NZ's Most Dangerous Road

When planning our second trip back to NZ, we looked at some of the fantastic adventure rides available around Central Otago & Southland. Skippers Canyon was top of the list, somewhere neither of us had been before, promising some great riding & an interesting piece of gold rush history.

We were also lucky to have a couple of fellow adventure riders who were able to join us so we made the most of a beautiful autumn day to take on the challenge TwoUp. The day started with a chilly ride through the Kawarau Gorge, using some back roads to detour through Arrowtown, before ascending the road through to the start of Skippers Canyon. The views were stunning back towards Lake Wakatipu & Queenstown as we climbed the Coronet Peak road.

The signage as we turned off & entered Skippers Road made us both laugh, plenty of warnings that we were entering a back country road, conditions vary, & that rental vehicles may not be insured beyond this point. It is definitely easier to have our own bike to take on these more remote trails.

With that warning, it was onto the gravel, up through the gate & into the canyon. The initial drive down to the valley is breathtaking, with sheer cliff walls to the left, the road carved along the edge & a steep drop-off on our right. Across the valley, we were taking in the rock formations rising above us. This road is largely unchanged from when it was finished over 100 years ago, the first 6 km really are single traffic only but it was in good condition & we were just able to enjoy the ride.

The first real history we came across was the Welcome Home Hotel,

2 chimneys are all that remain of the original Gold Rush hotel. From there we continued into the canyon, with several stops for pictures & film opportunities, the benefit of having other travelers with us. We cross a small tributary to the river & stop again to take in the river views. This is also where jet boat tours land, plus an old shed/hut right on the river bank to check out. After a refreshment, it was time to follow the canyon along the right-hand side of the river.

Finally, we make it to the Skippers Bridge, a 96 m span across the river, 90m below us. Warnings on the bridge for weight limits & vehicle restrictions, before we rolled across & continued up to the left to the Mt Aurum townsite.

The townsite has several ruins, remains of chimneys & evidence of habitation, plus the school building has been restored & contains additional information about the settlement & size of the community living here at the peak of the gold rush. This was a great stop for lunch before continuing out the branches road for the afternoon.

You can watch part 1 of our ride here with Part 2 due out on Wednesday, venturing further along the mining areas before taking the detour out Branches Road and then the ride back out. This was definitely a highlight of our 2023 NZ ride and should be on the bucket list for any adventure rider.