Queenstown

About the Route

Starting with a hearty breakfast at the bike friendly Bespoke cafe in downtown Queenstown, take Gorge Road towards Arthurs Point, crossing the spectacular Shotover Canyon on the historic Edith Cavell bridge.

Take the Coronet Peak road towards Skippers Saddle and climb the meandering switchbacks through the Sycamore trees, before popping out into the open tussock above Dan O’Connells Bush. After a brief respite at the saddle, the road pitches up again, with multiple switchbacks gaining precious height above the Wharehuanui Basin, with the Coronet Peak base building tantalisingly close but so far away on the skyline ahead. Stop for a coffee and put your vest on for the exhilarating descent down the same way you came, turning left at the bottom of the hill onto Malaghans Road.

Cruise along the flat roads of the basin, past Millbrook resort and turn left into Arrowtown to ride along Buckingham Street, Arrowtowns main road lined with the heritage stores from the Goldrush era. If you feel like some more refreshments, the Fork and Tap at the end of Buckingham Street is a locals favourite and with good reason.

Continue on the Arrow Junction Road, and turn left to join State Highway 6 for a very short way before taking a left again on the Crown Range Zig-zags towards Cardrona. The first section of this epic road climbs steeply, with numerous switchbacks to get you up onto the Crown Terrace Lookout - a great photo opportunity! After traversing the relatively flat terrace over Royalburn Station, the climbing starts again in earnest, as the road pitches skyward beyond Eastburn Road, grinding and weaving its way up ridges and gullies through the alpine tussocks to finally reach a stone cairn and the summit of the highest paved road in NZ - before pitching steeply down the other side into the Cardrona valley. Turn around at the cairn and retrace your steps to the base of the Crown Range Road, carefully turning right back onto SH6 and backtracking to the Arrow Junction.

Stay on the State Highway and gently climb up Bendemeer Hill, descending past the picturesque Lake Hayes with picture-perfect reflections of the surrounding peaks on a calm day. Continue along Ladies Mile, with further refreshments available at 11th Ave in Kawarau Park, , a short detour off the route at Howards Drive, and well worth a stop for coffee and cake.
At the Stalker Roundabout, turn right and leave the State Highway to take Lower Shotover Road and left onto Spence Road to descend to the Old Lower Shotover Bridge which is only for cyclists and pedestrians, and avoids the busy squeeze on the road bridge. Turn left on Tucker Beach Road and left again to pass under SH6, climbing back onto the State Highway on the slip lane past the treatment ponds. Continue to Hawthorne Drive and turn left to take this route around the back of the airport to Remarkables Park and into Frankton. At the Roundabout beside Queenstown Motor Group, follow Robertson Street and Douglas Street to rejoin SH6, turning left to cross the Kawarau Falls Bridge and head towards Jacks Point. After 1km, turn left into the Remarkables Ski Field Road and begin your final challenge of the day - with restricted summer access meaning very few cars!

The Remarkables climb begins with a set of lovely switchbacks on a nice smooth surface, which soon gets you into a good rhythm towards Windy Point. The road flattens slightly, but don't be deceived - the hard climbing is still to come. Looking down over the runway, the gradient increases as the road carves its way along the Kawarau Faces high above the river, narrowing in places to squeeze itself between towering schist boulders. As you pass the halfway point Trig pillar, that's about the halfway mark for the entire road (but that includes the gravel section to the top). Keep plugging away around a couple of very steep switchbacks until you get to the Rastus Burn Boulders and the end of the sealed road. From here you can see up to Wye Dome and the skifield basin, and most of the hard climbing is done - continue up if you have gravel tires on, or race to the bottom if you’re on the road bike.

Back over the Kawarau Falls, continue into Frankton and turn left at the BP roundabout to take the fun rolling road of SH6A Frankton Road back into Queenstown and your start point. Job Done, you nailed the Triple Crown!