Ride.
- Miles: 65
- Start: Wanaka
- Via: Cromwell, Gibbston and Cardrona.
- End: Kingston
- Features: The Devils Staircase and Kawarau Gorge
- Time: 3 and half to 5 hours
- Suitability: all bikes and riders
We reckon this could be the ultimate loop you could take in New Zealand.
Head off from Wanaka, stop at the famous Cardrona Hotel. Continue on over the Crown Range Rd, New Zealand’s highest motorable road at 1121 metres (3677 ft), be warned it can get cold up there, even in summer.
Continue to Devil’s Staircase on Kingston Road, which runs along the edge of Lake Wakatipu. It is an awe-inspiring ride. On a crystal-clear day the mountains are perfectly reflected on the waters surface. The “staircase” itself is a fairly tricky road, narrow and winding, with sharp drop-offs and hairpin turn in some places.
Head back along the Staircase but take Gibbston Highway which runs through the incredible Kawarau Gorge.
