Fiordland's popular Lake2Lake Trail, between Te Anau and Manapouri, is finally set to become a fully off-road experience after The Fiordland Trails Trust (FTT) secured its last remaining key consents and agreements.

The 28km multipurpose trail was first started in 2015 and follows the east side of the Upper Waiau River, however a small area of National Park - where biking is prohibited - forced FTT to search for alternative routes, including using a 2km section of State Highway 95.

The new Balloon Loop and Supply Bay Road route, over PAMU and Department of Conservation managed land, will skirt around the national park but now remain completely off-road.

Construction of the Lake2Lake's new Balloon Loop to Supply Bay Road section (in blue) is expected to start in 2026-27. Fiordland National Park boundary (yellow). Graphic: FTT/Supplied

FTT Chair David Boniface said the resource consents, granted by Southland District Council and Environment Southland, and a Community Agreement signed with the Department of Conservation, were a major milestone and marked years of commitment and perseverance.

“It has been a very long road to get to this point, but we are absolutely thrilled to have consents and agreements in place."

"This means we can finally deliver a fully off-road Lake2Lake Trail - a safer, world-class experience for locals and visitors alike.”

Fiordland Trails Trust's Lake2Lake trail. Photo: Fiordland Trails Trust

Boniface said having to direct users onto State Highway 95 had never sat well with the Trust.

“Along with cyclists, other trail users, and NZTA, we’ve long held serious safety concerns about the requirement for trail users to go on road – on a busy State Highway – no less - for part of their journey."

"Even with widened road shoulders, it really is not satisfactory.”

“While the [new] route is not our original preference, it is an excellent compromise and it will contain many features including superb river views and vistas across farmland to the Takitimu Mountains,” Boniface said.

With permissions secured, the focus now turns to fundraising the more than $600,000 required to build the remaining 5.4km of trail, he said.

A dedicated fundraising committee has been established and is already exploring multiple funding pathways, with construction targeted to begin in 2026/2027.

The finish line is finally in sight, Boniface said.

FTT welcomes any expressions of support and these can be emailed to [email protected].

An Angus & Associates impact assessment concluded that the Lake2Lake trail attracts over 5000 out-of-town users annually and has generated more than $3m for the area, as of March 2023. In addition, nearly $1m has been generated from three major events that regularly use the trail.