Queenstown Trails

What Queenstown Trails does

Queenstown Trails Trust is a New Zealand-registered charitable trust headquartered in Queenstown that operates and maintains the Queenstown Trail, a 130km+ off-road trail network linking Queenstown, Arrowtown, and Gibbston in the Otago region of the South Island. The network comprises 12 major trails plus sub-trails and is part of the nationally managed Ngā Haerenga Great Rides network. The organization serves recreational cyclists, walkers, hikers, and tourists by providing free, well-maintained trail infrastructure with multiple difficulty grades, real-time trail status updates, and curated multi-day itineraries (2-day and 4-day Great Ride options).

The trust's technology layer consists of a website with an interactive Trail Finder that filters by time, travel mode, distance, and grade; the Great Rides App for mobile navigation and journey planning; and a Trail Directory linking users to 40+ official partners spanning accommodation, bike hire, tour operators, track transport, dining, and retail. The platform architecture is built around self-service digital discovery and partner-driven service fulfillment rather than direct monetized transactions.

The business model is nonprofit and donation-driven. Trails are free to use for all visitors with no admission fees or passes. Funding is generated through individual donations, major donor programs, bequests, and corporate sponsorships from a roster of named major supporters including LRE, PAKnSAVE, Sky City, Gallagher, Hugo Charitable Trust, Cargo, and Aotea Gifts. With 6 employees, the trust operates a lean operational model that combines in-house trail maintenance and digital tooling with a broad partner ecosystem that captures the commercial tourism value generated by trail users.

Name

Queenstown Trails

Legal name

Queenstown Trails Trust

Website

https://queenstowntrail.org.nz

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Queenstown Trails Trust is a New Zealand charitable trust operating a 130km+ free public trail network linking Queenstown, Arrowtown, and Gibbston, serving recreational cyclists, walkers, and tourists through donations, sponsorships, and a 40+ partner ecosystem.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outdoor Recreation & Trail Network Management

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Hiking, Trekking & Backpacking Tour Operators (THAAADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Safety, Permitting & Logistics Support Services (Trip Leaders, Route Planning, Rescue Support) (THAAALAL)

Keywords

• Trail network management
• Outdoor recreation
• Cycling tourism
• Hiking trails
• Nonprofit trails

Headquarters

HQ city

Queenstown

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The organization accepts donations from trail users and supporters through its website. Also solicits major donors and bequests.
2. Sponsorship Revenue: Corporate sponsors provide financial support including major supporters and logo placement on the website and materials. Sponsors include LRE, PAKnSAVE, Aotea Gifts, Sky City, Gallagher, Hugo Charitable Trust, and Cargo.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Queenstown Trails (operating as the Queenstown Trails Trust) manages and maintains a 130km+ off-road trail network linking Queenstown, Arrowtown, and Gibbston in New Zealand's Otago region. The organization provides free public trail access for walking, cycling, and other uses, supported by curated multi-day Great Ride itineraries, a mobile navigation app, real-time trail status updates, and a partner directory of accommodation, bike hire, transport, and dining services.

Product overview

Queenstown Trails operates a single unified trail network product centered around the 130km+ Queenstown Trail linking Queenstown, Arrowtown, and Gibbston. The organization provides trail infrastructure with complementary services including the Great Rides App for navigation, curated multi-day Great Ride itineraries (2-day and 4-day options), and a Trail Directory listing official partner businesses for accommodation, bike hire, transport, dining, and activities. The product is supported by trail maps, trail hub facilities, and planning resources for visitors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Queenstown Trail Network A 130km+ off-road trail network linking Queenstown, Arrowtown, and Gibbston in New Zealand, offering over 150kms of trails for walking, biking, and horseback riding with various difficulty grades. The network includes 12 major trails (Arrow River Bridges Trail, Countryside Trail, Frankton Track, Gibbston River Trail, Jack's Point Trail, Kelvin Heights Trail, Shotover Gorge Trail, Tucker Beach Trail, Twin Rivers Trail, Waiwhakaata Lake Hayes Trail, Wharehuanui Trail, Lower Shotover Conservation Area) plus Coronet Trails.
• The Great Ride Itineraries Curated multi-day trail experiences including 2-day and 4-day itineraries that guide riders through the Queenstown Trail network, covering key scenic highlights and regional attractions along the Great Ride route.
• Great Rides App A mobile application for navigating and planning Queenstown Trail experiences, providing trail navigation and journey planning tools through the Great Rides program.
• Trail Directory A comprehensive directory of official trail partners including accommodation, bike hire, tour operators, track transport, eating and drinking establishments, and retail stores to support trail users along the network.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gibbston Valley Winery, Restaurant, Bike Centre, Lodge & SpacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial trail partner offering wine tasting, dining, bike hire, and accommodation along the Gibbston River Trail. Key destination on the Great Ride itinerary.
• Around The Basin Bike QueenstowncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial trail partner providing bike tours and transport services for trail users. Helps cyclists access various sections of the Queenstown Trail network.
• HeliBikeNZminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHelicopter bike tour operator offering unique access to Coronet Trails and remote trail sections via aerial transport.
• Hilton QueenstowncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial accommodation partner offering luxury lodging near the Frankton Track trailhead.
• The Rees Hotel QueenstowncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial accommodation partner offering luxury lakeside lodging connecting to the Queenstown Trail network.
• Ngā Haerenga (Great Rides)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Queenstown Trail is part of the Ngā Haerenga Great Rides network, New Zealand's national cycle trail network managed by the organization.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Ngā Haerenga New Zealand Cycle Trail: The umbrella network that the Queenstown Trail is part of; manages the national Great Rides brand, co-marketing, and network-level funding programmes. Strategic peer at the network layer.
• Department of Conservation (DOC) Te Papa Atawhai: New Zealand's national conservation agency, responsible for managing the country's public conservation land and many of the backcountry trails users connect to. Provides the broader regulatory and stewardship environment within which the Trust operates.

Direct peers

• Otago Central Rail Trail: The original New Zealand Great Ride, a 152 km trail managed by a charitable trust with a partner network of accommodation and bike hire operators. Closest peer in scale and operating structure to Queenstown Trails.
• West Coast Wilderness Trail: Another Great Ride on New Zealand's South Island, operated by a trust with bike hire, accommodation, and shuttle partners. Comparable trust-governed regional trail network model.
• Adventure South NZ: A guided and self-guided cycling tour operator in the Queenstown Trail Directory that sells multi-day Queenstown Trail itineraries directly to tourists. Comparable in offering multi-day cycling experiences on the same trail infrastructure.
• Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail: A 301 km Ngā Haerenga Great Ride from Aoraki/Mount Cook to the Pacific Ocean, operated as a multi-day trail experience with accommodation and transport partners. Comparable multi-day trail product structure.
• Hauraki Rail Trail: Another of New Zealand's Ngā Haerenga Great Rides trails, operating a multi-day off-road cycling/walking trail network in a different region. Directly comparable in operating model (charitable trust, free public trails, partner ecosystem, national Great Rides affiliation).

Others

• Tourism New Zealand: New Zealand's national tourism marketing body. Relevant peer at the demand-generation layer — Queenstown Trails benefits from Tourism New Zealand's international marketing that drives inbound visitors to the region.

Emerging players

• nzbiketrails: A tour and shuttle operator working across New Zealand's Great Rides, including the Queenstown Trail. Comparable in operating guided and supported rides and transport on Great Rides infrastructure.
• PureTrails New Zealand: A multi-day self-guided cycling holiday provider in New Zealand, offering itineraries on Great Rides including the Queenstown Trail. Comparable self-guided cycling tourism model on the same network.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@queenstowntrails
• Facebookfacebook.com/QueenstownTrails
• Instagraminstagram.com/queenstowntrails
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/queenstown-trails

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Queenstown Trails