Cycling Trip March 2022 Otago Queenstown Part 3
Queenstown is not my favourite place – but it is in one of the most beautiful locations in New Zealand. The secret is stay in – Arrowtown, or Frankton or Lake Hayes. All of these have an amazing network of hundreds of kilometres of cycle trails linking you to the great outdoors.
- Tip 1: Don’t stay in Queenstown
- Tip 2: Visit in Autumn to catch the amazing autumn colours
- Tip 3: Driftaway Holiday Park – Camping, caravans, motor homes, campervans – this place ROCKS
- Tip 4: download the Queenstown App for great information and maps about cycleways and other things to do. More info about Cycleways here
Staying at Driftaway Holiday Park
We are among the first guests – finishing touches are still being added. Even before we met the owners, we rated this as one of the best holiday parks in the WORLD. It is accessible, has an amazing kitchen/dining deck overlooking the lake, great stuff for kids, a TV and games room and charging points for EVs.
Then we met owner Rochelle one morning cleaning the kitchen and discovered it is also largely run by solar power, has heat recovery systems from the dryers and showers, and is ready for solar campervans. There was a dumpy old caravan park here before. Rochelle and Bryan have a 25 year lease and have started again – reforming the land.
We are coming back!!! Maybe once or twice a year! We met someone who had planned to stay one night and ended up staying a week. Site 82 is my favourite – close to amenities with great view.
Queenstown Cycleways
- Frankton Trail to Queenstown. It is only 20 – 30 minutes on a cycleway into Queenstown – I went in today an thought I would go up the Gondola and do the Luge – unfortunately it was closed. However, try Bespoke Kitchen just below the Gondola for fabulous coffee and real food – the citrus smoothie was amazing. I turbo rode my Moustache ebike back to Driftaway – 20 mins and I was out of Queenstown by the lake at Driftaway. I was told it was warm to swim – I tried, but really warm was not the way I described it.
- Arrow River Trails: This is still our number one ride – 13.7 kms over beautiful suspension bridges – we finish it at Kawarau Gorge, coffee and then headed back. Read the story of our trip.
- Frankton to Lake Hayes: We followed the Twin Rivers Trail out to the old Shotover Bridge, then turned left to follow the Countryside Trail to Lake Hayes. Then around Lake Hayes to the link road across lake Hayes estate to connect again with the Twin Rivers Trail home. There was a hill just after the Shotover Bridge that defeated us. Even experienced and powered ebike riders could not get to the top without stopping. And once you stop, you can not start again on a hill – so the only option is to push your (very heavy) Ebike up the hill. Disappointing, as most well designed rail trails will put in a switchback to make such climbs easier. Hopefully that will happen one day. Another hill like this just before the Kawerau Bridge back at Frankton.
- Kelvin Peninsula: this was our favourite ride this visit – across the Kawerau Falls bridge and around the lake to the right, beautiful swimming spots, a golf course and sculptures. You can keep going to Jacks Point, but we had enjoyed it to there, and were ready for a coffee and chips at the Hilton on the way home.
