Mountain Biking
Introduction for Beginners
By The Kennett Brothers, Sept 1997
After climbing over mountains, tramping in the hills and paddling down rivers you might feel that you have the great outdoors pretty well covered, in which case you’d be amazed at just how many rugged places mountain bikers have re-discovered in the last ten years. Over the remote Percy Pass in Fiordland, around the epic Karapoti Classic in the Akatarawa Ranges, or across the 42 Traverse in Tongariro Forest; such classic trips may sound familiar now, but ten years ago they were little more than recondite rumours, spread round by a handful of fringe enthusiasts.
What motivates these fat-tyred fanatics? Whether today's mountain bikers are ‘born again’ outdoors people or new to the hills, their motivations are similar. Mountain biking offers physical challenges, a great workout, a quick escape from the city, great scenery, excitement, an opportunity to develop skills (and self-esteem), and the social environment of organised events. Many other recreations provide these same rewards, but few are as accessible, affordable or offer such variety.
For the price of a good quality sleeping bag, pack and tent you can be set up and ready to go, and for most there’s a good chance you can ride from your back door to the boonies and back, in a couple of hours. Then, with the money you’ve saved commuting by bike, you can afford to head somewhere really remote, maybe for days on end. Depending on your ability or desire for challenge, you might head for leisurely gravel roads, smooth clay single track or steep rocky 4WD tracks. Speeds vary from walking pace to 'scary-fast'.
As mountain biking has evolved from fringe to mainstream, it’s become much easier for people to take up the sport. Specific shops and clubs for mountain biking have sprung up in all New Zealand cities and most towns. The number of rides described in the guide book Classic New Zealand Mountain Bike Rides has grown to over 400. These range from truly World-class trips through to the not-worth-getting-muddy-for variety, but at least 60 are of such outstanding scenic value that they would appeal to any outdoors person.
How to get started
Guided versus Independent Riding
The beauty of fully guided mountain bike trips is that they offer newcomers the opportunity to dabble without spending lots of money and time setting themselves up. Bikes, helmets, a guide, and often food, are provided. For a hassle free introduction to mountain biking, it’s the way to go.
If you have the gear but aren’t to sure how to use it. A skills course will be time and money well spent. Some of the better-known courses are run by Murray Dwyer in Christchurch (phone 03 337 3376), Cycle Logic in Blenheim (phone 03 578 2845), the Wellington High School Community Education Centre (phone 04 385 8919), the Auckland Mountain Bike Club (phone 09 416 9492) and Mountain Action Cycles also in Auckland (09 630 0282). As you become more involved in cycling it’s also worth doing a course on bike maintenance and repair.
Clubs give beginners the opportunity to meet other riders and discover the best rides in their area without getting lost (hopefully). Larger clubs also offer skills clinics, hold track work bees and run-low key races. There are 40 clubs nationwide listed in ‘Classic New Zealand Mountain Bike Rides’.
As with most outdoor activities people often tend to arrange their own trips with a few of friends. The freedom to make all your own decisions and mistakes is really part of the New Zealand outdoor ethos. If you’re after independence but don't feel like completely reinventing the wheel, check out the recommended reading list on the last page.
All riders should familiarise themselves with the mountain bikers
Off Road Code:
Basic Equipment
Techno weenies beware! The list of available bike gear is endless, but all you really need is:
All this is likely to set you back between $1000 and $3000, brand new. Not bad when you consider you’re getting the most efficient mode of transport on the planet as well an excellent recreational tool.
Types of Mountain Biking
Wilderness Rides
For those mainly interested in scenic, ‘tramping on wheels’ type trips, New Zealand offers plenty of great riding. The emphasis is more on where you are and where you’re going rather than the technicalities of pedalling. Speed is not important but as large distances usually need to be covered a certain degree of stamina is needed. Trips generally last for several hours.
Mountain Bike Touring
Fat-tyre bikes are ideally suited to cycle touring on gravel roads and even with loaded panniers can handle most 4WD tracks and the odd single track. Trips vary in length from over-nighters to month-long holidays for those who are happy to do a bit of road riding en route.
Recreational Rides
These rides last 30 minutes to a few hours, are not usually very difficult and are often close enough to town to be ridden at lunch time or after work. ‘Rec’ riders make up the majority of mountain bikers in New Zealand and are out there for a little bit of everything – scenery, excitement, fitness and socialising.
Trials
A totally skills-based type of riding in which riders try negotiating all sorts of obstacles. This discipline is big in Europe, but practically underground in NZ. Favourite obstacles to ride over are picnic tables, cars, large boulders, logs and stairs (up and down); all involve more bouncing than cycling. One or two trials events are held in New Zealand each year.
Jungle Riding
Basically, this is trials riding for those who like to get completely away from it all. It invariably involves bush-bashing and extremely difficult stretches of riding which are easier and faster to walk. Most jungle riders are either trying to discover a new ride, or are lost.
Competition:
There are dozens of races in New Zealand. Most can be entered by anyone, but for the National Tour (a six-race nationwide series) you must be a member of the New Zealand Mountain Bike Association (P.O. Box 8443, Symonds, Auckland). The 50 kilometre Karapoti Classic is the oldest race in New Zealand. It is run in the beautiful Akatarawa Ranges north of Upper Hutt and is the most popular race in the country.
Cross Country Racing
Competitive mountain biking now mainly focuses on rides lasting for two to four hours which involve a mixture of terrain (plenty of hills). Riders are interested in speed, stamina and track conditions. The personal challenge is very important, although scenic values are still considered. Competition revolves around racing and training for racing. Riders must have a high tolerance for gawdy lycra outfits.
Downhill Racing
Speed, skill and adrenalin are the crucial ingredients of this fast-growing offshoot. Those intending to compete seriously will need full suspension bikes and lots of body armour. Riders often drive to the top of a hill and blast down. Downhillers focus intensely on the track and probably wouldn’t notice a giant moa watching then a couple of feet away in the bush.
Uphill
For fitness freaks only. Riding up long steep uphills provides an excellent cardio-vascular workout and will boost your fitness beyond belief. Hill climbers concentrate on their allegro heart rates and the view from the summit, which even at noon may contain unmapped constellations. Those with heart conditions should consult with their doctor first.
Night Riding
During winter some riders feel compelled to attach powerful lights to their bikes and ride in the dark. Others ride at night just for the novelty of the experience. Either way it's a lot of fun and makes even the most familiar track seem completely new.
Wharf Jumping
For some time stunt cyclists and skiers have been practicing dangerous new moves by propelling themselves off the end of a wharf, trying the stunt, then landing safely in the sea. Small numbers of mountain bikers are also now into wharf jumping and there is even an annual wharf jumping competition held in Wellington!
Trip Gradings
The mountain bike grading system is similar to those used for kayaking and mountaineering.
Grade 1: Flat, wide and smooth track, suitable for all beginners.
Grade 2: Gentle climbs and some easy obstacles such as rocks and potholes. Still suitable for most beginners.
Grade 3: Challenging riding with steep slopes and some tricky obstacles. Requires riding experience and some fitness.
Grade 4: A mixture of long steep climbs, loose track surfaces and plenty of difficult obstacles. Some sections will be easier to walk.
Grade 5: Exhausting climbs, and many dangerous obstacles which would be safer and easier to walk.
Grade 6: Death defying trials skills essential to ride many demanding obstacles. Only a handful of trials riders or bike’n’hike enthusiasts will enjoy these rides.
Note: Most tracks are a grade or two harder to ride after rain.
Top twenty wilderness rides
North Island
Great Barrier Island
80km northeast of Auckland
Grade 3, 2 days, 50-100km
One of the best ways to escape Auckland City for a weekend is to catch the ferry to Great Barrier Island. It’s only a three-hour trip and there’s plenty to do when you get there.
The island has well over 100km of gravel roads and 4WD tracks to explore and even if you're just heading for the beaches, bush walks or hot pools, a mountain bike is the best way to get around. We recommend landing at Whangaparapara and doing the 54 km loop around the middle of the island via Port Fitzroy and Awana Bay. Contact Fullers Ferry, phone (09) 377 1771, for a timetable, and don’t forget your togs.
Pauanui Trig
Whangamata, Coromandel
Grade 3, 2-4 hours, 18km
Hidden away in forest just north of Whangamata in the Coromandel, the ride up to Pauanui Trig is a mixed bag. Most of the route follows forest roads, some quite overgrown, up to a splendid lookout from where you can see as far afield as White Island.
On the way down you can detour to Peter Rabbits Cotton Trail, which is a dreamlike section of single track that weaves its way through forest and is all downhill.
A permit is required from Carter Holt Harvey in Whangamata.
42 Traverse
Tongariro Forest, Ruapehu
Grade 3-, 3-6 hours, 44 km
This has become something of a trade route for mountain bikers in the last five years. There are several ‘classic’ rides in Tongariro Forest, but the 42 Traverse is the most popular because it’s mostly downhill. The ride takes in some great scenery and offers a remote backcountry experience.
The route is marked with green posts and involves a few up hills and rough technical sections, but is easily within the grasp of fit outdoors people. However, as the ride is long and isolated, all riders must be prepared to get themselves out of difficulty.
Taranaki Heartland
Tauramanui to Stratford
Grade 1, 2-5 days, 150km plus
The quiet highway from Tauramanui south towards Mt Taranaki provides a scenic and historic tour for riders of all abilities with several interesting diversions en route. The road is a mixture of gravel and seal, and there are a few official campsites to aim for. A new cafe on Tuhora Saddle and the rustic pub at Whangamomona are the only places that sell food along the way so go well stocked.
Bridge to Somewhere
Whangamomona, Taranaki
Grade 3+, 1 day, 53km
From Whangamomona an old coach road follows the Whangamomona River for 20km to the Bridge to Somewhere (a copy of the Bridge to Nowhere) which is just down the road from Aotuhia Station. Navigation and track conditions then become quite challanging for a few kilometres, but eventually you’ll reach farmland again and the track turns into a gravel road which you follow back round to the Highway.
Karapoti Classic
Akatarawa Ranges, Upper Hutt
Grade 4+, 4-8 hours, 48km
This rugged 50km exploration of the Akararawa Ranges takes in some excellent scenery and tests most riders' fitness and skills to the limit. The ride was pioneered in 1986 for New Zealand’s first mountain bike race which is held annually on the first Sunday in March.
Go well prepared and ride with someone who is familiar with the area. Also watch out for trail bikers.
Cape Palliser
Southern tip of the North Island, Wairarapa
Grade 2-, 2 days, 145km
From Martinborough this touring ride heads down to Palliser Bay then round the remote and sometimes rugged coast, to White Rock. There are plenty of good campsites around the halfway mark or you can aim for a public hut not far from White Rock if the weather turns nasty – it’s an exposed area.
Highlights are the Putangirua Pinnacles, Ngawihi fishing village tearooms, a seal colony around the Cape Palliser light house and White Rock. The low-light for most is a 1km sandy section which has to be walked. Otherwise the riding conditions are quite easy.
South Island
Queen Charlotte Walkway
Marlborough Sounds
Grade 3+, 3 days, 95km
This is the longest single track ride in the country and takes in some awesome Marlborough Sounds scenery making it many people's ‘ultimate ride’. It is closed during the peak walking season (Dec, Jan, Feb) and we recommend avoiding it in wet conditions.
After catching the Beachcomber boat to Ship Cove, the first day's riding provides a couple of steep 200m hills but is otherwise fairly easy. The second day, from Punga Cove to Te Mahia, is more technical and has much larger hills, but there is a gravel road alternative which makes it a piece of cake. The Anakiwa Track at the southern end is superb single track through mature beech forest. The ride finishes at Anakiwa, 23 km from Picton via Queen Charlotte Drive.
Whakamarina Track
Marlborough
Grade 4+, 1-2 days, 45km
This ride has arguably the finest technical single track downhill in New Zealand, but there’s a catch; the access to it is via a rough 10 km track which involves more bike carrying than riding (and of course there’s a false summit). From the ‘true’ summit at 1066m, the well benched track descends over 800m in just 2.5 km! It’s a slow-speed technical challenge set amongst mature beech forest – single track heaven.
From the huts at the bottom there is another few kilometres of single track running beside the Whakamarina Valley and then a cruisy 15km road ride out to the pub at Canvastown.
Mount Patriarch
Wairau Valley, West of Blenheim
Grade 3-, 1-2 days, variable length
On a fine day Mount Patriarch is a fabulous place to gain views of the huge Wairau Valley and Mt Richmond Forest Park. There is a well graded gravel road much of the way up so you can either slog it out from Staircase Stream at the bottom or drive half way up, to the Lake Chalice carpark area, and ride from there. The road soon turns into a 4WD track which ends a few kilometres from the summit. From this point the track is unrideable and you have to follow marker poles up to the trig on top (1656 m).
Those without a car may wish to stay at Lake Chalice Hut (DOC, six bunks). The track down to the lake is a lot of fun. The top of Mt Patriarch is extremely exposed to the elements.
Rainbow Valley
South Marlborough
Grade 3, 2 days, 128km
One of New Zealand’s best touring rides, the Rainbow follows a well formed pylon road along the route originally used to drive stock from Marlborough down to Canterbury. After passing through lovely beech forest the road climbs steadily through open country to Island Saddle, the highest rideable point for many miles. It’s almost completely downhill from there to Hamner, 50 km away. There are good campsites on either side of Island Saddle.
After riding the Rainbow from St Arnaud to Hamner Springs many people then head up to Blenheim via Molesworth Station. Further details (landowners, etc) from Classic New Zealand Mountain Bike Rides are essential.
Clarence Expedition
Clarence Conservation Area, Kaikoura Mountains
Grade 3+, 2-4 days, 50-100km
The Clarence Conservation Area was allocated to DOC in 1994 and provides heaps of scope for exploration. It is set amongst the Kaikoura Mountains and there are plenty of good campsites and huts to aim for each night.
The official access point starts from Kahutara River bridge, 25 km southwest of Kaikoura township, and involves a 1000 m climb over Blind Saddle, followed by an awesome descent to the Clarence River.
Big River
Reefton, West Coast
Grade 3, 5-10 hours, 50km return
Reefton is one of those classic West Coast towns which just happens to be surrounded by mountain bike rides. The best known is Big River which is dominated by a 600m climb through lush native forest. Your destination is a fascinating abandoned mining town, called Big River, which has been partially restored by the Department of Conservation. Although this ride takes only 3-6 hours, many riders stay the night at the palatial Big River Hut.
Barn Bay
Southern West Coast, Haast
Grade 4, 2 days, 35km from the Cascade River
More than any other ride on the West Coast, the trip to Barn Bay gives one an appreciation of the powerful, raw, beauty that this region is famous for.
From Haast a 60km gravel road leads through a tunnel of podocarp forest to the Cascade River. On the other side a rough 4WD track continues out to the coast about 4 hours away. The riding generally becomes more and more difficult. It may be just as quick (and much easier) to walk the last stretch.
There is good camping at Barn Bay, and hut beside Hope River, 20 minutes before the bay. Ask at the Haast Info Centre about the likely river conditions. You may need a truck tyre inner tube to get across the Cascade River.
Wharfedale Track
Oxford Forest, Canterbury
Grade 3-, 3-6 hours, 44km return
The Department of Conservation gave mountain bikers the ‘all clear’ on this track last year after upgrading several foot bridges. Now it is almost 100% rideable for bikers of average ability. On a dry day even a fit beginner should have a ball here.
The narrow Wharfedale Track was once a stock route and has a good gradient. It winds its way through beautiful beech forest on a carpet of leaf-litter. It’s our pick for the best ride in Canterbury.
Beyond Skippers
North of Queenstown
Grade 3+, any length of time and distance
From the now famous bungy site at Skippers Bridge it is only 1km to the Mt Aurum Station camping site, an ideal base for a few days exploration. Try the ride up to Dynamo Flat, the site of New Zealand’s first hydroelectric scheme, or up the Bullendale Track to the Phoenix Valley. Both of these day trips involve a few kilometres of walking as the tracks are quite rough towards the end. Awesome country!
Old Man Range Loop
Alexandra, Otago
Grade 3, 4-6 hours, 56km
Last year the Department of Conservation obtained a large area of land on the northern end of the Old Man Range, making possible this unforgettable loop trip. The ingredients are simple really; a) from Alexandra climb over 1500 vertical metres, generally on a smooth gravel road; b) cruise along the bizzare moonscape to the Obelisk at the top of the range; c) check your brakes, then d) ride off the northern end of the range, freewheeling almost all the way back to Alexandra, 25 km away.
Technically the ride is easy, but fitness is essential and, even on a fine day, you must be prepared for arctic conditions on top.
Dunstan Trail
Dunstan Mountains, Otago
Grade 2+, 2-4 days, 172 km
A fascinating 2-4 day ride which follows the old goldminers’ route from Alexandra to Dunedin, mostly along deserted gravel roads and 4WD tracks. Much of the ride is across a barren landscape of large rocks and tussock. Cyclists must be prepared for all seasons, skilled at navigation, and equipped to camp out. The area has a plethora of moods which could keep painters and photographers occupied for weeks.
From Clarks Junction (50km short of Dunedin) you can ride back to Alexandra on the Central Otago Rail Trail. The surface is still a bit bumpy in places, otherwise the riding is extremely easy and there are several interesting bridges and tunnels.
Pulpit Rock
Silverpeaks, Dunedin
Grade 3+, 6-10 hours, 50 km from North Taieri
This is a great all-round ride which explores the forest and tops of Silverpeaks Forest Park. A reasonable degree of fitness is required but technically the trip is not very demanding.
The first 13 km to a ford can be driven if you’re lazy or short on time. From the ford a forestry road climbs onto a major ridge which leads in a huge arc around the edge of the Silverpeaks and up on to Pulpit Rock, a fantastic lookout point. From there it’s as fast and scary as you want it to be all the way back to the ford.
Percy Pass
Lake Manapouri, Fiordland
Grade 5, 8-12 hours, 70km
Give yourself a full summer’s day to complete this awesome epic. It’s only a 70 km ride, but there’s 2000 vertical metres of climbing and a 1 km bush bash in the middle. From the start of the ride at the West Arm of Lake Manapouri to the end at Monowai the scenery is breathtaking.
Armchair Mountain Biking
Classic New Zealand Mountain Bike Rides
Written and published by Paul, Simon, and Jonathan Kennett
Costs $27.95
A guide book detailing 400 rides spread all around the country. An easy to read source of motivation for budding bikers. It has full details on all the above rides.
The Bike Book
Published by Craig Potton
Costs around $30.00
A straight forward contemporary bicycle maintenance guide with lots of pictures and simple instructions.
Pedallers’ Paradise, South Island and North Island booklets
Written and published by Nigel Rushton
Cost around $12.00 each
Somewhat dry, but accurate descriptions of on-road cycle tours all over the North and South Islands.
NZ MTBiker Magazine
$4.95 per issue
A monthly rag for mountain bike enthusiasts. Lots of information on national events and riders.