Tuatara 2026

Welcome to the conversation, the Tuatara deep south adventure returns to Gore for 2026.

This is a quick blog to remind you of some key information, and hint at some changes for the future.

In the early days, the Tuatara route started in Invercargill and headed West, taking the long way to get to Gore. It then headed East to Dunedin before hugging the coast all the way back to Invercargill.

For 2026 there are a few changes, starting in Gore with the option of heading in either direction, Clock wise or Anti Clockwise.

Additionally, the Iti heads clockwise this year, while the Little Iti heads Anti Clockwise.

Detours: The main Tuatara route has two significant detours from normal, with the bridge at Dipton being closed for repairs - riders will enjoy the addition of another food spot on route, Lumsden now joins the fun.

Or take the Southern detour via Center Bush - more km's, more gravel, new sights, no food stops.

Queens Park in Invercargill suffered severe damage during the wind storms of 2025. The route now sticks to the cycle trail around the river, avoiding Queens park completely.

GPX Files: Ride with GPS Club

We have worked with the fine team at RidewithGPS to create a Great Kiwi Gravel club.... you can join here and have access to an impressive suite of tools for the GKG routes.

This club is where we will post all of our GPX files going forward and will be your source of truth for navigation data for our routes and events.

The Tuatara GPX files are there already for you for 2026.

Starting location + Time

We will be meeting at the Trout Statue in Gore at 6am for a pre-ride chat before heading off into the hills.

If you are in town on the Friday afternoon, we will be down at the Trout from 4pm for a couple of hours if you want to catch up - we might even decide on somewhere for dinner - keep an eye on the Great Kiwi Gravel Instagram for updates.

Tracking - Maprogress

Please register here for your Spot tracking with Maprogress - do this as soon as you can as the Maprogress team have a very busy summer.

Dot watching can be found here

Commuting

If you are commuting to the start line from the Invercargill airport - we recommend this route to keep you away from SH1.

Looking further into the future...

Without giving it away, for the 2028 Tuatara, we are enjoying watching the development of more cycle trails in the Southern region and are excited about the changes that could be possible for the 2028 edition.

This could well be the last time we start in Gore.

If you have any questions, please get in touch.

Thanks for being here

Andy