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New Zealand
NB: Originally posted elsewhere on the Global Riders Network and appears via syndication.
I have a week off in April. I want to go to New Zealand to have a look at their legendary trails.
So for the lucky ones that have been there:
Rotorua or Queenstown?
Take my own bike (Stumpy) or hire one there?
What is the weather like in April?
Cheers,
Cyril
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There are some fantastic trails in Wellington, Makara park is great.
I did Christchurch just before Christmas and can fully recommend it. There are heaps of trails in the Port hills, Victoria park has an awesome downhill and pump track and even if it rains there's a looped trail in a forest on the coast ( the name escapes me now but I'll edit this when I remember), this is a gravel single track that is made to be ridden when wet in an attempt to keep people off the other trails when they're too wet. There's a skills park there as well which is good for a laugh. Another trail in the area is the Wharfedale track that is great for a half day there and back ride or a full day if you turn it into a 70k loop coming back on the road.
I've put a few pics in my blog. That reminds me, I must upload a few more pics.
My brother lives in Christchurch and rides the trails regulaly, I'm sure he'd be more than happy to show you around when he's not at work.
I'd recommend taking your own bike and a few spares. Just remember to pack your bike well if you're using a box.
I reckon go to Rotorua, I was there 2 years ago in late March and it was great, trails drain well regardless. They have 100km of singletrack, then there is Taupo only about 45 minutes down the road where there are more tracks. Also Air NZ fly directly to Rotorua from Sydney. I loved the place, have a look at youtube
and type in Rotorua MTB and there are heaps of clips. Also during weekends they run a shuttle bus.
Go there it is awesome, and the stumpy will love it.
Queenstown is also pretty cool, but maybe more DH orientated.
Just my thoughts
I have just come back and had the most magnificent time, I wish I lived there its that good.
I preferred Queenstown over Rotorua, it just much more majestic with mountains and long climbs.
I used Vertigo in Queenstown, they supply a Giant Anthem Full Suspension, Helmet and backup kit for $59 half day. The staff are really friendly and have massive local knowledge, you can also hire full downhill kit from them for Ben Lomond Bike Park, this is a must.
Rotorua has a great outfit at the trail head, again really friendly, great bikes and trails, but not a lot else in town to do.
I would go to Queenstown every time, just take your shoes and clip in pedals, the bikes are that good, taking your own seems like a hassle.
Weather wise April should be good, but its NZ, so anything can happen.
Have fun, I am so jealous
MPN
If you are going between 30 March and 9th April there is a bike festival in Queenstown www.queenstownbikefestival.co.nz. I did the Tour de Wakatipu last year(45ks cross country) but there are also downhill events. You can hire duallys from vertigobikes.co.nz in Queenstown. There are also great tracks in Rotorua and you can hire duallys from www.bikevegas.co.nz . Both worth a visit as I did! Split Enz track in Rotorua has great flow!
Just came back from a week around rotorua and it's pretty amazing stuff. As has been mentioned there's 100km of well maintained flowing single track a stones throw from town and many other options further afield. It rained for the first couple of days for us but the tracks are well designed and drain pretty well on pumice
We took our own bikes but I also hired a 150mm Scott Genius for NZD for a day just to see what this AM thing is all about, the best hire place I found was http://www.outdoorsman.co.nz/185405/html/page.html , Bike vegas is shutting and no longer hires. Getting your bike there can be a bit of a pain but is cheaper and it's your bike. I could get the bike and all my gear into a bike box under the 22kg limit so just took a carry-on bag but others found that a challenge.
If you're in the area consider doing the Moerangi Track as well, it's am amazing native forest track that you have to get dropped off at but is virgin forest trails cut into the sides of mountains above plunging gorges etc etc. Data here: http://app.strava.com/rides/3056489
Went over to the south island in november and had an absolute ball. If you had like 10-12 days id say fly in to christchurch like i did and hire a car and hit up a few place. There are plenty of good places to ride on the south island inc hamner spring, victoria park, wanaka & dunedin. But if you are short on time definately queenstown would be the pick due to its many options for riding. the skyline gondola trals are awesome and being smack bang in the middle of town you dont have to go very far to hit up the trails. there are plenty of other options close to queenstown also and vertigo bikes in town can provide maps for these for like $5 nzd. We stayed at absoloot value accomodation which is right in the middle of town two mins from the gondola. The guy who runs this hostel is an aussie an is into his mountain biking and he can also point you in the right direction for trails around town. He also has a locked room in which you can store your mountain bikes. i took my own bike over as there is nothing like riding your own bike really and it wasnt that expensive with air new zealand as they only charge you twenty dollars extra each way for an extra checked piece of luggage. So for $40 you can have upto 46kgs of luggage. If you have the cash and the weather is good definately try and do the helibike with vertigo bikes was an awesome experience too say the least. Also check when the gondola is finishing up for bikes as it is in april i am just not sure what date.
Have fun and i might see you over there!!!
I can't comment on places other riders have been to, but I was at Rotorua for a week and found the place fantastic. It is easy to get around, you can ride into town, or to the trails if you want. It is pretty cheap. There are bike shops galore to go to. The trails are to die for, with everything from National level DH to all mountain to flowy XC everywhere. As long as you bring your climbers legs. Plus it is not too hot! And with the direct flight from Sydney to Rotorua, and a 10 minute taxi to wherever you want to go, how can you go wrong with that?? It's a champion place and there are heaps of other attractions to go to.
Its simple, Rotorua is Heaven for mountain bikers!
The trail are pristine, it is like riding roller coasters. You just want to ride each trail over and over again.
I so want to go back there.
Any suggestions for the Marlborough/Nelson/Kaiteriteri areas, based on experience?
heading back to NZ in march. hitting up queenstown, can't wait! just need to figure out if to bring my bike along or hire one!
You can purchase The Kennett brothers guide to NZ mountain bike trails on line at www.kennett.co.nz. The Heaphy track is also now open in Winter for mountain biking as well. I haven't actualy ridden that area but Golden bay has some great rides in the book and was in a recent MB magazine. Queenstown has great scenery and apres riding night life and some good tracks especially downhill from the Gondola, but Rotorua has best overall network for all comers in Whakaharera IMHO. A shuttle bus will ferry you back up the mountain for $7! The tracks just flow and make you smile!
Rotorua fan here too, I have ridden Christchurch and they have very good trails but Rotorua is just insane, I was flying down the trails grinning like a silly clown shaking my head thinking who would put this much work into so many kms of track! Only a Kiwi.
Ride the one called Corners and try and work out how many hours of labour went in to just that one.
I agree with others Rotorua is so compact and easy to get about by bike, it's a huge bonus.
John
Queenstown chairlift access
http://www.odt.co.nz/your-town/queenstown/194189...
http://www.scene.co.nz/queenstown-bike-park-does...
Objet,
Plenty of awesome riding around Nelson - Hira Forest and Dun mountain reccommended.
A fantastic 2 day, 70km all singletrack ride is the Queen Charlotte Track out of Picton. Absolutely stunning views of Queen Charlotte Sound. Water taxis drop you at the start/end and drop your bags off at overnight accommodation halfway along the track. However if it is wet this ride is not so much fun as it becomes a slippery mud fest very easily.
As was mentioned above, pick up a copy of the Kennett brothers book; the bible of NZ biking.
I was in Abel Tasman recently and rode Kaiterieri mtn bike park and its a good little park, definitely worth a look if you're in the area. A half day should be enough or longer if you want to try some of the black runs. Its nothing like Rotorua of course which, as has already been said, is like nirvana. All the trails are groomed though so not much gnarly, techy stuff.
If you are in the Abel Tas area there are supposed to be some great trails at Golden Bay. Check out AMB around June last as they ran an article.
It seems you can't go wrong in NZ, light years ahead of Australia for mtn bike provisions
Any recommendations for some XC tracks in Queenstown, hoping to get a few hours in when I'm there in March. Something close to town would be good.
Im on my way home from a month in the south island focusing on mountain biking. I would definately reccomend going to queenstown. I spent 3 days there, saw it in hot weather, rain and snow, and all the trails were fantastic. I am actually planning on spending the entire summer season over there next year.
If you have a trail bike, then you can easily ride the gondala downhill tracks, maybe just avoid the double black diamond ones. However, these had much more flow and were easier to ride due to the lack of use. Be aware of when you go, however, because particuarly after or during rain, they will close the trails so that the track building team can fix them up. (yes, they have a full time trail building team!!). The easiest of the track, "Hammy's" doesnt get boring quickly either, I went down it near on 10 times and never repeated the same lines. Another favourite track was Thingymajig, which is one of the harder ones, but it was by far the flowiest that I did. If you do take a trail bike, I definatelly reccomend hiring a bike for a day or half a day and doing the DH riding.
XC loops out of Queenstown are also pretty big. The one that I did which was reccomended by all the locals is called "7 mile" and is about 10km from the centre of town towards Glenorchy. Its about a 30min ride out there, but it is definately worth it. There were litereally hundreds of track options that you can choose from and tehy are all very well maintained.
Also remember that the sun is only setting at 10, so you can get a lot more riding in. The gondala rides open at 10 in the morning for the first session, and finish at 8pm for the seccond session, so you can get a lot of riding done in one day.
hope this helps and feel free to ask me any questions that you have!
I'd seen 7 mile park on the web and looked at a couple of videos so I reckon I'll hire a bike and ride out that way.
Cheers
I went last October to Christchurch.
Fly Emirates and your bike is included in their 30kg luggage allowance.
The service is worth the little bit extra you pay.
Wrap the bike up good though!
Jealous of your trip
We used this as a basis for our trip a few years ago.
The three Mecca's would be first equal to Queenstown and Rotorua followed by Christchurch. Christchurch is 5 hours to Quernstown by car or 6 comfortably. A great scenic drive in itself passing by inland lakes and Mt Cook which at 3700m is NZs highest peak. This can be seen from main road, a detour takes you to the glacier.
Unfortunately we missed out QT as was May and getting dicey down there weather wise. Heaps of other things to do such as massive bungy, bridge swing, hang gliding, paragliding and jetboating. Snow in Easter is common in mountains all up the South Island.
So are occasional summer days with highs of 12 degrees followed by 25 to 40 degrees if the wind changes. Be prepared especially on an alpine ride and take warm gear incase of a crash. Also check mobile coverage from time to time as is not guaranteed.
Hired a 4wd and shuttle trailer (takes 12 bikes on top of box with room for bags and gear) in Christchurch and worked our way north to Auckland.
If around Christchurch a day trip to Craigieburn/Broken River is well worth it. Okay for DH rig or 5-6" ideal, great vertical and pumpy flowy trails in high alpine environment.I
The port hills as described are fantastic, can be shuttled or pedaled and were established in 1990's by Council, Dept of Conservation and private land owners. Included XC, DJ, DH and FR. Rider only and priority trails. And a great sign that says "Warning 40 foot gap jump ahead. In emergency dial 111 and park ranger".
Good wine tours for rest days.
A day trip to Mt Hutt was also good, they have shuttles in summer. We were a little late for them but were allowed access. Trail start part way up ski field access road. Was fast and loose when we were there, few drops and jumps, also some slower stuff with see-saws etc.
Makara Peak in Wellington was good but didn't suit DH rigs. Trails are volunteer built and maintained. The deal when they were built was to plant 1 tree per metre of track. 35km later they have regenerated a massive area to native bush and birds etc returning to area!!
Some other good trails in Wellington.
We hit up some smaller towns too. Great DH and XC track in Levin with around 450m vertical, same in Palmerston North.
There are also some great dirt roads with 5km or so of descent and say 500m plus of vertical. Very few cars and great visibility. We had a scout to warn for cars (no side roads) and let rip. Good to play and drift on wide two way dirt roads and run the rigs out of gears.
Missed out North Island east coast but some good things in Napier/Hastings I hear. Also vineyards here too.
Taupo has great XC loops, some along/near major attractions such as Huka Falls. It's also handy to tongariro national park with great walks and 3 of NZ's main volcanos. Taupo is about 1 hr from Rotorua.
Rotorua is insane and great in the hot pools later. The luge accessed from chairlift is great fun on a rest day. Much better than QT luge, longer and faster, can also get air.
Rotovegas also has good whitewater rafting, grade 5+ with a 7m waterfall included.
Trails in Auckland too but spent to much time in Rotorua.
Cheers Jake, I am hoping to chill out in the Nelson area for a few days on arriving in the South, and will check out Hira Forest and Dun Mountain.
I have just found www.nzcycletrail.com
The Kennett book has been updated Oct 2011, will get that one.
www.tracks.org.nz seems to be a pretty good source of info, though it mentions many areas need a permit to ride in.
One of the product reps at work dropped off a printed version of "Chill Adventures Summer 2012", a mini magazine of mountain biking ideas in NZ.
It is available in pdf on
http://www.licencetoride.co.nz/
I would go for Wellington, as someone else said there is Makara which has some great rides. There is also Wainuiomata. This is a new mountain bike park with some fantastic trails http://www.wtp.org.nz/.
Does Rotorua really stink as bad as people say? For those who don't know what I mean, the whole place is supposed to stink like rotten eggs because of the volcanic sulphur.
The last two times I was there it didn't smell much... first time I was there it really stunk.
On the trails it is like you get occasional wafts and after a few days you don't really notice it all.
Roto ruled, remember doing DH's in town next to a luge or skket run, centre of town (2004). then arvo in best forest for some sick riding. Roto rules. Then we drove Mt cook and Milford Sound and then Queenstown and agian the riding was off the ricta. also seen and my mate who returned home and now lives there north isle on east at hawkes bay napier has recently turned into a mecca and look at it topographically and fetured on "be rude not to", with the wine and culture and the terrain....be rude not to. Love NZ. post heaps of photos please.
How do the logistics of taking your own bike work? Obviously you pack it up in a bike box but then when you get to Rotorua what do you do, does the box (we would have two) fit in a normal taxi or hire car? And then just re-assemble at your accommodation? And then if we wanted to go to Lake Taupo would you just dis-assemble and try to fit in a hire car or can you hire cars with racks over there?
Well, we flew from Perth to Auckland and then Auckland Rotorua.
(was eventually delivered to me 4 hours later at the hotel).
The plane from Auckland to Rotorua was incredibly small and both our bikes did not fit in it (it was a tight squeeze inside the plane too especially for my 130kg - 6 foot tall mate). My bike was left behind on the tarmac
Air NZ are pretty anal about weight, they even checked our check in luggages.
For the transfer Roto Airport to hotel, we used these guys http://grumpyslimo.co.nz/
For the trip to lake taupo, we just hired a RAV4 for the day in which you can easily fit two bikes in the back with the seats down.
Just make sure you get a Falcon wagon or similar for the taxi and you'll be fine. Just leave it packed up in the box till you get to your hotel.
The pain in the arse is when you land back in Oz. Customs will take the bike out the box and check it to see if it's clean and leave you to pack it up again - make sure you have some packaging tape in your hand luggage!