kinross Cottages. Just 25 minutes from Queenstown Airport, they are surrounded by vineyards and native landscapes, providing an ideal base for exploring Central Otago by bike.

Guests have a fantastic opportunity to combine several of the region's best rides, with nzbiketrails, into one holiday. With nzbiketrails we would recommend this order of rides to minimise additional transport hire ie a car – staying at our recommended partners will enable you to utilise nzbiketrails transport or shuttles:

Day 1 – Best of the Queenstown Trails – Staying at Kinross Winery

Day 2 – Kawarau Gorge Trail – Staying in Cromwell or Clyde (dependent on if you are riding the Roxburgh Gorge on Day 4)

Day 3 – Ultimate Lake Dunstan Trail Experience, including the scenic boat return

Day 4 – Roxburgh Gorge staying in Wanaka

Day 5 – Wanaka & Hawea Trails with a shuttle over to Queenstown at the end of the day

If you'd like us to organise your accommodation, bike hire, transport/shuttles, bag transfers and riding itinerary simply contact us at smiles@nzbiketrails.co.nz and we'll tailor a multi-day experience for you. Alternatively, you can book each ride individually and arrange the rest yourself.

What's included?

Your ‘self-guided’ experience includes:

• Premium Sinch e-bike hire or an upgrade to a Trek Rail 8+ Full Suspension E-bike
• Helmet – with MIPs or equivalent
• Direct phone access to your Guest Experience Manager throughout the day if assistance is required
• Safety briefing
• Bike lock, repair kit and pump
• One-way return return shuttle
• 8-12L pannier bag (no backpack required)
• Bottle cage (suitable for bottles up to 700ml)

What to bring

• Water
• Sunscreen
• A fully charged mobile phone