I'm on a business trip to NZ first week of March and I'll have 2 free days during the week to get out and ride.
I'll have a car but I don't want to travel too far, a few hours is fine.
I'd like to hire a bike/ebike for a couple of days.
Can anyone recommend a bike park, uplift, trail centre nearby?
If it's a trail centre then I'd need an ebike! Bike park and/or uplift then an enduro or DH bike would be fine.
Happiest on Red/Blacks if that helps.
Cheers.
Daughter is out in NZ at the moment. They are in Rotorua for the time beingt and enjoying the daily riding.
She has just got back from a three week tour riding various areas on the South Island.
She has raved about it all but said her best day was at the Wairoa Gorge Bike Park
Thanks Tracey, unfortunately that recommendation is 900km and 15 hour drive from Auckland! 🙂
If you can get out of town, head up to Riverhead, it's a 20min drive North from the middle of the city. Or head South East to Beachlands (umm Maretai Forest IIRC) - about 30/40 mins in the car. There's a couple of little trail networks in the city itslef and the one at Totara is actually really good. But if you can drive out of town, particularly to Riverhead, it's worth it.
No problems, when she told me the amount of travel they had done in the three weeks I was shocked as some how I hadn't thought NZ was as big as it is.
If I manage to get out to see her before she moves on I think I'm going to need more time. Every riding photo looks amazing.
Google maps says 227km and 2hr38min to drive from Aukland to Rotorua. There's good mountain biking there as well.
Woodhill was where I went mountain biking when I was staying in Aukland. It was over 10yrs ago mind, but I do remember it being really good.
https://www.bikeparks.co.nz/
oh just read it's closed until further notice 🙁
I can ask Abigale when she she's awake for up-to-date info on riding on the North Island. She's working at the moment at Skyline
Rotorua is a great place to ride, lots of good trails plus shuttles if that's your thing. Can hire bikes there. It's a 3hr-ish drive and bear in mind that traffic around Auckland is appalling (and the standard of driving). Not sure if I'd do a day ride there but certainly worth an overnighter. Otherwise, if you're OK with gravel rather than MTB, there are routes right out of Auckland on public transport for Hauraki Rail Trail, Waiheke island. https://www.nzcycletrail.com/
Overnight visit to Rotorua is about the best thing you can do.
Thanks all. Rotorua and an overnight there it is!
Wish I had longer and my family with me 😔
There's also Fourforty if you want something a bit closer:
https://www.fourfortymtbpark.co.nz/
Rotorua is outstanding though, and that's the best location if you have time to get there and back. Now you just have to decide what to ride from the mind-boggling array of magical singletrack...
It's Whakarewarewa (Redwoods) area you want rather than Skyline. Strong recommendation for a lap in the native forest from the top of the main shuttle dropoff - the trails are Tihi o Tawa / Tuhoto Ariki (G4/red).
Yeah, if Rotorua is an option then do that. Stick to Whakarewarewa forest for biking. There's a good uplift shuttle there but you can only access about 20% of the trails from the shuttle, so consider an e-bike. Don't bother with the Skyline gondola unless you're doing the luge (which is ace). Check out one of the geothermal parks while you're there. Oh, and a soak in the geothermal springs is always nice after a day riding. Waikite Valley is my favourite but it's a bit out of the way. The Polynesian Spa is bigger and right in town.