Due to be completed in November 2012, this 312km trail runs from Tasman Point near Aoraki/Mt Cook through the Mackenzie basin and the Waitaki Valley, before winding its way to the Pacific Ocean at Oamaru. The Alps 2 Ocean Trail is one of 18 New Zealand cycle trails which will eventually extend 2000km throughout the country.

John Parker gets a preview of a cycle trail that promises to be one of our finest.

Much of Canterbury has ground to a halt today due to heavy snow, while the rest of the country is lashed by rain and winds.