THE ROUTE
(1331km, +21519m)
Due to significant portions of the course crossing private land, the route is ONLY able to ridden during the race by tracked riders.
Paved Gravel 4WD Singletrack Hike-a-bike
401 477 282 136 35
THE NORTH
~400km, +5990m
Starting from the spectacular Cape Farewell at dawn, the northern section of the TTW will be familiar to many who have ridden the Kiwi Brevet or Tour Aotearoa. Large sections of paved riding are interspersed with singletrack, gravel, a beach (!) and a few river crossings. This is the easiest and fastest section of the course with good resupply options. Expect to take 1-2 days to complete this.
THE HIGH COUNTRY
~ 600km, +11,400m
The central portion of the route features a number of formidable challenges. With long distances between resupply (1.5-3 days), many river crossings and a number sections requiring hiking or bike carries, this is where the route shows its' teeth. If the weather is unkind it's likely travel will be significantly slower and could be halted altogether on the high mountain passes. Methven and Tekapo provide a welcome reprieve from the exposed mountainous terrain. Conditions dependent, 3-6 days will see you through here.
THE DEEP SOUTH
~300km, +3900m
The final 300+km of the course falls into two contrasting segments. Firstly a trek across the high tussock peneplain of Central Otago before dropping down to the Clutha River and winding your way through the lush Southland farmscape. Nearly all on navigable roads of some description, the topography hides it's undulating nature as the vertical metres stack up unexpectedly. A big final overnighter or a two days solid effort will see you to Slope Point, where there's no more left to do.