Sounds to Sounds
A 1500 km bikepacking route from Queen Charlotte Sound to Milford Sound. You can ride it on your own, with a group of friends, or as part of the annual event (starts 1st March each year). It's up to you. Note: The Ship Cove to Punga Cove section of the Queen Charlotte Track is open to cyclists from 1 March to the 31st November each year (it's restricted to walkers only during over-crowded summer season.) For more inspiration see the photo book by Bronwen Wall and Jonathan Kennett.
Here's a Google map of the route you can zoom in on. [Updated 2 Mar 2023]
- Guidebooks paper edition and PDF download edition
- GPS downloads: Kennett Bros server [updated 2 Mar 2023 with temporary Hanging Rock Bridge bypass (till 14 March 2023)]
- GPS download sliced into 8 parts for GPS devices with small memory [updated 2 Mar 2023]
- Facebook group for Sound to Sound info and discussion
- Jonathan's last Sounds to Sounds Event Update (2 Mar 2023)
- Register for the 2024 brevet event
Start wave 1: 1st March
Start wave 2: 4th March - Start wave 3: 6th March
- Maprogress live tracking the March 2024 brevet
About the brevet event
If you are participating in the brevet, you must make a $100 donation to a charity of your choice. And of course you can add personal value to your journey and fund raise more money for the charity you are supporting. Besides this donation, all entrants are asked to offset your carbon emissions from travelling to the start and from the end of the brevet (you can do that easily here).
Note [Dec 2022]: Currently the vehicle traffic between Te Anau and Milford Sound road is quite low - making this destination enjoyable. Prior to the Covid restrictions the road capacity was saturated which made it unpleasant and dangerous to ride. We expect traffic volumes to increase as tourism returns. When that happens it will be important to avoid the shuttle-bus rush hours - they all leave Te Anau between 10 am to 12 noon.
Note [Dec 2022]: Currently the vehicle traffic between Te Anau and Milford Sound road is quite low - making this destination enjoyable. Prior to the Covid restrictions the road capacity was saturated which made it unpleasant and dangerous to ride. We expect traffic volumes to increase as tourism returns. When that happens it will be important to avoid the shuttle-bus rush hours - they all leave Te Anau between 10 am to 12 noon.
Sounds to Sounds illustrated book
Check out this inspirational coffee table book that showcases the 1500-kilometre bikepacking journey from Marlborough Sounds to Milford Sound. Written by Sounds to Sounds creator Jonathan Kennett and Bronwen Wall.
