// Tour Aotearoa 2026
2026 Anniversary Tour of Aotearoa
Cape Reinga to Bluff
The Smell the Roses Tour
2,925 kmtotal distance
29 dayson the road
6 riderson two wheels
// The team of 2026
The Team of 2026
// Tour stats
Cape ReingaBluff5 Apr 20263 May 2026
Distance2,925km
Elevation↑ 27,334m gain
Moving time155h 25mmoving time
Avg speed18.26km/h
Total days29days
Riders6riders
// Elevation profile
// All stages
// Stages
Stage 01Day 1Cape Reinga to Ahipara
90 Mile Beach
Stage 02Days 2–3Ahipara to Dargaville
Northland hills and Tane Mahuta
Stage 03Days 4–5Dargaville to Auckland
Kaipara ferry and into the city
Stage 04Days 6–9Auckland to Mangakino
Waikato and the Hauraki Rail Trail
Stage 05Days 10–11Mangakino to Owhango
The Timber Trail
Stage 06Days 12–13Owhango to Hunterville
Bridge to Nowhere and the Whanganui jet boat
Stage 07Days 14–16Hunterville to Wellington
Manawatu and the Remutaka Incline
Stage 08Day 17Wellington to Havelock
Ferry crossing and Queen Charlotte Drive
Ferry crossing
Stage 09Day 18Havelock to Nelson
Two roads, one destination
Two routes
Stage 10Days 19–20Nelson to Murchison
Lake Rotoroa and the sandflies
Stage 11Days 21–22Murchison to Greymouth
Two saddles and the Big River decision
Two routes
Stage 12Day 23Greymouth to Ross
West Coast Wilderness Trail
// About this tour
Tour Aotearoa is New Zealand's iconic bikepacking route — 2,925 kilometres from the tip of the North Island to the bottom of the South. Six riders. Twenty-nine days. One country, ridden end to end.
This is the story of that journey: the climbs, the coast roads, the ferry crossings, the split routes through mountain passes. Told in the voices of the people who rode it.