New Zealand - From The Other Side Of The Bars

Last year ( Late 2012 ) I travelled to New Zealand to re-ignite my passion with bikes. I'd stopped riding properly in 2008 due to a lack of time and money ( I was starting my own business ) and Queenstown seemed like the ideal place to get things going again.

After 5 months of riding most days, I came back to the UK to race again. Within four weeks I'd damaged my spinal cord, fractured my skull, injured a disc and most seriously ripped my brachial plexus to shreds, leaving me with a paralyzed right arm. After nearly a year of learning to walk and run again, undergoing various operations and learning how to function properly , albeit one armed, I thought it was time to go and visit my friends in New Zealand again, only this time I'd be behind the lens instead of in front of it…

Summer days over looking Lake Wakatipu. This trail is known to locals and friends only, possibly for good reason given it's harem-scarem exit chute. Built by Queenstown stalwart Matt Weir and only a 10 minute ride from town, it's a firm favourite to session with mates.

Jon Stout has been coming here for four summers now, working in Vertigo Bikes. Now wrenching for the Hutchinson UR team during the northern hemisphere summer on the WC circuit, Jon has a good thing going.

Stout and Congreve enjoying an afternoon away from Vertigo on "Plap". Wallrides, rock rolls and technical sections combine to create a challenging trail.

Tom Skillicorn is a fiend on a bike and Jedi is one of my favourite trails to ride. A good combo. I hadn't realized how steep it really was till I returned and had to hike up it, instead of riding down it. This section, near the bottom, plays host to the three steepest chutes. Further up the trail is rocky, technical and not a place for the faint hearted. Skilly made it look like nothing.

Paul Angus ( Pang ) and I are old team mates from racing days. He moved here around 6 or 7 years ago, and hasn't looked back. Now a co-owner of Vertigo, he often flies under the radar. People forget he was a National DH champion and WC racer. He still has the skills. Jedi, mid afternoon.

Rude Rock. Golden Hour. One of the towns most photographed and popular trails. It's not hard to see why.

Stout takes a breather between Rude Rock shuttles to comprehend a view that just doesn't get old.

This is a fun little hip jump about two thirds of the way down the 5 minute ish long Rude Rock Trail. I remembered this trail very well in my head and knew this could potentially make a good shot. So much fun. Jonny Congreve supplying the skills.

The light in New Zealand is something else. Looking down into the Wakatipu Basin, you can see it is cast in shadow. Up high on the Coronet Peak area the light lingers longer than anywhere, creating a wonderful chilled vibe. Stout makes the most of it.

Great dirt, great trail construction. This is a smorgasbord of fun.

The drive up the East Coast is often ignored due to the West Coast being almost other worldly in its topography. Kaikoura is becoming a hotspot, and with sunrises like this, it's worth a look on a day off riding.

Role reversal. Sven Martin tearing the 629 trail in Nelson a new one. One of the industry's foremost photographers, Sven is a beast on a bike. At the 2012 Transprovence, a lot of pro riders were seriously worried about being "Sven'd". Nelson is the warmest place in NZ, and with trails like this, you can see why Sven and Anka Martin have chose to base themselves here during the off season.

Seb Kemp came through this section like a bat out of hell. The guys didn't know where I was beforehand so I got to see them ride naturally. Steezy. This zone in Nelson boasts 3 to 4 world class descents of contrasting nature. I wanted to shoot Peking Ridge, which is close by, as it is probably one of my favourite trail bike descent in the world. We ran out of time, but seeing the crew shred 629 more than made up for it.

It's not just the bike riding that New Zealand's South Island has to offer. Expand you're horizons…The area around Nelson is stunning.

A Martin - Kemp train in the Golden Hour. So quiet, so peaceful yet all hell breaking loose on the bikes. Exactly how it should be.

The thing I love about Nelson is that it really has it all. We took a day off for Sven and Anka to show us some other parts of the area. We ate well and drank beers under the stars. Here, on the right, John Parkin of Red Bull enjoys the white sands on one of the many beaches that the North of the South Island has to offer. Great times with great people.

Now that's a bike rack.

Seb Kemp follows the locals down the newly built Corrotown trail. Starting off on the Coronet peak trail, it descends, sometimes very steeply, away down into Arrowtown. I never got to ride this trail, but it looks set to become a classic. Beers are compulsory post ride in Arrowtown.

Jamie Tilbury is another long time summer resident of QT. He's the head mechanic for the Hutchinson UR team and never very far from the action or a cup of tea. He knows how to ride a bike too…and how to party.

"The impossible corner". This corner gets into a lot of people's heads. It's not that hard, but the entry and exposure on the outside can be intimidating on first view. Another local's only zone hardly out of town, Pang tackles it with consummate ease.

Skilly deep in the New Zealand bush. The colours of the vegetation here never get old. Skilly will be back in Whistler this summer guiding for Bear Back. Truly living the dream. Not bad for an electrician from the Isle of Man. The man can dance too…

The diversity of the eco systems here aren't something you notice so much when you're riding. But you can feel the change of surface beneath your tyres. The bottom section of Plap leaves you feeling like you've jumped into Australia. On the right, JB, videographer for Hutchinson UR enjoys some time in front of the lens.

Skilly again. End of summer loam.

Is this the funnest jump on earth? The second jump on Dream Track is big, floaty and oh so fun. It's a blind take off but the landing is long, allowing for playtime. Skillicorn just riding along on his trail bike…

What else is there better to do after a day's hard riding before you kick back with some beers… Don't be surprised to bump into Orca's, Dolphins and Seals.