Tour Aotearoa Official Guides [Paper Edition]

You can also buy the PDF version. This page is for the paper edition.

Tour Aotearoa Official Guides gives you the practical information you’ll need as you ride the 3000 kilometre Tour Aotearoa route from Cape Reinga to Bluff.

For those keen to ride the length of New Zealand, these functional guidebooks describe the 3000 kilometre Tour Aotearoa route from Cape Reinga to Bluff. Christened in early 2016, this route follows several Great Rides and Heartland Rides through a variety of inspiring landscapes and welcoming rural towns.

They are made to be used on the trails as a complement to GPS navigation. They include maps and elevation charts throughout the route, detailed cue sheets, contact details for important businesses along the way such as remote accommodation, cafes and supermarkets, transport operators, etc.

The North and South Island guides are provided as a pair – two staple bound booklets; 72 pages for the North Island and 48 pages for the South Island. This format allows you to only carry one light weight guide per Island – no unnecessary weight to carry.

The author, Jonathan Kennett, has been writing New Zealand cycling books for over 25 years and works for the New Zealand Cycle Trail. He rates Tour Aotearoa as “the best ride of my life”.

Tour Aotearoa Official Guide sample pages 8-9

Packed with:

• transport options to Cape Reinga
• cue sheets for every section
• maps throughout the route
• elevation charts
• locations of the 30 photo control points
• contact details for campgrounds, accommodation, cafes, pubs, etc.
• phone numbers for boat operators on the five water sections
• transport options for leaving Bluff.

The Tour Aotearoa route has evolved from year to year to incorporate new sections of trail and bypass closed sections. The guidebook is also revised to update the ever-changing range of services available along the route. Please do not rely on out-of-date editions of the guidebook or route files!

Tour Aotearoa guidebooks were published in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and late-2023.

Updates to the 4th edition, 16 Dec 2022: Here’s a printable list of updates to the old 4th edition.

The main points are:

1. North Island, Pg 28, 8.3 km: From the cul-de-sac, follow a cycle path to Ngā Hau Māngere (the new “old” Mangere Bridge).
2. North Island, Pg 33: A large portion of the Hauraki Rail Trail is closed for refurbishment till 2024(!) We’re created a bypass that avoids Highway 25 (which
   is awful for cycling) . Full details and a map are provided in the free PDF (linked above).