Remutaka Rail Trail Bike Tour Experience
This remutaka rail trail bike tour follows a historic railway corridor through the Remutaka Range, connecting Upper Hutt and Featherston across 18 kilometres of graded track. The cycling route traverses native bush, crosses original railway bridges, and passes through the Summit Tunnel—a 576-metre passage carved in 1878. Remutaka rail trail bike tour tours suit intermediate riders comfortable with gentle gradients and gravel surfaces.
The Remutaka Rail Trail follows the abandoned 1878 Fell locomotive route, a railway engineering feat that once conquered New Zealand's steepest mountain incline using a centre-rail braking system designed by British engineer John Barraclough Fell.
The line operated for thirty-seven years before the eight-kilometre Rimutaka Tunnel rendered it obsolete in 1955, leaving behind eighteen kilometres of intact rail bed, ten heritage tunnels, and the ghost of Summit Station at 555 metres elevation. Today the trail threads through Remutaka Forest Park, where podocarp and beech forest reclaim the cuttings and the Pakuratahi River runs parallel to the route for much of the descent toward the Wairarapa plains.
The remutaka rail trail bike tour draws cyclists seeking both engineering history and backcountry immersion, a rare combination in New Zealand's North Island. The trail begins at Maymorn, where interpretive panels detail the Fell system's operation, and climbs steadily through native bush toward the Summit, passing concrete foundations of the old water tanks and station platforms. The longest tunnel, Cross Creek, extends 576 metres and requires a torch; the gradient inside remains constant, a testament to Victorian surveying precision. Beyond Summit the trail descends through the Siberia and Mangaroa tunnels, where daylight breaks reveal mountain views and the Tararua Range stretching south.
The Remutaka incline bike ride operates year-round, though winter months bring muddy sections and reduced visibility in the tunnels. The Department of Conservation maintains the trail surface, clearing slips and repairing timber bridges that span side gullies. Where does the rail trail start and end? The official trailheads anchor at Maymorn in Upper Hutt and Cross Creek Road in the Wairarapa, though most riders begin at Kaitoke for easier access. Can you take a push bike on a train? The Wairarapa Line offers bike-friendly carriages between Wellington and Featherston, allowing riders to complete a one-way journey without vehicle logistics. The route's historical significance earned it a Category 1 listing with Heritage New Zealand in 2009, recognizing both the Fell engineering innovation and the rail corridor's role in opening the Wairarapa for agricultural settlement.
6 hr
