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NZ MTB Trip Tips/Suggestions?

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NZ MTB Trip Tips/Suggestions?

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flag wabner
O+
Posted: May 17, 2024 at 9:40 Quote
My wife and I are planning a trip for February 2025!

Our hopes are to bring our MTBs, rent a sleeper/camper van starting in Auckland, go down to Queenstown/Dunedin and return to Auckland. We have 2 weeks (thanks to the American views on vacation time this was the max we could get away for Rolleyes )


Does anyone in Auckland rent bike racks?


We are just beginning the planning process and wanted to check in with you all early on. We're open to any and all suggestions, it is greatly appreciated!
flag hukriede
O+ FL
Posted: May 17, 2024 at 11:35 Quote
We just did a trip this winter down there. Some highlights were definitely The Gorge MTB park just outside of Nelson. Well worth the trip out there as the riding was phenomenal!

Obviously Queenstown is a mecca of riding and has tons of trails to offer, but definitely get to Wanaka and Cardrona when you are out there as well. Riding from the top of Cardrona down to the pub with about a 4k descent was amazing.

Really can't go wrong in Nelson or Queenstown though, so much to offer.
flag wabner
O+
Posted: May 21, 2024 at 8:02 Quote
Sounds awesome, thank you for the suggestions! We'll look into those for sure. Did you rent bikes or take your own?

hukriede wrote:
We just did a trip this winter down there. Some highlights were definitely The Gorge MTB park just outside of Nelson. Well worth the trip out there as the riding was phenomenal!

Obviously Queenstown is a mecca of riding and has tons of trails to offer, but definitely get to Wanaka and Cardrona when you are out there as well. Riding from the top of Cardrona down to the pub with about a 4k descent was amazing.

Really can't go wrong in Nelson or Queenstown though, so much to offer.
flag hukriede
O+ FL
Posted: May 21, 2024 at 8:16 Quote
We took our own. Spend too much money on our personal bikes to justify renting bikes every day. It’s too easy to just bring yours and you’ll have a much better time riding.
flag mitch1992
O+
Posted: May 21, 2024 at 13:18 Quote
If you plan to rent a campervan, check with the company you are looking at as most rental campervans in NZ that I see every day have bike racks on the back. Pics on the website below for example. There may also be places that can hire you a hanging bike rack for example.

In terms of riding destinations, I live in Nelson so am biased but riding here is great, lots of variety and close to the Wairoa Gorge. There is also lots of great camping sites if you are in a campervan and awesome time of year to be camping as well. Travelling down to Queenstown from here, you could make numerous stops on the way down for riding destinations, Christchurch, Craigieburn, Wanaka, Queenstown & Alexandra are all big destinations with quite contrasting riding terrain.

All of the above is in the south island so if you start in the north, there is also good riding from Auckland down such as Rotorua and Wellington. I haven't done much riding up there though.

It would also be wise for you to understand driving distances and times. Roads in NZ are windy and going from Auckland to the bottom of the south island and back again is quite a distance and I would conservatively estimate at least 5 driving days, assuming you don't drive all through the night etc. You will also need a ferry crossing to get from north to south. 3-4 hours crossing one way. All doable but eats into your riding and leisure time.


https://www.naturalhigh.co.nz/camper-hire/
flag Gravelben
O+
Posted: May 21, 2024 at 14:57 Quote
mitch1992 wrote:
It would also be wise for you to understand driving distances and times. Roads in NZ are windy and going from Auckland to the bottom of the south island and back again is quite a distance and I would conservatively estimate at least 5 driving days, assuming you don't drive all through the night etc. You will also need a ferry crossing to get from north to south. 3-4 hours crossing one way. All doable but eats into your riding and leisure time.

What he said ^^

I've heard quite a few comments from Americans and Canadians over the years that they found NZ roads to be more tiring and demanding to drive than they expected or were accustomed to - compared to USA/Canadian highways etc you will probably find them pretty narrow, winding and hilly. For most of the country the main highway is still just one lane each way with sporadic extra passing lanes.

For a 2 week holiday I'd suggest skipping the North Island and spending the whole time in the South Island, otherwise you might end up feeling like you spent most of your trip driving.
flag wabner
O+
Posted: May 24, 2024 at 7:45 Quote
Thanks guys, this info is awesome! We adjusted our plan already to just drop the campervan off in QT, spend a few days there and then just fly back to Auckland to cut that return drive out.

I found a van hire that has decent pricing and provides bike racks (Britz) - so things are coming together slowly but surely.

I'm super grateful for the comments...


Gravelben wrote:
mitch1992 wrote:
It would also be wise for you to understand driving distances and times. Roads in NZ are windy and going from Auckland to the bottom of the south island and back again is quite a distance and I would conservatively estimate at least 5 driving days, assuming you don't drive all through the night etc. You will also need a ferry crossing to get from north to south. 3-4 hours crossing one way. All doable but eats into your riding and leisure time.

What he said ^^

I've heard quite a few comments from Americans and Canadians over the years that they found NZ roads to be more tiring and demanding to drive than they expected or were accustomed to - compared to USA/Canadian highways etc you will probably find them pretty narrow, winding and hilly. For most of the country the main highway is still just one lane each way with sporadic extra passing lanes.

For a 2 week holiday I'd suggest skipping the North Island and spending the whole time in the South Island, otherwise you might end up feeling like you spent most of your trip driving.
flag dhgirly
O+ FL
Posted: Oct 28, 2024 at 13:52 Quote
Hey, My husband and I, from Vancouver Island BC, are also heading to NZ for a MTB trip in 2025. We have a bit more time, from Jan 27 to March 10, starting in Auckland, but are also doing the trip via campervan. We booked through Camplify and got a great van with bike rack at a great price. If you haven't already booked, check out Camplify. We are biking all over, with a mix of bike park and pedal, but will spend lots of time in QT (Ben Lomond, Coronet), Wanaka (Cardrona, Glendhu), Nelson and Rotorua. Trying to fit in some of the NZ "Great Rides", like Paparoa on West Coast. Connect if you want to exchange campervan freindly spots near biking etc. Cheers, Lauren
flag mooreoutdoors
Posted: Oct 31, 2024 at 7:22 Quote
If you are bringing your own bikes, it would highly advisable for you to make sure it is super clean before you get on the flight, as bio security will have a field day with you if you don't.
I reccomend you just put brand new tires on, if you rock up with any dirt on the tread, you will get hauled aside and made to clean them and the rest of the bike within an inch of their life before you can go any further.
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