Remutaka Cycle Trail

Day 1 - train to trail

Make your cycle a leisurely experience by breaking it into smaller pieces. Pitch a tent, cosy up in a cabin or book a bed and breakfast just around the corner from Petone's Jackson Street with 60+ eateries in 800metres and to fill your drink bottles with pure artesian water.

Start the day with a hot cuppa from a Petone coffee roastery, then cycle along the waterfront with a quick stop to Alfred Memelink Artspace.

Rejoin the Remutaka Cycle Trail and follow the easy-riding Hutt River Trail through the leafy suburbs of Lower Hutt. Stop for a coffee and scone at Bellbird Eatery before exploring The Dowse Art Museum. Then join the neighbourhoods you’ll be cycling past to cool off at popular swimming spots like Taita Rock along the Hutt River – a favourite spot for decades.

Head to Silverstream Retreat or a handful of other Upper Hutt bed and breakfast options for a relaxed evening. Knowing you’re just 15 minutes away from a supermarket is a plus to have on any trail and here you have the added bonus of two cities worth of supplies before the following day where you’ll depart the urban landscape.

Day 2 - old railway line and lakeside farms

After crossing under State Highway 2 you'll ride past Maymorn Station and link up with the old railway route from before 1955 when it gently rose over the Remutaka Range to the summit.

The Remutaka Rail Trail is a gently graded 18 km bike ride and is a popular day-walk. Discover the old rail bridge or tunnel (definitely take a torch!).

The ride follows the Pakuratahi River for much of the way and passes impressive relics including the 'Howe' truss and Ladle Bend bridges. Learn about the railways history thanks to the excellent storyboards along the way. The grassed Summit makes a great area for a picnic lunch before immersing yourself in the nearly 600 metre long tunnel to the Wairarapa side. Here you'll find epic views, a series of eerie tunnels, and the Siberia Gully bridge.

Finished with a small stretch of single track to connect with the rural country road heading south to several sophisticated and quirky rural accommodation for easy overnight stays.

Day 3 - big coast and bushy trails

This is the day you'll want to pull in some advice from your overnight hosts about how adventurous your Wild Coast Trail section of the ride can be.

A clear blue sky means impressive vistas to the South Island and a windy forecast makes for a challenge you'll sure be proud of at the end of the day. Some small spots of sand and rock are proof of the raw power of the elements that have created this section of coastline over many millennia. A range of wildlife does call this area home including Turakirae Head with up to 500 fur seals each winter.

Pre-book a shuttle to return to Lower Hutt or continue cycling along Wainuiomata's Coast Road for an overnight option at Remutaka Forest Park. Riders can venture up to the hand-built trails of the mountain bike park at Waiu Park. Pedal along easy climbs that take you to stunning harbour views at the top of the park, with lots of beginner, intermediate tracks plus technical downhills. Taking the shared cycle path downhill will connect you with the start of the trail.