Arrowtown To Gibbston – Iconic Arrow River Bridges Bike Ride

We had the best time on this ride. Thought it would be a pretty light ride but it had a few small inclines which really made it all the better. Riding across swing bridges was slightly crazy but look forward and go for it. If you don’t ride much go for the electric bike. If you do, just grab a normal bike. The mountain bikes are fantastic to ride. Do this. It’s cheap, picturesque and you are not micromanaged. Free to explore the town then head out on the ride. You will not regret doing this!

We hired normal push bikes and coped just fine with the terrain as the bikes are well maintained, gearing thankfully very smooth. Fabulous trail to follow, well marked out crossing some amazing gorges and also saw a couple doing the bungy jump. Ride ends in a winery where we were picked up, lovely afternoon out.

The process of getting to Arrowtown was easy and Smooth so was getting the bikes. All in all very easy and good organised

Fun stops, well organized, e bike is the way to go. We spent plenty of time in Arrowtown and had time to get a glass at the winery.

We had a great time on a beautiful day. Transport was easy and bikes and route were just the right amount for a half day adventure

This is the first time I've ever felt compelled to post a review, and it was due to a disappointing experience. The views were great and the bike ride itself was nice (even if it was much more difficult than we expected). However, customer service ranged from unhelpful to rude. We booked for 6 adults, and even though one of us decided not to do the bike ride, we were still charged the full price of her e-bike because she rode the shuttle with us. We were handed a map with 11 destination points and instructions to stay on the trail and to meet for the bus a few minutes before pickup time. There were no instructions given as to destination so we stayed on the route marked on the map until we realized there was no way we were going to reach stop 11 before pickup time. We called the shop, and they said we were supposed to get off at a different stop we had already passed. So we had to race to backtrack and barely made it back a few minutes before we were supposed to leave, but were told the board the bus immediately and did not have any time to sample the winery (which we were really looking forward to). One of our members could not make it back in time, and the tour driver's comments were "why'd he go there? we can't pick him up," although he eventually did as it was only a short drive. During our 10 day trip to New Zealand, this was the only negative tour experience we had. We booked this tour for my dad's 70th birthday, and it would've still been an ok experience if people with this tour company had been friendly.

What a great experience! Tom was great, the bikes were good quality, the trail was beautiful, and the half-day experience was just the right amount of riding for ending out our trip. We made it to Gibbston Winery by 3:30 without making many long stops (we’d already done the bungy jump and just did a quick ride through Arrowtown) and had a nice relaxing hour before we got picked up at 4:30. We were glad to have the e-bikes as well since we were already pretty tired going into our last day. The hills weren’t bad but it definitely helped to have the extra push. Would highly recommend this experience!

A really fun day out. The bikes and helmets were great. Don’t expect a lot of information from the tour guide. They really just drop and pick you up. The track was wet so we got splattered in mud. There are no baskets on the bike so a back pack was useful. There were two points where we were confused about our direction but we got there in the end. All in all I’d highly recommend this fun half day tour. We loved the winery and the incredible scenery along the way

A beautiful bike ride in a well marked track over bridges and country side! The bikes were in great condition and easy to operate. The trip was well organized with friend,y staff. The ride end at a stunning winery where you can taste wines and have a light snack/lunch. Highly recommend!

A wild spur of the moment decision on a lovely autumn day in April...not sure my old bones could handle the shock. But pretty sure my 12yrld. Girl would smash me. After a little navigation error got sorted we were off. Simply unforgettable.. the whole family loved it.. I earnt a beer at the forkntapp....

Excellent day on the bike. Company was well organized and everything was as planned. I did half day. Highly recommend if you have interest to ride and see some sights on the trail.

Amazing trip! Superbly organised and explained. Staff are super friendly and helpful. The track is amazing and easy enough on an analogue bike. Steve was such a hero.

Trying an ebike was a novel experience but so much fun. The scenery is spectacular. The crew are helpful fitting you to the right bike. The trail is very manageable even for us novice riders and challenging for more experienced who choose to ride over the hanging bridges. We stopped along the way to watch the bungy jumpers (that is something a much younger and wilder person might enjoy). The cafe at the end of the route was great even for us who don’t drink wine. The chocolate gelato will not be forgotten.

We did a bike tour with this company. Things started out fine but during the trail the bike chain came off one bike. We were mid way through the trail and this ate up a chunk of riding time as we waited while another helpful cyclist helped us fix the bike. We got back on the trail and toward the end one of our party fell off the bike and was injured. We arrived at the pick up point and tended to the injury knowing the driver would be arriving soon. We waited and waited but the driver never arrived. We noticed the bikes had been picked up and they had left us stranded 25 kilometers away from any help. We called the company and told them what had happened and that someone was injured but staff were unhelpful and kept saying we didn’t meet the driver at the pick up point and would need to take a taxi instead. Not one staff member asked if the injured person was okay or what they could do to help. When we said they had our number, they could have called us to check if we were okay when they picked up our bikes, they had no answer to this . Staff were only interested in arguing and patronizing us rather than trying to find a solution. We asked that a manager call us but we have not received one call from them. Not even to say ‘sorry to hear you were injured - how are you doing?’ Absolutely shocking service!!! This company has a duty of care to the people using their services and they failed to meet this duty of care. People in our group had used this business before at least 4 times and mentioned they normally come in to the winery to check that every passenger in on board before they leave however they did not check if we were there or not. Reading the other negative reviews I can see we are not the only ones that have been left stranded. They are only interested is getting money from you that’s it. I am going to report them to WorkSafe for their absolute lack of care to the health and safety of their customers. If you use the company make sure you do so knowing they will leave you stranded in the middle of no where - no matter if you’re a child, the elderly or injured.

Our original tour happened on a super rainy day, and we decided to postpone it at the very very last minute after spending 5 mins in Arrowtown, as the rain was not stopping…. The driver was kind enough to come back to pick us and send us back to Queenstown which was much appreciated! Our tour was postponed to another day and we truly enjoyed the experience, together with my teenager kids! Great trail and plenty to see along the way in a great weather!

We hired 2 electric bikes and rode the trail along the river through to Gibbston Valley Winery. A lovely ride, easy , and very safe. The company was easy to deal with and the guys super friendly. This was my first time on an electric bike so it was the ideal trail to ride.

Beautiful scenery. Would’ve been good to know ‘parts’ of the track that we should be aware of that’s curved and next to a cliff, especially with a 6 year old. Only recommended for younger kids who are used to riding 14km in a span of 2.5 hrs, as no electric bikes available.

Great ride through the countryside. Ups and downs but doable. E bikes are a great option too! The winery was very nice.

Beautiful bike path that was well paced and offered a diverse scenery. Bike path well marked which made the day stress free!

Fun experience. We rented the e-bikes and it was worth it. A few parts would have been harder, but definitely doable without e-bike. The bridges were beautiful. We stopped and watched some brave bungee jumpers. Finished the afternoon at the winery. Very fun afternoon.

Do not do this if you have trouble with heights. If you do not have trouble with heights, you will love this, even if you are not a seasoned cyclist. We rarely ride and got electric bikes to help us on upslopes. That made it so pleasant! We could really enjoy the scenery. There are amazing views and points of interest along the way. For example, we watched a woman do a bungee jump from one of the bridges. That’s not something we would do, but it was thrilling to see her doing it. It’s nice to end at the winery. We enjoyed their wine and had a great meal. This was among the highlights of our trip to Queenstown. Also, the bikes were well maintained and fitted to us. The trip coordinators did a great job getting us acclimated to our bikes before sending us off, and they were great about giving safety guidance and hints to keep us from getting off the path. Signage along the way is good as well.

Seriously, don't be a cheapskate and splurge that extra NZ$50 for the e-bike option. The Arrowtown To Gibbston Valley Half Day Ride was just the right amount of time with just the right amount of sights. A lunch at Gibbston Valley Winery while waiting to be picked up was the perfect ending.

Fun e-bike ride with more than enough time for stops at 3 wineries. The views along the river were beautiful and there were only a few other bike riders on the trail. A lovely, peaceful day and the bikes were very well maintained! The trail was mostly easy to follow with a couple of tricky spots.

We had an amazing day cycling from Arrowtown to Gibbston Valley. The trail and views were spectacular. We're fit and active but were happy to have rented e-bikes. Our only regret is that we hadn't discovered this company years ago! Can't wait to do it on our next trip!

This was a highlight of our Queenstown trip. Driven out to frosty Arrowtown to start with and we all had an ebike even our 1.4m, 12 year old. The instructions were clear and off we set following the arrows, navigating the amazing countryside and crossing some incredible bridges. We saw alpacas, so many rabbits and fed goats, but no bungee jumpers this time. We ended up at the Gibbston Valley Winery where we had some tasters and lunch and we’re picked up at 2pm. It was so good next time we will stay out a little longer and get picked up at 4.

such a great day ! done this tour twice now ! friendly and very helpful van driver ! awesome bike ride and great wine and charcuterie board at gibbston valley winery ! would highly recommend!

Wonderful e bikes and friendly staff. Trail off road mostly and not to many hills. Very beautiful scenery. My partner is experienced bike rider and I’m more of a only Around wineries a few times a year type so did find parts of the trail a bit challenging but it’s easy to get off and walk Parts and admire the scenery. Winery at the end has a great rose and meat platter. Can to and from trail very clean and air con nice.

Best activity we did in Queenstown. Everyone enjoyed it. Would defn recommend . We used electric bikes which were awesome and highly recommended - great fun and great views.

We had a wonderful time doing the half day self guided ride from Arrowtown to Gibbston. We arrived at Gibbston tavern with enough time to enjoy a meal. The e-bikes were in fantastic condition and Hamish was super super helpful with the set up and so friendly. We would recommend this company to anyone! Thanks guys and a big thanks to Hamish!

We really loved this tour, we didn't use the electric bikes as we wanted the exercise and we loved it. The team was really helpful, Steve who drove us to Arrowtown and sent us on our way was extremely helpful. The ride is easy to follow and there are a few hills but nothing drastic. We actually ended up going a little longer and riding to the Gibston Valley Tavern (make sure you go there). Will definitely do another tour with the team on our next trip to Queenstown. Highly recommended.

VISIT: end of February 2020 TOUR: Bike the Bridges - Arrowtown to Gibbston Supported Tour VIEWS: 5 stars HELP FROM TOUR GUIDE: 5 stars SUITABLE FOR ALL ENDURANCE LEVELS: 4 stars DEALS: I found them through Chase Ultimate Rewards and several other sites MEETING SPOT: close to Fergburger and Fergbaker This tour was an honest pleasant surprise for us. The videos online looked cool, but mostly we got to experience so much that I don't think we would have seen. I would have never made a special trip to Arrowtown or Gibbston just based on the research I did, but what a beautiful way to view this amazing country! You meet at their meeting spot where the tour guide will drive you to your starting point. The tour guide stayed with everyone until they were comfortable on which path they were following and made sure that bikes and helmets were all sized appropriately. Our tour guide even gave special care to someone in our group that didn't speak English. You can leave items in the van, if you'd like, but my husband and I just had everything in our backpacks as the van is only there during certain check points. After that you are pretty much on your own with the bike tour, which was refreshing that you could go at your own pace. You see your tour guide at regular intervals along your track and that's always refreshing, in case you get tired you can always hop in the van. Along the way, you ride by the AJ Hackett bungee jumpers which was a nice stop to watch and use the restrooms and grab snacks, if you need. Then our tour ended at the Gibbston Winery which was just a nice treat after a good workout. ACTIVITY LEVEL: one of my biggest tenets is that the company dubs the Bike the Bridges tour a relatively easy ride and although it was, I was personally surprised at how much of a workout was. There was a good amount of inclines/declines and I workout regularly and have an active job, so I was relatively surprised. However, I realized after being in New Zealand that many of their residents are so active that I'm sure this would be an easy ride. For those on the fence, they do have electric bikes for rent, so that might be the way to go. NAVIGATION: the navigation is very easy and the trails are clearly marked. As mentioned above, your tour guide also makes sure he's waiting at regular intervals along your trail, so I wouldn't let that deter you I WOULD 100% DO THIS AGAIN: I am not a typical tourist that would return to do things again, but I cannot begin to explain how magical this was. Plus the tour was a half day, so we actually booked this the afternoon of our first full day in New Zealand to give us time to adjust to jet lag and the long tour the day before

We did a self-guided tour from Arrowtown to Gibbston Valley winery and were really impressed with Around the Basin. They met us in Arrowtown with really great quality bikes including a really nice 20-inch for our 7-year-old and a tag along for our 5-year-old behind my bike. They then met us at Gibbston Valley winery, collected the bikes and took me back to Arrowtown to collect our car while my wife and kids stayed at the vineyard. Amazing half day out with a decent bike ride then lunch at the winery. I'd definitely recommend Around the Basin; great people, great bikes and amazing support.

My husband and I and 2 teenaged children had such an awesome day, really recommend this company, nothing was a problem, they were professional and informative, bikes were great we had 2 e-bikes and 2 normal. The tracks were good beautiful scenery, alot of fun, great stopping off at wineries at your own leisure and picked up on time. A FANTASTIC DAY AND A MUST DO IN QUEENSTOWN.

My wife and and two friends did the Arrowtown to Gibbston Valley Winery bike ride. We met Hamish from around the basin in QT who took us out to Arrowtown to start the ride. Bikes were very good and the ride was about 15Ks. Some amazing scenery on a beautiful day. Thoroughly recommend if you don’t want anything too strenuous. We finished up at GV where we had a cheeky glass or two of Pinot after which Hamish dropped us back in QT. Loved it!

First time biking in years and it was great. They drove us up to Arrowtown and explained the tour and what to expect. Guide explained how to properly use the bike and made us bike around a few minutes to make sure we were comfortable. They gave us two maps and the trail is marked very well. Able to go at your own pace and stop when you need to. Excellent views along the way.

We did the Half Day Self Guided Ride from Arrowtown to Gibbston. The tour is normally 4-4,5 hours (including shuttle) but we were offered to extend it for 1,5 hours free of charge which we did. I was very happy that we did this since the original tour would have been a bit short, but we felt that a full day tour was a bit much. We were picked up promptly in a minibus at the Around Basin Office, located centrally in Queenstown. We were driven to Arrowtown where we got to try out the bikes and were provided with some maps and such. Arrowtown itself was less interesting than expected, and very touristy, so we got on the bike almost straight away. We biked 15 km, or a bit further, through gorgeous nature with amazing views over Gibbston Valley. You pass a couple of swing bridges and also a famous bungy bridge. We stopped for wine and cheese at the first winery and were picked up again by Around the Basin at Gibbston Tavern (?). The first part of the track goes through forest but when you reach the wineries there is very little shade. At the end of the ride we were very hot (this was during the middle of the day), so make sure to bring and drink lots of water. Around the Basin was very helpful and professional, with a reliable and prompt pickup and dropoff. All in all a great day, I highly recommend this ride!

As a beginner I found the ebike ride from Arrowtown to the wineries an easy, enjoyable ride with epic views. I went with my two friends who were also inexperienced and we all thoroughly enjoyed the half day. The guide waited at various check points ensuring we were all ok n knew where to ride next. Absolutely recommend this for all ages. I'm not fit n found it easy. Will book again when back in Queenstown.

We rode the bikes from Arrowtown to Gibbston valley, scenery changes a lot throughout the trail and the views were outstanding! Went over 3 suspension bridges and got to watch people jump off the Kawarau Bridge the first commercial bungy in the world! Also had time for a glass of wine and some cheese tasting at the Gibbston Valley winery which has a wine cave. Such a lovely day with my friend and the trail was very easy would definitely do this again! Thanks to Lisa and Hamish had a great time.

We enjoyed our half day bike ride from picturesque Arrowtown to Gibbston Winery. An easy and scenic ride along the river. It was very well organized and gave us freedom to do our own thing. I recommend cheese platter at the winery! Very nice.

We thoroughly enjoyed this half day afternoon tour Bungy to Arrowtown - scenery is spectacular with snow capped mountains, suspension bridges & river gorges. Our guide LEIF provided awesome customer service & provided the support along the way that was required by my sister, he was supportive and encouraging as parts of the track were a little challenging for her. Nice touch - hot mulled wine in Arrowtown . Memorable Day😊

There were great sights. You had really good views on the swing bridges. The wine tasting was a nice way to finish the ride, even if you didn't drink wine.

Very nice bike ride. Clearly indicated where to go and beautiful views. Well organized and clear explanation. Highly recommended