Lake Tekapo to Omarama

February 21, 2025

Alps to Ocean!!

Lake Tekapo to Twizel

I got up at 6 and just like on our other trip the daylight is changing. But hey that means it’s getting lighter at home! I went to the kitchen had a coffee with granola and yogurt. I’m certainly not a card carrying vegan right now! That breakfast was like opening a bag of white sugar and spooning it into your mouth. On these trips I do find that getting off my eating patterns isn’t great for my body.

I got riding right at 7:10 when it was light enough. The wind was already gaining speed off the lake but I headed into and then out of town away from the lake going for less wind. This part of the S2S follows a trail called Alps to Ocean and it’s fantastic! I started riding past a dam and then a closed off road only for the energy company. Here the wind was howling. It was more of a crosswind but for 13 km of riding it wasn’t easy.

I started to turn with the wind and it got easier and soon I was coming up and above Lake Pukaki. Wow! Just wow! This lake, like Lake Tekapo is a brilliant blue colour and it’s set against mountains that are so beautiful. I descended on the road towards the lake and the wind buffered me from side to side and I had to hold on tight to keep going straight.

I couldn’t stop taking photos it was so outstanding. Soon the trail started on gravel singletrack and it was a treat. It followed along the lake about 75’ from the road which was so nice. This trail is fantastic! Did I say that already!? Eventually, I was at the end of the lake and the trail crossed the busy road and went into a forested and then open vast area for 8 km. I flew through this section. I must have had a tailwind because I just laid down into the hoods and crushed out 8 km super fast rolling into Twizel by 1030. Here I’m enjoying a solid breakfast and then I’ll get going again.

The WIFI is so amazing at this cafe I’m doing a major photo dump!

Another amazing cup of coffee. Can’t call this a cup of Joe as that would be disrespectful.

That breakfast was delicious and I’m glad that I stopped. I got rolling again at about 11:30 and riding through and out of Twizel was really nice. It was quiet and the town had a really nice feel to it. I was soon back on the Alps to Ocean and back out into amazing scenery and riding. I wrote the paragraph below immediately after finishing a section that went all the way around a lake.

Twizel to Omarama

The Alps to Ocean around the lake was so incredible! I raced around it on an absolute high. Singletrack bliss perfectly manicured and the scenery to blow your mind. That was freaking awesome!!

This was my favourite section of the ride!

It closes when the water level is too high and spills over here. Unsafe to cross.

After the lake portion I was headed to the Ohau Lodge. The riding continued to be very nice dumping onto a scenic paved road and then up towards the lodge. I toured around by the lodge to see what’s it looked like but didn’t stop. It’s clearly a biking destination with about 35 bikes out front. I saw a couple other riders getting ready to roll out but I started out before them.

Back on the trail I was nearly immediately alerted by the Garmin that I’d be climbing for an extended period. I knew it was coming. This climb was really enjoyable. It rode both through forested areas and then out on ridge lines but the fall offs were not extreme. The only complaint I’d you could make one was a small section with big rocks embedded that sent you in every direction and certainly massaged the back side.

The guys passed me on their mostly unweighted gravel bikes and then we met a few more times on the climb. The views climbing were really nice. It overlooked the dry area between the trail and the lake.

Once I crested the climb I looked at the elevation profile into Omarama and I was a bit giddy. I was done climbing and I could just ride downhill for the next 20 kms. The descent was fun. At one point the gradient was a perfect 5% so you could just get off the brakes and glide for what seemed like forever.

Eventually the trail dumps you onto a gravel road that was also nice and had enough of hard pack to keep moving at a really good clip. Soon I saw signs for ice cream so I pulled over to find about 12 riders stopped as well. I went inside and it was 3 vending machines but they had great selection. I grabbed an ice cream and talked to the crew from Australia. They had quite the trip with a helicopter ride and accommodations all the way.

By this point I was close but my energy level was still high. I pushed hard on the next gravel section, then a bit more trail, and suddenly I was in Omarama. I sat down at the 4-Square and looked at the next day to plan my food. The nice thing about the holiday parks is I could get heavy food for dinner and eat it straight away prepared in the kitchen. Again I carried way too much food but I guess I’ll learn eventually. I’m getting the snacks right; today’s snacks - sleeve of Oreos, sleeve of crackers, bag of peanuts, 6 granola bars. Yes, that’s just the snacks. I’m eating my way around New Zealand just like on the Divide!

Tonight I enjoyed a meal similar but not quite as good as what Grum made one night. Basically, vegetables, beans, peanut butter and coconut milk. It needed garlic, onions and chili sauce but can’t have it all!

Today was an outstanding day. The weather was cool to start and I wore 2 layers under my wind breaker for a couple of hours. It got a lot warmer and likely peaked at 25 mid afternoon. Not hot at all and great for riding. I loved the Alps to Ocean trail. It was perfect for a gravel bike ride. There are no difficult gradients and the routing is very good. This was one of my favourite days of riding on the trip and that’s saying a lot because almost every day has been epic.

Highlights:

-the lakes - that colour!

-the Alps to Ocean trail is amazing

-epic scenery all day, and relatively easy riding

-great breakfast in Twizel

-3 straight days having a shower

Distance: 141 km and 1084 m elevation gain

Today's ride: 141 km (88 miles)
Total: 2,453 km (1,523 miles)

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