The Southern Way 1000 is a new 1,000-kilometer bikepacking route through the dramatic and varied landscapes of Te Wai Pounamu, New Zealand’s South Island. Learn more here…

There’s a fresh 1,000-kilometer bikepacking route in New Zealand that’s fully mapped and ready to ride. The Southern Way 1000 connects a collection of pre-existing cycling routes into a massive figure-eight in Te Wai Pounamu, the country’s South Island. It follows a mix of purpose-built gravel cycling paths with quiet backcountry gravel roads, stretching from the Southern Alps in Queenstown to the coastal landscapes of Dunedin and back. The classic route is 910 kilometers, but with must-do, scenic side trips, it adds up to make a dreamy-looking 1,000-kilometer route.

The Southern Way 1000 website claims the route is suitable for gravel bikes and hardtail mountain bikes. The route is divided into seven stages, divided by regularly spaced towns to make finding accommodation, resupply points, and campgrounds easier. Queenstown and Dunedin are key hubs along the route, and both have airports serviced by regular domestic and trans-Tasman flights. The route is best ridden between late October and early May (spring/autumn), with late summer and early autumn generally offering the most stable weather.

To coincide with the launch of the Southern Way 1000, a film has been produced that follows two cyclists as they embark on the first known ride of the route. TERRA: Bound premieres at the NZ Mountain Film & Book Festival in Wānaka, New Zealand, on Saturday, June 20th, 2026. The film will then screen across Australia as part of The Big Bike Film Night tour, a nationwide program that will include over 50 screenings from July to October 2026. Watch the trailer below, and stay tuned for the full film.

There is a wealth of information, including separate RWGPS routes for the seven stages, at SouthernWay.nz.

Further Reading

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