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Southern Alps & West Coast Loop — Christchurch Base
A six-Stage ride that threads the Great Alpine Highway, glacier country, big-sky passes, turquoise lakes and a crisp coastal finish — returning to Christchurch only at the very end.
MAP
Nearest Airport(s)
Introduction
Start in Christchurch, where the plains meet the foothills, and aim your front wheel towards the Southern Alps. The first Stage follows the famous Great Alpine Highway, climbing through wide valleys and limestone outcrops before the land tightens into Arthur’s Pass. From there, the route drops into West Coast rainforest and the salt-air grit of Greymouth. Stage by Stage, you’ll drift south along SH6 into glacier country, where the road feels pressed between dense green and ice-carved grey. Past Fox Glacier, the Haast corridor delivers a cinematic change of tone: waterfalls, beech forest and the clean sweep of the pass before the lakes appear, glassy and cold, at Wānaka. The high country then opens: Lindis Pass rolls like a slow wave, and Lake Tekapo arrives in a wash of turquoise. Stage 5 is chosen deliberately to keep the kilometres honest while adding the high-country character of Twizel and Omarama before dropping to Oamaru’s Victorian streetscape. Only then does the loop close — a clean run back to Christchurch on the final Stage. Expect big surfaces, fast weather, and one of the best “variety-per-kilometre” rides in the South Island.
Tech Overview
Interactive Map
Tip: click markers for Google Maps deep links. The polyline connects the main waypoints in riding order.
Stage-by-Stage
Stage 1 · Christchurch → Arthur’s Pass → Greymouth
Stage 2 · Greymouth → Hokitika Gorge → Fox Glacier
Stage 3 · Fox Glacier → Haast Pass → Wānaka
Stage 4 · Wānaka → Lindis Pass → Lake Tekapo
Stage 5 · Lake Tekapo → Twizel → Omarama → Oamaru
Stage 6 · Oamaru → Christchurch (loop closure)
POI Photo Gallery
Click any card to open the Wikimedia Commons file page. Images load via Special:FilePath so they display directly.
Kura Tāwhiti / Castle Hill
Otira Viaduct (Arthur’s Pass)
Hokitika Gorge
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Fox Glacier
Lake Wānaka
Lindis Pass
Lake Tekapo (Church of the Good Shepherd)
Lake Pukaki
Oamaru Victorian Precinct
Moeraki Boulders
Christchurch Botanic Gardens
Avon River (Christchurch)
Photo credits: images from Wikimedia Commons (see captions for authors and licenses). Used under CC BY-SA / public domain terms where applicable.
Suggested activities
Akaroa: Dolphin Nature Cruise
Top-rated harbour cruise in Hector’s dolphin territory.
Christchurch: Tram, Punt & Gondola Combo
Classic “Garden City” combo — easy on a rest evening.
From Christchurch: Arthur’s Pass + TranzAlpine
See the alpine corridor from both road and rail — superb visuals.
