old coach road

I cycled this trail with a group. It was the first day of our five-day, Mountain to Sea venture. I am not an experienced mountain biker and so the Old Coach Road was a good familiarisation experience. The trail itself is well formed, there are interesting, informative panels along the way, and the viaduct at the Ohakune end (I had tramped in twice previously) is well worth seeing. A great feat of engineering. Our trip as organised by Mountain Bike Station. A great operator (see separate review): very friendly/customer oriented; has excellent bikes for hire, undertakes excellent bike maintenance, and runs an efficient shuttle service. Note: You are in the bush all the way; you can only eat and drink what you take with you.Tips: Go from Horopito to Ohakune (more downhill); take your lunch and plenty of water; take your time, there is much to read and see; be safe, if you don't own a good mountain bike, hire one from Mountain Bike Station (you don't want to push a poor bike back to Ohakune).

As a newbie to mountain biking I loved this track. We did both ways so almost 30ks, lots to see and not so technical for a novice. Beautiful part of the country.

We are experienced mountain bikers and though the old coach road was relatively easy for us, it was great to amble and take in the sights and the history of the trail

Fabulous: take the shuttle bus from the bike rental shop in Ohakune up to Horopito. We walked, which took 3 hours, but most biked. Surreal bush-scape surroundings.

Gorgeous 12 km ride, do not miss it!across the valley, mountain forest and around 2 impressive viaducts and one tunnel.By the way there is many information boards with interesting information about the old coach road.Terrain is not difficult but it is ideal for mountainbike

Dropped off by a local hire bike operator, nice and easy to start off with but gets a little bit harder a few km's in, but you can walk up the hills if you want. Lots of fun going down hill. Rode along side farm land, through the bush and open areas by the old railway. Always plenty to look at and resting points and viewing points as well. Highly recommend if you are in the area.

This is a beautiful walk with great scenery and the historic Hapuawhenua rail viaduct as a highlight. There are quite a few bikers on this path, so this can be a bit annoying for people, who walk (although the usually local bikers are very friendly and respectful). If one has only time to do one walk near Ohakune then the nearby Mangawhero Forest Walk is probably more recommended. Being a part of the UNESCO World Heritage National park of Tongariro the trees and the forest scenery here are more impressive, but with less views than on the Old Coach Road (and no cultural highlight).

We do this walk often, and biked it once from Horopito. Spectacular scenery, great experience, can do a short version or the long one so suits everyone. A friend and I did the bit to the Hapuawhenua rail viaduct and back with a friend with a 6 year old, a 4year old , and a pushchair a couple of years ago. Give it a go - you'll be glad you did.

I'm a novice mountain biker and I have to say that although challenging at times, this track was an awesome experience, especially coming back down hill!!! There was no problems if you have to get off your bike to push it up hill on occasions, as there is plenty of room and wonderful scenery to look at while you catch your breath.

Went along the track by mountain bike as an alternative to the tongariro crossing which was closed due to weather. 2.5 hours (ish) of riding mostly downhill through rainforest etc. It was raining the whole journey but I still found there was plenty to look at.. I imagine the views on a clear day to be awesome.

We have walked this from Ohakune to the Viaduct bridge & back & also biked it from Horopito to Ohakune. Great experience to do this during winter when the ski fields are closed due to wind & also a good adventure during warmer times of the year. Well maintained track, interesting reading points along the way & fairly easy walking & biking trail for all family members.

Great service. Friendly. The food was nice, nothing spectacular but classics done well. The prices were reasonable, and the wine list also quite good. Would recommend, probably more for a group or lunch than a romantic dinner.

This is a great track to do , has lots of interesting history along the way to read. The track is an easy one to do & you can take it at your own pace

We were dropped off at Horopito for the 16km hike through to Ohakune. It was a splendid day and as we set off we could see both snow-covered Mt Ruapehu close on our left and the distant Mt Taranaki to the right. After 40mins of open country we entered the forest and a steady climb to the highest point on the Old Coach Road. On our descent we stopped at the Hapuawhenua viaducts and recommend the return walk across the old viaduct. After 2hrs 30mins we reached the Marshall Road care park then followed the river walk into the village - in all about 3hr 15mins. Excellent signage highights the history of the Old Coach Road, the main trunk railway and the those who built them. We encountered runners and mountain bikers including several families with young children at the Ohakune end confirming its popularity as a trail.

We had an awesome 16km hike friom Horopito to Ohakune on a glorious winter's day. Within a few minutes as we walked through open grassland we had splendid views of snow-covered Mt Ruapehu on our left and the distant Mt Taranaki on our right. After 40 mins we entered the forest and a had 20-minute climb uphill before the track levels out and then gradually descends to the Hapuawhenua viaducts. It is well worth walking across the old viaduct. It took us 2hrs 30mins from Horopito to the Marshall Road car park. From there we walked back to Ohakune township via the river walkway - in all a total of 3hrs 15mins steady hiking. Excellent signage along the track highlights the history of the Old Coach Road, the main trunk railway and those who built them.