Athol: Cycling Trails and Regional History

Athol brings together cycling trails, distinctive bridges and memorial sites, with its location on the Southern Scenic Route. If you are planning a trip here, you can choose from active experiences on the Mataura River, insights into local history and a stop at a place to eat. This makes it easy to choose holiday accommodation in Athol based on the interests you want to shape your stay.

Cycling between Athol and Kingston

A distinctive feature for cyclists is Athol’s Golden Gates: the two structures, described as cycling suspension bridges, cross the Mataura River and are 67 and 92 metres long respectively. Their different spans give each bridge its own scale; together, they make an unusual landmark on a cycling trip. The river itself is near Athol, is 190 kilometres long and is known as a source of brown trout.

The Around the Mountains Cycle Trail runs for 30 kilometres from Athol to Kingston. This section is classified as Grade 2, or easy. When planning, this lets you distinguish between a named section and the entire trail, rather than treating the two distances as the same. On the Athol–Kingston section, a disused railway line was converted into the next section of the trail. Its former use as a railway line is therefore part of this route’s history and sets it apart from a simple connection between two place names.

The Around the Mountains Cycle Trail is 186 kilometres long in total and passes through historic settlements and rural farmland. So, if you look beyond the Athol–Kingston section, you will find a longer route with a variety of settlement and landscape settings. For your trip planning, the difference between the 30-kilometre section and the total distance is particularly relevant when deciding how much of your stay to devote to cycling.

Memorial sites in Athol

You can also learn about the town’s history through specific memorials. The Athol District Memorial Hall houses an honour board commemorating those who fell and those who served in the First World War. The hall grounds also feature a memorial seat for returned soldiers from Athol, which was recently installed there. The honour board and the seat remember local people in different ways, giving a visit a local, personal connection.

Another historical detail concerns the wall-mounted memorial to those who served in the First World War in Athol Hall. It was apparently moved there from the Presbyterian Church in June 1958. The cautious wording around the date of its relocation is part of the account; the memorial itself and its present location in Athol Hall offer another way to explore Athol’s culture of remembrance.

On the way and in town

Athol is on the Southern Scenic Route. If you include the route in your trip, you can experience Athol as a stop with its own cycling and historical themes, rather than seeing it only as a name along the way. The nearby Mataura River, the bridges and the Cycle Trail each offer a different perspective: river crossings and route distances sit alongside the repurposed railway line and the historic settlements along the longer trail.

The Brown Trout Café is a place to eat in Athol. When choosing a holiday apartment or holiday home, you can consider whether you want to focus your stay mainly on cycling routes, local memorial sites or a visit to the café as well. Choose the location of your accommodation according to your own travel plans; the experiences described here differ mainly in whether you want to be active, discover local history or plan a break at a place to eat.

The Lodge and Holiday Park is a rest stop for cyclists on the Around the Mountains Cycle Trail. It adds a trail-specific stop to Athol’s cycling options. If you are travelling with your family, the different themes can provide conversation starters: the dimensions of the two suspension bridges, the former railway line or the memorial sites. Which ones you focus on depends on what you want to shape your trip around.

Discover more places

Other places to discover include Tokanui, Mossburn, Milford Sound, Otautau, The Key, Manapouri, Garston and Wyndham.

For the broader travel overview: Southland District.