This video features two Kiwi riders Khulan Tumen and Viet Tieu, coming together to ride Aotearoa/New Zealand’s latest purpose built alpine bike packing route, The Paparoa Track, on the west coast of the South Island. The two riders took on the route on a pair of fully rigid 2022 Kona Unit X’s. If you’re tired of dust, loam, and sunny video shoots, then this is the video for you. Manchester and the South Pennines look dry by comparison…
The 56.2km (32.5 mile) Paparoa Track is Aotearoa/New Zealand’s latest mixed-use backcountry ride. It joins the already extremely popular Heaphy Track and Old Ghost Road as prime bikepacking trip destinations. Its point-to-point route is what bikepacking dreams are made of: the perfect gradients, insane views, epically-located backcountry huts, and some of the most beautiful bush New Zealand has to offer.
The track crosses the Paparoa Range, taking riders through alpine peaks, limestone karst landscapes, and thriving rainforests. While it can be ridden in a day, the route is dotted with three backcountry Department of Conservation (DOC) huts to encourage people to take in an overnight or multi-day experience.
Each hut provides track users with bunk beds and mattresses, running water and gas cookers. Track users need to carry all their own food, sleeping bags and clothing—especially wet weather gear. The Paparoa range is situated on New Zealand’s West Coast where it rains 195 days a year on average, with 3,000 mm (118 inches) of rainfall annually.
The Paparoa Track and the rugged West Coast of Aotearoa/New Zealand seemed like the perfect fit for the Kona Unit X. Much like the extreme West Coast landscape, our bikepacking-ready fully-rigid steel Unit X can handle it all.
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