Bike the Wanaka and Hawea Trails
Overview
4 hours
Mobile ticket
A brilliant way to explore the area and see the beauty all around. You will ride across plateaus, surrounded by mountains on relatively easy grade 1-2 family friendly trails.
The recommended route follows trails all the way from Hawea, alongside the Hawea river, through Albert Town and then follows the Clutha river to Wanaka.
On your way there are lots of interesting places to visit including Lake Hawea, Pembroke Patisserie, Wanaka, the Wanaka Tree and the Edgewater Hotel garden bar.
Additional Info
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
nzbiketrails luxury shuttle will pick you up from Wanaka and transport you to Hawea. We will provide an overview of the route, safety briefing and a test ride to ensure that your bike is comfortable for you with the right seat height. You will then have the rest of the day to explore the local area on your bike and make stops on the way back to Wanaka. Our favourite stop is the patisserie in Albert Town – an award-winning bakery. On arrival in Wanaka nzbiketrails will then pick up your bikes at the original pickup location by 4pm. Our e-bikes are suitable for Children 8 years+ who are over 140cm and are confident riders capable of using gears on a bike. We recommend young families book either the 0900hrs or 1030hrs shuttles allowing plenty of time to ride back to Wanaka.
What‘s Included
Safety Briefing
Executive Return Shuttle
8L Topeak Rear Trunk Bag (replaces need for a rucksack)
Bike Lock, Puncture Repair Kit and Pump
Helmet - Specialized Camber Helmets with MIPs protection
Hire of bike - e-bike or regular bike
Rider Insurance
Options
Regular Bike Hire and Shuttle
Regular Bike Hire
E-bike Hire and Shuttle
E-bike Hire
Gravel Bike Hire and Shuttle
Gravel Bike: For experienced Gravel riders only. Gravel bikes are a specialist bike. nzbiketrails recommends e-bikes on all of our trails.
Reviews
352 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Fantastic exhilarating bike trail
paulinec976,,Feb 6, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Fantastic 4hr exhilarating trail by the side of the river, lake, mountain & wooded areas. Hired the e-bikes which made it easy for us pensioners who hadn’t ridden cycles for some years! Stopped for icecream & beer on route. Shingle area through the trees after Albert town was quite bumpy with stones/tree roots & had a spill from the bike & slid down the bank. Grazes & bruising did deter from the fun. Fee & length of trip appropriate. Managed to keep to the route although a few way markers would help as we couldn’t remember all that James had said about the route.
Great scenic cycle
sophiec756,,Feb 6, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Beautiful cycle track Great bikes Tristan was good host Really enjoyed seeing both lakes and great having one way trip with no time pressures
Unforgettable bike tour
sofiabJ1868GE,,Feb 4, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Absolutely amazing bike tour. James was super friendly, the views were insane, and it was one of our favorite experiences of the whole trip. He even offered us a ride back when we ran out of time, which we really appreciated. Highly recommend.
Superbly organised and friendly trip very good value for the money (in good weather do it you won't regret it!)
Derek S,,Jan 28, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Note top rec... we got dropped off at Johns Creek...adding a extra 5km of glorious views of Hawea which were really amazing. Summary - Superb way of seeing a part of the Wanaka region with NZbikes. Well organised, very nice and friendly guide..Tristen, doing cycling at you own speed,amazing views, superb stop off for food, easy to follow track,excellent bikes, relaxing and fun....superb value for money (note we had good sunny weather most of the time thank Tristen organised 🤣) Turned up at the agreed location and Tristan was there to greet up with a smile and then we were off in a mini bus for a 20 mins or so journey to Hawea. During which Tristan had remembered all our names got to know us all and helped the whole group bond...made you feel real comfortable. We went for 10.30 which dropped us off at Jacobs Creek rather than a Hawea so was 34km rather than 29km...but was absolutely stunning and had 5 km of enjoying the amazing Hawea lake. After a quick photo by Tristan we set off in our own family groups at our own pace for a leisurely ride. Bikes were brilliant and perfectly set up and track was well maintained easy to follow. Quick stop off at Pembroke Patisserie...which did amazing cakes etc we poodles along the track taking pics of the amazing scenery as we went. Eventually arriving to drop off our bikes 4 hrs later but we could have kept them until just before 4.
Great experience
mrssuep2016,,Jan 24, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Fabulous experience cycling from Lake Hawea back to Wanaka with stunning scenery all along the route. Bikes very very good quality and straightforward to use, helmets were provided and there storage case on the back of the bike was very useful. Tristram our driver gave us some really good tips on the journey to the drop off location. Would highly recommend
Amazing!! Beautiful...
Erica J,,Jan 16, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Amazing!! Beautiful views, great bikes, best way to see the town and lakes. Guide explained path which was well marked and recommended coffee/lunch spots along the way
Glorious family-friendly bike ride
angelieo2016,,Jan 13, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Such a great activity to explore and get close to such pristine environment. Thank he shuttle bus was prompt and Tristan gave us all the information we needed. A glorious day with great bikes and support :)
Totally recommended
arthursalles,,Jan 13, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Perfect experience! Everything really well thought. Great instructions and recommendations, top notch bikes, good balance of adventure and safety
Incredible views
jpr2019,,Jan 13, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Gorgeous views with the family. The track was well demacated, and the fleet of bikes were in good nick. Kids loved it, will be back
Good experience and a...
Ellen E,,Jan 10, 2026
- Review from Viator
4.00Good experience and a wonderful way to take in the beauty of Wanaka. I must say we got turned around more than once despite the map and instructions, which was a bit stressful.
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