Wanaka Family Bike Rides

Great bike rides for everyone!

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WANAKA MOUNTAIN BIKE TRACKS

10 OF THE BEST!

You can bike or walk all the way from Glendhu Bay to Lake Hawea or Luggate via Wanaka township, along gorgeous, well-formed and very scenic tracks. Choose a section of track (some are completely flat and others more challenging), take a family walk or bike ride, and dip down into one of the hundreds of beautiful coves and picnic spots along the way.
Note: times are estimated walking times with children.

1) Wanaka Lakefront to Glendhu Bay

Millennium Track to Waterfall Creek Carpark
Easy – 1 hour return
Starting from town, follow the track with the lake on your right. This track is perfect with littlies, completely flat and quite wide.

Waterfall Creek Carpark to Glendhu Bay (3 hours return)
Part I: Med
Part II: Med/Hard
The first section is more undulating as you follow the lake round to a secluded bay. Mountain bikers will find this just slightly harder going but not technical and definitely still great for families. You reach a turn off where you can choose to dip down to the lake shore, or follow the track to Glendhu Bay. From here the track becomes more technical in places with several steep undulations. The views are stunning as you climb above the lake, then dip down to the shore.

2) Wanaka Lakefront to Lake Outlet

Easy – 90 minutes return
This flat and wide single track skirts the marina and then follows around the back of the yacht club to Eely Point. Continue along the beach to Bremner Bay and you’ll see the start of the Clutha River – Lake Wanaka’s outlet. Finish up at the Outlet near the campground (where you can buy ice creams) – a great picnic spot.

3) Lake Outlet to Albert Town

Easy/Med – 90 minutes return
This is one of our favourite sections simply because the Clutha River is so gorgeous and such different scenery from the lake. Park right at the start of the track near the Lake Outlet Holiday Park along Anderson Road. The track is slightly more narrow and undulating than the lakefront rides but certainly fine for bikers of all ages.  Watch out for others ~ it's a busy, two-way, multi-use track.

4) Hikuwai Loop and Sticky Forest

Near Lake Outlet Holiday Park you’ll find a pine forest with a network of well-built and maintained
single tracks. The tracks are graded and suitable for young teens and up, with some experience.

5) Lismore Jump Park

An awesome jump park with some hair-raising challenges – hang out and watch the
experts or practice your bike tricks on some of the smaller jumps. Off Plantation Road.

6) Cardrona Bike Park

Enjoy lift-accessed downhill mountain bike trails for all abilities to enjoy! Lap the lifts daily from 10am to 4pm or Friday nights til 8pm.
With beginner, intermediate and advanced trails, a FREE learner zone, flow tracks and even a bike school offering private lessons, you'll have plenty to explore all day!
Mountain bike rental, including kids' bikes, plus safety gear, all available at Cardrona Bike Park.

7) Bike Glendhu

Epic Wanaka mountain biking, with MTB trails that drop from sky to water, with alpine rocks, roots and remarkable views.
Day pass for trail use, shuttles, mountain and e-bike hire available.

8) Albert Town to Lake Hawea

Easy/Med
An easy, well-formed 10km track that follows the Hawea River to Lake Hawea. Slightly undulating but overall very easy biking for all ages.

9) Deans Bank

Med - 45min-1 hour loop
Fast, flowy and FUN, this single track loop is a winner!  Some moderately technical ups and downs, tight switch-backs, roots and rocks and narrow trail in places.  That said it's a great place to increase your bike skills with nothing too hard.  If you're experienced it's a fun track to whizz around with sensational river views.

10) Newcastle Track

Med - 3 hours
We love loop tracks!  This one starts and finishes at Albert Town Campsite and follows the Clutha River down one side, across the red bridge near Luggate then back along the other side.  You come out at the Cardrona River and ride back through Albert Town to get to the campsite.
Gorgeous views the whole way.  Some steep but mostly short climbs, and drop offs at some points.

North Island

South Island

Map of New Zealand
  • Central Otago
  • Auckland
  • Bay of Plenty
  • Christchurch
  • Dunedin
  • Coromandel
  • Gisborne
  • Fiordland
  • Hawkes Bay
  • Marlborough Sounds
  • Manawatu
  • Nelson & Golden Bay
  • Northland
  • North Canterbury
  • Queenstown
  • Rotorua
  • South Canterbury
  • Taranaki
  • Southland
  • Taupo
  • Wanaka
  • Waikato
  • Wellington
  • West Coast
  • Whangarei
  • Bay of Islands
  • Tauranga
  • Gisborne
  • Hamilton
  • Napier
  • Kapiti
  • Palmerston North
  • Whanganui
  • New Plymouth
  • Arrowtown
  • Te Anau
  • Akaroa
  • Ashburton
  • Hanmer
  • Kaikoura
  • Methven
  • Mt Cook
  • Oamaru
  • Tekapo
  • Timaru
  • Abel Tasman
  • Motueka
  • Nelson Lakes
  • Blenheim
  • Picton
  • Catlins
  • Gore
  • Stewart Island
  • Central Plateau
  • Invercargill
  • Cromwell
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Westport
  • Glenorchy

Our favourite destinations…

Auckland

New Zealand’s economic heart and biggest city is also an exciting family visitor destination, situated on a sunny harbour with city beaches just minutes away from the CBD. Orientate yourself by heading down to Viaduct Harbour, wandering the waterfront, checking out the super yachts or enjoying the waterfront restaurants. Nearby is the must-visit Sky Tower along with excellent and kid-friendly museums and tons of exciting activities!

Wellington

Wellington is New Zealand’s capital. Here you will find New Zealand's parliament buildings, including the 'Executive Wing', more well-known as 'The Beehive' due to its distinctive shape. Another icon to look out for is the Wellington Tram, which was the main means of public transport between 1878 and 1964.

Christchurch

With a population of around 400,000 Christchurch, in Canterbury, is the South Island ’s largest city, yet much of it has the feel of a small town. Perhaps that’s why it’s known as the Garden City but with the expansive Hagley Park, Botanic Gardens, Port Hills, River Avon and numerous beaches the city certainly has an open, relaxed feel that’s hard to beat.

Queenstown

With its well-deserved reputation as New Zealand’s activity adventure capital you’ll never run out of activities and things to do in Queenstown, but you may run out of time! With breathtaking scenery, activities and festivals, cafes and restaurants, skiing and snowboarding, shopping and wineries, this lakeside alpine resort rates as one of the world’s top vacation destinations for all ages and seasons.

Rotorua

Rotorua sits on the shore of Lake Rotorua, one of sixteen lakes in the area formed by hundreds of thousands of years of eruptions from the Taupo Volcanic Zone. The area is renowned for its geothermal activity and top of any activity list is to see the bubbling mud pools that are around the region for yourself. The Waimangu Volcanic Valley offers a first hand insight into the devastation caused by the 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera and is a great place to discover steaming volcanic craters and bubbling, spitting  pools of mud!

Nelson and Golden Bay

The Nelson and Golden Bay regions, at the top of the South Island, boast enviable sunshine hours, glorious sandy beaches, safe swimming spots, lots of wildlife to look out for, and Abel Tasman National Park - an absolute must to explore, on foot, by kayak, your own craft or watertaxi.  Nelson is home to a vibrant arts and crafts community with a fabulous Saturday market, and is close to award-winning wineries and family-friendly bike tracks to take you around the coast.

Hawkes Bay

Napier was rebuilt after the 1931 earthquake and is now known as NZ's Art Deco City.  The Art Deco influence has created a unique city – nowhere else can you see such a varied concentration of art deco style. With over 2,200 sunshine hours a year, Napier is a year-round holiday destination with countless activities to entertain the kids – there's days of entertainment on Marine Parade alone, plus numerous other family-friendly trips and activities.  Add to that the beaches, walks and flat cycle paths, outdoor cafes and entertainment, and you have a perfect holiday destination!

Northland

Beautiful, unspoiled beaches, fishing, historic gum fields, kauri forests – the Far North has it all. With subtropical temperatures, it's often known as ‘the Winterless north', with warm, humid summers and mild winters.
Gateway to the Bay of Islands, Paihia is a pretty, lively beachside town and a perfect base for your family holiday. It’s your start point for Bay of Island adventures including day cruises, sailing, kayaking, swimming with dolphins and reef or wreck diving.