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 the over-crowded summer season.) For inspiration see the coffee table book by Bronwen Wall and Jonathan Kennett.

Here's a Google map of the route you can zoom in on - updated 26 Feb 2025

• Guidebooks paper edition and PDF download edition
  
  
• GPS downloads: Kennett Bros server - updated 26 Feb 2025
• GPS download sliced into 5 parts for GPS devices with small memory - 26 Feb 2025
• Alternate route options - updated 26 Feb 2025 (Whale Trail option shortened to show only what is rideable as at 22 Feb 2025)

• Facebook group for Sound to Sound info and discussion

• Register for the 2026 brevet event  
  Start wave 1: 2nd March
  Start wave 2: 4th March

• Maprogress live tracking for the March 2026 brevet will be available before 2 March 2026  

About the brevet event

This is a self-supported 1500 km brevet from Ship Cove in Queen Charlotte Sound to Milford Sound. A brevet is not a race! It's a ride following a set course which you must complete between 5 and 20 days – no more and no less. Note: you can ride the route anytime of the year on you own.

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).

Vehicle traffic between Te Anau and Milford Sound road is returning to pre-Covid levels (busy!) It is 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.