Bridge to Nowhere Bike Trip
Departure –
Ohakune
Difficulty –
Easy Rider
In 1917 one of the most remote valleys of the upper Whanganui River was hastily opened up by the government for Settlement by Discharged Servicemen from the 1914–18 World War. However, this last great rural pioneering scheme in New Zealand proved a complete and utter failure.
You can visit the Bridge to Nowhere on one of our Canoe tours, or on a one day guided Mountain Bike trip on the newly opened "Mountains to Sea Cycleway".
Trips depart our Ohakune base at 8.00am and returns and around 5pm.It is a 45 minute drive from our base to the start of the Mangapurua Track, in the Ruatiti Valley.
After unloading and a check of bikes and gear we ride for about an hour to the top of the first ridge and take a short break with views of the Tongariro National Park. From here it is another hour of undulating riding to the Mangapurua Trig and a stop for morning tea and to enjoy the 360 degree views of the Tongariro, Whanganui and Egmont National Parks. We also stop for a short walk to the McKenzie hut. From the trig there is a 7km downhill ride into the valley—a good place to break for lunch. Then it is a leisurely ride through the valley with stops at some of the old house sites, waterfall creek and Battleship Bluff.
The track narrows to singletrack for the last 8km before we get to the Bridge, and there are lots of small swing-bridges to cross. We stop at the Bridge to Nowhere for photo’s and a quick break before riding the last 15 minutes down to the Whanganui River were we are met by the Jetboat. It’s a quick 45 minute boat ride down to Pipiriki, and then a 45min ride in our bus back to our base in Ohakune.
We return at around 5pm.
For your convenience we have compiled a small list of items that we recommend guests bring on this trip.
Waterbottle, small back pack, raincoat, cut lunch & snacks, spare socks, comfortable shorts, spare woolen/polypropylene top, mtn bike gloves (optional), camera & sunglasses, woolen hat (for jetboat), medication (if needed)
Depart on demand: October to May
Price: $205.00/person
Unguided (minimum of 4 - transport and Jetboat): $135.00
Bike Hire: hardtail–$50.00, Full suspension–$99.00
