Find Your Ride

Heartland & Connector Rides

Explore New Zealand on Heartland Rides, mostly on-road routes through scenic landscapes & small towns. Connector Rides provide the safest & most enjoyable links to these and the Great Rides.

View all rides on New Zealand Cycling Map

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far away north

Far North Cycleway

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Heartland Ride

Location Black Cape Reinga—Rawene
Clock Black 161km / 2 days (Grade 3)

Where better to start or end a cycle tour than Te Rerenga Wairua (Cape Reinga) – one of the northernmost points of the North Island? This ride also features Ninety Mile Beach and Hokianga Harbour.

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kauri coast

Kauri Coast Cycleway

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Heartland Ride

Location Black Rawene—Dargaville
Clock Black 113km / 2 days (Grade 4)

Stretching between the small west coast towns of Rawene and Dargaville, this touring route offers a chance to delve into the rich human and natural history of Northland’s ‘kauri coast’.

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kaipara missing link

Kaipara Missing Link

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Heartland Ride

Location Black Dargaville—Auckland
Clock Black 118km / 2–3 days (Grade 3)

This journey from Dargaville to central Auckland includes a boat trip across the beautiful Kaipara Harbour, pretty Helensville village and a gentle cruise through pretty countryside.

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forgotten world

Forgotten World Highway

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Heartland Ride

Location Black Taumarunui—New Plymouth
Clock Black 183km / 2–3 days (Grade 4)

The highly memorable Forgotten World Highway is a classic New Zealand road trip between Taumarunui, on the Central Plateau, and coastal New Plymouth city in the shadow of mighty Mt Taranaki.

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Pohangina Valley ManawatuNZ.co.nz

Manawatu Cycleway

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Heartland Ride

Location Black Mangaweka—Palmerston North
Clock Black 121km / 2–3 days (Grade 3)

Go off-the-beaten track through the heart of rural Manawatu. See soaring mudstone cliffs, leafy reserves, heritage sites and other surprises, and enjoy local hospitality in peaceful settlements.

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rere falls

Rere Falls Trail

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Heartland Ride

Location Black Matawai—Tairāwhiti Gisborne
Clock Black 103km / 1–3 days (Grade 3)

Winding through pretty hill country, this is a pleasant cycle link from the Motu Trails in the Eastern Bay of Plenty through to Gisborne.

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cambridge waikato

Cambridge–Waikato River Connection

Connector Ride

Location Black Cambridge—Arapuni
Clock Black 40km / 1 day (Grade 3)

Linking the town of Cambridge with the Waikato River Trail, this route includes a section of another popular local cycleway, Te Awa River Ride.

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character swingbridge connecting Arataki Road to Track

Centre of the North Island

Connector Ride

Location Black Mangakino—Pureora
Clock Black 50km / 1 day (Grade 3–4)

Following quiet backcountry roads and old forestry tracks, this ride connects the Waikato River and Timber Trail Great Rides, and passes the geographic centre of the North Island/Te Ika a Māui.

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gentle annie

Gentle Annie

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Heartland Ride

Location Black Taihape—Hawke’s Bay
Clock Black 136km / 2 days (Grade 4)

A challenging journey across remote hills between the central North Island and the East Coast, this ride's sights include high country sheep stations, rugged river valleys, and vineyards.

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mountains to sea connection

Mountains to Sea Connection

Connector Ride

Location Black Taumarunui—Oio Road
Clock Black 45km / 3–4 hours (Grade 3)

This Connector Ride links Taumarunui with the Kaiwhakauka Track section of the Mountains to Sea Cycle Trail via a series of quiet country roads.

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ott

Ohakune–Taihape Trail (OTT)

Connector Ride

Location Black Ohakune—Taihape
Clock Black 77km / 5–7 hours (Grade 4)

Known as the 'OTT", this route ranges from quiet backroads and busy highway to link the Mountain to Sea Cycle Trail in the Ruapehu region and the Gentle Annie Heartland Ride starting in Taihape.

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Whanganui City Riding Discover Whanganui

Three Rivers

Connector Ride

Location Black Whanganui—Hunterville
Clock Black 60km / 1–2 days (Grade 4)

Traversing heartland Rangitīkei, the Three Rivers follows historic stock routes between Whanganui and Hunterville.

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route 52

Route 52

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Heartland Ride

Location Black Hawke’s Bay—Wairarapa
Clock Black 202km / 2–3 days (Grade 3)

This route between Waipukurau and Masterton passes through a series of small, country towns dotted across rolling farm country.

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tararua reverse

Tararua Traverse

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Heartland Ride

Location Black Palmerston North—Alfredton
Clock Black 67km / 1 day (Grade 4)

Connecting to Route 52 and heading south through the Wairarapa, this is a challenging ride over the Tararaua Ranges with some pretty big views along the way.

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timber trail connection

Timber Trail Connection

Connector Ride

Location Black Ongarue—Taumarunui
Clock Black 24km / 2 hours (Grade 3)

Undulating through hilly farming country, this quiet backroad is a useful link between the southern end of the Timber Trail and the trail’s main service town, Taumarunui.

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wairarapa valley

Wairarapa Valley Cycleway

Connector Ride

Location Black Masterton—Wairarapa Moana
Clock Black 67km / 4–6 hours (Grade 4)

Following backroads between Masterton and the junction with the Remutaka Cycle Trail, this ride serves up grand Wairarapa views, world-class wineries and charming country towns.

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queen charlotte drive

Queen Charlotte Drive

Connector Ride

Location Black Picton—Havelock
Clock Black 40km / 2–4 hours (Grade 3)

Often high and winding, this view-filled road links Picton and Havelock – the twin towns of the magnificent Marlborough Sounds.

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molesworth muster

Molesworth Muster Trail

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Heartland Ride

Location Black Blenheim—Hanmer Springs
Clock Black 207km / 3–5 days (Grade 4)

This surprising and unforgettable journey from Blenheim to Hanmer Springs passes through the largest and most remote working farm in New Zealand.

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rainbow trail

Rainbow Trail

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Heartland Ride

Location Black St Arnaud—Hanmer Springs
Clock Black 115km / 2–3 days (Grade 3–4)

Following the original stock route between Marlborough and Canterbury, this richly rewarding adventure boasts craggy mountains, beech forest, open tussock lands plus backcountry camping and huts.

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Hurunui Trails Mt Lyford to Kaikoura 1a credit bennettandslater.co.nz

Hurunui Heartland Ride

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Heartland Ride

Location Black Kaikōura—Ōtautahi Christchurch
Clock Black 260km / 3–4 days (Grade 2 to 4)

This scenic touring route between Kaikōura and Ōtautahi Christchurch takes in a diverse range of landscapes – from the rocky Pacific Coast to mountains, tussock lands, pastoral farms and wine country.

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Lake Rotoroa edited

Tapawera to Murchison

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Heartland Ride

Location Black Tapawera—Murchison
Clock Black 95km / 1–2 days (Grade 5)

This scenic trail links the Tasman towns of Tapawera and Murchison, skirting the Kahurangi and Nelson Lakes national park wildernesses.

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golden downs

Golden Downs Trail

Connector Ride

Location Black Wakefield—St Arnaud
Clock Black 66km / 1 day (Grade 3)

This trail links Nelson Lakes National Park with the Tasman’s Great Taste Trail at the inland town of Wakefield.

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Little River Trail 1 cropped credit Sarah Bennett

Little River Rail Trail

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Heartland Ride

Location Black Ōtautahi Christchurch—Little River
Clock Black 60 km / 1 day (Grades 2–3)

From the centre of Christchurch, this trail leads through a series of urban and rural scenes to reach the pretty village of Little River, nestled at the base of Banks Peninsula.

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Collingwood to Heaphy credit Rosemary Jorgenson

Collingwood to Heaphy Track

Connector Ride

Location Black Collingwood—Heaphy Track
Clock Black 34km / 1 day (Grade 3)

This route up the epic Aorere Valley links the Golden Bay town of Collingwood with the Heaphy Track, via quiet country roads in the South Island’s remote north-west corner.

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westport to old ghost

Westport to the Old Ghost Road

Connector Ride

Location Black Westport—Waimangaroa
Clock Black 17km / 1 hour (Grade 4)

This short road ride provides an easy and reasonably scenic link between Westport, The Old Ghost Road and the even more epic Roundabout loop.

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old ghost rd roundabout

Old Ghost Road Roundabout

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Heartland Ride

Location Black Seddonville—Lyell
Clock Black 85km / 2–3 days (Grade 5)

ALERT: SECTION CLOSED. This combines the aptly named Charming Creek with the not very short ‘Denniston Shortcut’ to form what the Kennett Brothers call ‘one of the best multi-day loops on the planet’.

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Old Ghost Road to Heaphy Kohaihai to Karamea credit bennettandslater.co.nz

Old Ghost Road to Heaphy Track

Connector Ride

Location Black Seddonville—Heaphy Track
Clock Black 73km / 1–2 days (Grade 4)

This pretty route links a Great Ride (The Old Ghost Road) with a Great Walk (Heaphy Track) via a quiet, primarily coastal, highway in the South Island’s remote north-west corner.

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touring the west coast

Touring the West Coast

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Heartland Ride

Location Black Ross—Wanaka
Clock Black 402km / 6–8 days (Grade 4)

The stupendous scenery just keeps coming on this major road-touring route along the South Island’s West Coast.

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Southland Traverse credit Jonathan Kennett DSC03121

Southland Traverse

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Heartland Ride

Location Black Mossburn–Invercargill
Clock Black 104km / 2 days (Grade 4)

This route traverses southern rural heartland between the Around the Mountains Cycle Trail and Invercargill.

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