Old Coach Road — A Local's Guide

We run more shuttles up the Old Coach Road than anywhere else, and it never gets old — because the OCR isn't really a bike trail. It's a piece of New Zealand history that happens to be perfect on two wheels.

The history under your tyres

Between 1886 and 1908, the North Island Main Trunk Line was creeping toward completion — but the section between Ohakune and Horopito wasn't finished. So everything and everyone travelling between the railheads went by horse-drawn coach along a specially built road: the Ohakune Old Coach Road.

The coaches are long gone, but the road they built is still here — including the original cobblestone paving, laid by hand more than a century ago and now rated among the most significant heritage road surfaces in the country. You will feel it through your grips. That's the point.

The showstopper is the Hapuawhenua Viaduct — a gorgeous curved rail viaduct you ride across, with its 1908 predecessor standing alongside. Bring a camera. Everyone stops here, and everyone should.

The ride itself

• 15km, Horopito to Ohakune, Grade 2–3
• Mostly gentle downhill with a couple of honest climbs
• 2–4 hours depending on how often you stop (stop often)
• Rideable year-round; muddy patches after rain

We drop you at Horopito — the ghost-town end, film buffs will know it from Smash Palace — and you ride back to Ohakune. No pickup needed: the trail finishes a few minutes' roll from our door at 27 Goldfinch Street, where the coffee and the post-ride debrief happen.

When to go

Any clear day is a good day, but locals ride it morning in summer (the bush section stays cool) and midday in the shoulder seasons (let the frost lift first). Autumn is quietly the best: golden light through the tunnel of trees, and the trail to yourself midweek.

What to look for

1. The cobblestones — original 1900s paving, especially through the cuttings
2. Hapuawhenua Viaduct — and the walk down to the old 1908 viaduct beside it
3. The tunnels and cuttings — hand-dug, pick-and-shovel work
4. DOC's interpretation boards — genuinely worth reading, the story is wild
5. Native bush — some of the most intact forest left in the central North Island

Want more?

The OCR is one piece of a connected system. Te Hangāruru adds 9km of wilder singletrack in front of it (24km total), and the Te Ara Mangawhero loop extends the day to 37km+. Same shuttle, different drop-off — the trail page has the full distance chooser.

The logistics

Shuttles run daily from 10am to 2pm, on the hour, minimum two riders (solo riders pay a flat minimum instead). Bikes — Norco MTBs from $35, Bosch e-bikes from $70 — can be added when you book. Helmets and repair kits are always included.

Check live availability and book →