NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Travel

Southland: All-terrain mountain buddies

By Greg Bowker
NZ Herald·
11 Feb, 2019 11:00 PM7 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Greg Bowker and family ride between Mossburn and Lumsden. Photo / Greg Bowker

Greg Bowker and family ride between Mossburn and Lumsden. Photo / Greg Bowker

A 180km cycle with two young boys in tow starts out stressful but turns into an amazing family adventure, writes Greg Bowker.

Two boys under 5, four bikes we'd never seen before, a truck load of gear — what couldn't go wrong?

That was what kept me awake before my wife, Sarah, and I embarked on a rather adventurous 180km ride with our two boys, Hugo, 4, and Henry, 2.

First, we'll need their car seats, bike seats and all our helmets, extra warm clothing as it's a few degrees colder in Queenstown, and what if it rains or is windy ... let's not even think about anyone getting sick.

Kids, they're just the best little people to make you overthink everything, second-guess and sometimes just do cool family adventures.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Dad, is there lava in those mountains?" Hugo asked as we arrived in Queenstown and started rushing to get organised on our four rental bikes.

Two brand new e-bikes for my in-laws, who are in their 60s and keen outdoors types. They opted for the modern way of travel this time, which proved to be a very smart choice.

Sarah and I chose the old-school pedal-powered mountain bikes, for this is what we'd been riding back in Auckland for our inconsistent family training rides.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

And we were "that family" — a little rushed fitting a rental trailer and kids' seats that we'd brought with us outside the Earnslaw office when Hugo took off for the historic sailing ship without a care for Mum and Dad.

After the mild panic of being one child down, and an oversized coffee, we looked to the snow-capped Eyre Mountains and thought "we can do this!"

Queenstown's air was fresh, it felt like we'd booked the weather. The clear blue skies and snow-covered peaks made it look just like a postcard, the total opposite of the snowstorm that blew through a week before.

Sarah Southwell helps sons Hugo Bowker and Henry into their trailer. Photo / Greg Bowker
Sarah Southwell helps sons Hugo Bowker and Henry into their trailer. Photo / Greg Bowker

The ride Around The Mountains is just that, a 180km journey from Queenstown's Walter Peak Station to Kingston around the Eyre Mountains. The trip can be done either way and Mike, the tour operator, advised us that in October, at the end of the season, we'd normally get a tailwind for some of the ride if we started from Walter Peak. Meaning we'd also get the only true hill on the ride over and done with on day one after only about 26km of flat riding.

Discover more

Travel

Vietnam: Sold down the river

10 Feb 09:00 PM
Travel

In it for the long haul

10 Feb 03:00 AM
Travel

Bangkok street food: What's survived Thailand's brutal crackdown

10 Feb 11:00 PM
Travel

Grand Canyon: How a place once called 'valueless' became grand

11 Feb 02:00 AM

Tackling the Von Hill, a steep 2km climb, isn't that bad, normally, but it was after lunch and I was towing the two boys in the trailer loaded with camera gear and other panicked items. Then we were met by the only headwind of the trip as we rode towards the Mavora Lakes. Sarah and I were left searching for lower gears as the energy in our legs faded, and wishing that we'd done a little more training.

"The crystal-clear waters and the remoteness of the Mavora Lakes make it a major camping, boating holiday spot for southern folk," Mike tells us as we are shuttled back to Lumsden, 80km further around the mountains and our base for the next two nights.

It was just what we needed, a large southern-sized burger and chips from Lumsden's only takeaway shop after day one of the Around the Mountains Cycle.

The Lumsden Motel is a great spot to set up, whether you're travelling as a family or a couple. Fresh rooms and fluffy towels made us feel at home.

We made several trips over the road with Hugo and Henry to the historic trains and playground that were super-entertaining. Venture a little further into Lumsden and you'll find the beef and buffalo pies and the doughnuts that appear to sell as fast as they come into The Bafe-Bakery in the morning. After four o'clock the piano top is open along with the bar at the hotel, a great spot for an IPA and fries after a day in the saddle.

We returned north on day two, refreshed, refuelled and ready to roll. We started our ride at Centre Hill, 29km south of Mavora Lakes. A small part of the trail hasn't been completed yet but you can choose to ride on the gravel road — though in summer the dust would be nightmarish.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Centre Hill to Mossburn is a purpose-built cycle trail and great riding as it follows the river downhill, and for those who are also keen freshwater anglers, you're riding through some of the country's best spots.

Mossburn is another wee town that is famous for a pie; this time it's venison and it's not too hard to find. "Don't worry about the calories," someone says, "you're burning it off carrying the two extras."

The boys were glad to rest in the trailer and take in the views of white, fluffy clouds, greener-than-green paddocks and distant mountains as we zoomed along the cycle trail close to the main road, downhill for 20km with a westerly wind, overlooking some great farms around the Oreti River.

Celebration as we finished day two off with chips, beer and a wine. The boys had been great trail buddies today, taking in the sights from their spots on the bikes and were full of chat about what they were seeing. Our adventure was now in full swing. Henry was excited to see his green seat fitted to Sarah's bike before he went off to bed. "Bike more," he said... Yay!

 Sarah Southwell and son Hugo Bowker. Photo / Greg Bowker
Sarah Southwell and son Hugo Bowker. Photo / Greg Bowker

With another great night's rest we packed our bags and left Lumsden. Heading out early for the 33km trip to Athol via Five Rivers along the former rail line made for easy riding and an early arrival at The Lodge. More southern hospitality, rooms for the kids with super-comfy fresh beds that even welcomed my tired body. What a way to spend our last night after dinner at the local restaurant Brown Trout.

Riding on to Kingston on the last day, Hugo and Henry were ready for more adventure.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

They were eager to climb to their seats at the front of the bikes, then kept their eyes open for deer, new lambs and a trout or two under the major bridges as the hills started to surround us again. Garston was a compulsory morning coffee stop after only riding 12km. The Coffee Bomb van was already starting to get a crowd at 9.30am. The team had plenty of great chat for locals and tourists while they made some of the most amazing fresh bacon and egg rolls to fill our bellies.

We had to drag our bikes back on to the trail after enjoying the best coffee and a relaxing stop.

We followed the rail line to Fairlight then wove our way into Kingston, the final stop on this family adventure.

Hugo and Henry were great riding buddies. They didn't get in many pedal strokes or change many gears and to say they were helpful on the bike could be a stretch. They did bring some good chat, ask some interesting questions and, most importantly, made it one of the most amazing family holidays yet. Sarah and I were glad to have planned an adventure with our two boys. We learned that with a little extra planning and having each other's backs, the mountain is the limit.

Checklist

GETTING THERE
Air NZ launches a direct Auckland to Invercargill flight in August, with fares from $87.

DETAILS
aroundthemountains.co.nz; southlandnz.com

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Travel

Travel

What it’s like staying at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva 

11 Jul 12:05 AM
Travel

Inside the world’s swankiest ski hotels

10 Jul 08:00 AM
Travel

Why a weekend in Byron Bay is just what you need

09 Jul 08:00 AM

One pass, ten snowy adventures

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Travel

What it’s like staying at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva 

What it’s like staying at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva 

11 Jul 12:05 AM

The five-star Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva offers the perfect blend of old and new.

Inside the world’s swankiest ski hotels

Inside the world’s swankiest ski hotels

10 Jul 08:00 AM
Why a weekend in Byron Bay is just what you need

Why a weekend in Byron Bay is just what you need

09 Jul 08:00 AM
An honest review of the Carnival Encounter cruise ship

An honest review of the Carnival Encounter cruise ship

09 Jul 07:03 AM
Your Fiordland experience, levelled up
sponsored

Your Fiordland experience, levelled up

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP