Originally Posted by
krobinson103
The South Island has the range dividing the Island - a very fun looking place to ride. I bet you could do hills for weeks if you really wanted to.
As you say, the Southern Alps are the spine of the South Island. The roads mostly run parallel to it and are fairly flat. There are three main passes crossing the Alps but they not on the scale of the Rockies and are neither long nor high.
If you want to go off the sealed roads, then there are a plethora of back roads and MTB trails you can ride - even some of the tramping tracks (Heaphy, Queen Charlotte) can be ridden at certain times of the year.
Last tour I incorporated several stages from the
Great Southern Brevet. I'm tempted to return and do the full course some time.
Probably the northern end of the South Island where I'm heading next visit is more lumpy, although there were a few lumpy sections through the Catlins in the Southland.