got a week on the north island in a couple of weeks time - what would you do? keen to ride, but don't have anyone to ride with... flight out of rotarua at the end of that week so don't want to end up too far away from there...
don't want to spend mega bucks but suggestions welcome...
wellington plenty of trails!
Stay in rotovegas. Plenty of local trails.
10 hrs on a greyhound for a weeks worth of ridings a bit steep rich.
rotorua , taupo , hamilton all significantly closer and could keep you busy for a week. its not like you aint been to nz before tom.
anything along the coromandel coast is great, black sand or golden beaches, hot spring pools and empty beaches. oputere and whangamata are worth a trip.
if you're flying out of rotorua then I thoroughly recommend getting out to raglan which is near Hamilton. a proper chill surfer vibe, grab a kayak or two and head off up the estuaries or just relax on the beach. that was the highlight of my time over there.
hmm, true that - just looked at driving times... have got an offer of a bike in wellington though.
taupo looks like it should be on my list. might just have to suck it and see who i meet out there for riding.
Tongariro crossing
Glow worm caves at Waitomo
Whale Watching Bay of Plenty
Getting anywhere can take a long time in NZ, so plan ahead 🙂
Rotorua n Taupo are your best options. Maybe Moerangi Track at Minginui if you find someone to ride with. Waikato River Trails are good as well.
cheers guys - anyone, er, got any mates out there? 😉
As a Kiwi I've ridden loads around there. Rent a cheap car and do a few trips out of Rotorua. Just buy a copy of the Kiwi MTB bible and it will see your right! http://www.kennett.co.nz/product/classic-nz-mtb-rides-north-island/
Some great rides are (google them):
Waihaha Hut
W2K or Kinlock to Kawakawa Bay
Moerangi
Whirinaki
For riding buddies just ask on www.vorb.org.nz!
hey hungry monkey, im based in Auckland and would be keen for a trip down to rotorua for a mtb weekend. Ive just bought a van to convert to a camper.
Places to go should include:-
Coromandel - cathedral cove and some of the other less well known bays
Bay of Islands and ninety mile beach
Taupo
and Rotorua.
Between Taupo and Wellington there isnt as much to do without some big detours. Wellington is a cool city but with quite English weather
Cancel the return flights and stay ?
Wellington is well worth a visit, but I live here so I'm bias . Vibrant city and a really good trail network right in and around town.
One recommendation, don't try to fit too much in as driving times are long.
Rotorua where you are going is good, and there is some stuff at Taupo too.
More than happy to answer some questions you have. geol at paradise dot net dot nz
A week ?
I personally wouldn't bother with Rotorua ?
The place stinks and to be honest is a bit well touristy..and just riding a bike there for a week ? Well it's hardly seeing the place is it ? One wood is much the same as any other.
I'd focus on the Coromandel and just explore. Great beaches, great tramping, great back country huts ...
[url=
pimping of my last years video.. (included south island too..)[/url]
seems vimeo wont embed..
Id start in Auckland and maybe have half a day at woodhill if id been to the city before..
then head up the coromandel for a few days and cathedral cove..
then end up in Rotorua for a couple of days.. hit the luge and new skyline tracks then spend a day or two in the Whakarewarewa forest and hopefully get on the south star shuttles..
and end the days there in the polynesian Spa..
I'm going to be in Rotorua on the 2nd but currently not fit enough to manage a decent ride so I may hire a bike and have half a day trundling round the easy trails in Whaka Forest at my girlfriend's pace.
Cormandel definitely worth a trip, will be camping somewhere up there for the 4 day Easter Weekend.
White Island is a good day trip if you have the budget, the OH is gonna do that while I disappear for a couple of days on a DR650 with my mate on his DZR400.
Fri 10th will be beer night in Tauranga before we fly back on the 11th.
Ride Bikes and drink beer and you will always find plenty of mates in NZ.
currently on the corammandel, Taupos great lakes trails are ace, well worth the drive, go to Top Gear Cycles in town, ask for Peter Goodman and he'll tell you where to go and how best to do it
also dont miss the excellent singletrack trail that starts in town 😉
If Rotorua seems too touristy, Taupo seems to have most of what Roto has to offer but with less bustle.
It struck me as North Island's Wanaka, where Roto is more like Queenstown.
Some mates rode Moerangi over new year and it's really bad with tree fall currently. Best avoided.
Urchin was good though and Umukarikari is apparently also good but harder.
You could easily spend 4 days in Rotorua Riding off the uplift (v cheap!), on the other side of the forest, on the unmarked trails....
p.s. The taupo mtb trails (Craters of the Moon) are underwhelming at best. The trail to Huka Falls will be busy with walkers but I've heard W2K is nice.
W2K is nice but the Waihaha trail is better, you'll need to book a boat to pick you up, or do what we did and ride it back to the start
I'm currently in Whangarei about 3 hours north of Auckland..
Parahaki and Glenbervie have some nice xc trails snaking through the bush/jungle.. was up Parahaki earlier today in fact 🙂
I'd seriously recommend just simply drinking ace beer and eating delicious seafood and walking up big hills and collecting shells and looking at awesome beaches and driving around and that and wondering how they've managed to make every single house on the island completely individual.. You could try a different style of hummus every day for two weeks without trying the same one twice too.. And there is nearly enough sushi bars for every inhabitant to have one each..
I'm not tired of it yet 🙂
I'm heading off about the same time you arrive or I would offer to show you some riding
W2K is nice but the Waihaha trail is better, you'll need to book a boat to pick you up, or do what we did and ride it back to the start
On the Waihaha trail last month...
[img] 
[/img]
On the boat shuttle, looking back to the beach where we finished the ride, had a swim, and were picked up from...
[img] 
[/img]
Just do it! 😀
Rotorua is one of the friendliest places I've been.
I personally wouldn't bother with Rotorua ?The place stinks and to be honest is a bit well touristy..and just riding a bike there for a week ? Well it's hardly seeing the place is it ? One wood is much the same as any other.
It's about the worst description I've heard
Have a chat to these guys
http://www.planetbike.co.nz/
Did Moerangi with them and some guiding in the redwoods to "explore"
Take a trip down to Rainbow Mountain, Taupo is scenic only did bits of W2K.
Make sure you are in Roto for shuttle days too.
The ride up rainbow mountain is a good techie climb and the descent is excellent - would definitely recommend that, and its not far from Rotorua (between there and Taupo) The descent ends at Kerosene Creek which is a bonus!
Also, at Rotorua try to get out to the further edges of the forest, theres plenty of riding for multiple days without having to repeat many/any trails.
White Island as recommended above was a good day trip from Whakatane, a bit pricey but pretty unique.
Tongariro Northern Circuit or crossing is a great walk, and Mount Ruapehu is good but not on a path so depends on your confidence / the weather.