New Zealand - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

[DJR]

The bad...

 

Stravassholes don't only exist on the Spruit.

 

Was riding Woodhill on the weekend and on the last 150m stretch, heading back to the car park, some riders came flying past a youngster (approx 14yrs old) and shouted "ON YOUR RIGHT!". In the flurry, the youngster pulled right by mistake. The stravasshole proceeded to shout and swear at the youngster, because he had to slow down and veer around the stationary rider.

 

I'm not sure how bad his chamois rash was or if he was just about to break a world record (racing 150m to the parking lot), but there was no reason for him to carry on like a child having a tantrum, let alone at a young rider who made a simple mistake.

 

So yeah... the majority of Kiwis are friendly, but still some knobs on the island.

Dis you recognize a hint of a Tokai accent perhaps?

[Wayne Potgieter]

The bad.

 

Morning fog and the effect it has on domestic travel.

 

Flight out of Christchurch is 2.5 hours delayed.

 

Stink.

[davetapson]

What are the price of toys like in NZ ... when I say toys I am clearly referring to mountain bikes

 

Our local bike warehouse for prices...

 

https://www.torpedo7.co.nz/shop/bike/bikes-and-frames

 

Sales are a big thing in NZ.  They happen so regularly and so commonly that it's hard to understand why anyone would walk in and pay full price.

 

It's probably been mentioned before, but electric bikes are a big thing here, even for scooting around trails.  Probably because hills, and more likely, probably because fun. 

Edited July 29, 2019 by davetapson

[patches]

The bad-ass...

 

I found one of the new work-in-progress lines at Woodhill this past weekend.

 

They're building some big stuff in them trees!

 

 

 

Pics never do it justice, but this is the start of the line. A decent sized drop into a step-up. The rest of the line comprises of berm-to-berm gaps, step downs, and the like.

 

One will note the sign on the right hand side "DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T RIDE IT". I think the Spruit needs some of these to hush the whingers 

[patham]

Pinging NZ MTB hubbers.

 

We (the family) are thinking of crossing the ditch and doing a NZ holiday trip in January, based around Auckland and spending a few days cycling in Rotorua. 

 

I have been doing a bit of research, looks like I can hire decent bikes there that match what we are used to (Trance for me, Trance Jnr for 11 year old). That saves me from boxing and unboxing and having to hire an appropriate car. What the research also shows (incl. on this very thread) is that there is a lot of trail choice that I could research forever and still maybe not have a good understanding of.

 

So questions to leverage off your collective experience if I may:

 

1. Suggestions for a good place to stay that is convenient to trails. Hotel or apartment type place, no camping ! Needs to be in a pleasant surrounding as the wife is a non-cyclist......

 

2. Suggested trails. Our skills level are probably at the Grade 3 and below, maybe the occasional Grade 4  (on the 6 scale grading system) going by some of the trail maps and Youtube vids out there. Note that the youngster is a pretty good shredder going downhill (faster and more fearless than me), but the amount of whinging that occurs on the uphills is pretty significant. Seeing as we live next to a trail park in Brissie, we are also used to multiple short rides (say 2 hrs max), and not all day extravaganza's.

 

3. Based on the above, is it worthwhile doing shuttles, or the organised tours or even a guide? I would far rather cough up extra cash and have us enjoy the experience, than spend all day going round in circles because directionally challenged me cannot read the trail map or get us boxed into a position where there is a climb from hell to get out ?

 

Thanks all   

[patham]

Gentle bump to get the NZ MTB community to look at my above post....I must have sent it on a slow day! Or else the rugby defeat last Saturday means they are forbidden to communicate with Australians.

[patches]

Pinging NZ MTB hubbers.

 

We (the family) are thinking of crossing the ditch and doing a NZ holiday trip in January, based around Auckland and spending a few days cycling in Rotorua. 

 

I have been doing a bit of research, looks like I can hire decent bikes there that match what we are used to (Trance for me, Trance Jnr for 11 year old). That saves me from boxing and unboxing and having to hire an appropriate car. What the research also shows (incl. on this very thread) is that there is a lot of trail choice that I could research forever and still maybe not have a good understanding of.

 

So questions to leverage off your collective experience if I may:

 

1. Suggestions for a good place to stay that is convenient to trails. Hotel or apartment type place, no camping ! Needs to be in a pleasant surrounding as the wife is a non-cyclist......

 

2. Suggested trails. Our skills level are probably at the Grade 3 and below, maybe the occasional Grade 4  (on the 6 scale grading system) going by some of the trail maps and Youtube vids out there. Note that the youngster is a pretty good shredder going downhill (faster and more fearless than me), but the amount of whinging that occurs on the uphills is pretty significant. Seeing as we live next to a trail park in Brissie, we are also used to multiple short rides (say 2 hrs max), and not all day extravaganza's.

 

3. Based on the above, is it worthwhile doing shuttles, or the organised tours or even a guide? I would far rather cough up extra cash and have us enjoy the experience, than spend all day going round in circles because directionally challenged me cannot read the trail map or get us boxed into a position where there is a climb from hell to get out ?

 

Thanks all   

 

Let me have a go at this and see if I can help somewhat

 

1. Accommodation.

 

The Auckland side trails are sort of North-West of the city (Woodhill and Riverhead), or South-East (FourForty MTB Park), so there's quite a division between the 2.

 

 

As far as trail-proximity accommodation goes, I would go for the North-West option between those 2. Maybe somewhere like Muriwai or Bethells beach. There may also be some nice farm-stay/guest houses out by Kumeu, Riverhead, or Waimakau. That's assuming that you don't mind a semi-countryside type vibe. If your wife likes walks/hikes etc then there are some great ones down by Muriwai like the Goldibush track etc. There are also a few wineries in the region.

 

It's a tough one as I have never stayed out there, only driven through on my way to the trails.

 

Otherwise if you don't mind a 40min drive to the North-West trails and a 1hr15min drive to FourForty, then staying more central might be an option. Here are some places I stayed in (before I moved to Auckland) that might suit.

 

Hotel de Brett

https://hoteldebrett.com/

Very cool hotel. City centre so loads for non-MTBers to explore just outside the front door. Maybe not the most suitable for a family, I stayed in a single suite.

 

Quest Serviced Apartments (Beaumont st specifically)

https://www.questapartments.co.nz/properties/north-island/freemans-bay/quest-on-beaumont/overview

Nice suburban location. Walking distance to Viaduct, Wynyard Quarter and Ponsonby. Possibly a better suit for a family.

 

As for Rotorua, I have never stayed overnight there, s am not sure. My suggestion wold be though is possibly stay slightly outside of the town in the nearby nature areas.

 

2. Trails

 

As previously mentioned, Woodhill is probably most poeple's go-to when it comes to Auckland side MTB. Riverhead being next. I personally haven't been to FourForty, but I have heard it's pretty cool.

 

There will be other smaller trail areas around Auckland, like Totara (20min South-East of the city), and such. Again, I haven't ridden there so I'm not much help in that regard.

 

Woodhill would be my choice of the bunch as it's well sign posted, has a decent variety of trails, and has some semi-decent full-sus bikes to rent.

 

https://www.bikeparks.co.nz/

 

As for Rotorua, the 2 main parts are Skyline and the Redwoods.

 

Skyline is a gondola-lift bike park. The very same where Rotorua Crankworx Slopestyle is held. It's pretty fun. many grades of trails. It has bike rental and all that, but it's not a huge area riding area.

 

The Redwoods is where many would say the "real mountain biking" is. Mountainous timber forests with plenty of trail. A lot more natural and raw than Skyline, but with a lot more uphill too! Like serious climbs! I'd also still be in that forest if I wasn't riding with friends, so I'd recommend getting the maps/following other riders/getting a guided tour.

 

3. Shuttles & Tours

 

For Woodhill there are no shuttles or tours. But the hills aren't too bad, and the trail markings are great, so I can give some suggestions and one would be able to explore themselves.

 

Riverhead woud require a bit of planning on apps like Trailforks. Still no shuttles or tours.

 

FourForty has shuttles. I'm not sure about tours. Form what I have hard the shuttle is well worth it.

 

Rotorua Skyline is gondola-lift (as previously mentioned) and it's a small, easy to navigate area, so no guided tours needed.

 

The Redwoods... SHUTTLE. Definitely shuttle here! The climbs are huge. There are 2 shuttle options. Either the bus with bike trailer. This is the most popular option. The bus has s pre-defined route and specific stops. Some of those stops are still a big climb shy of certain trail entrances, so pedaling uphill can't be avoided. This is the option I used.

 

 

The other option is the private shuttles. These cost a fair bit more, but they can take one to more specific places, and offer some guidance. If you're not riding with people who know the area, this may be of benefit. Not cheap, but you'll look badass in the Landies

 

 

So yeah... I hope that answers some of your questions.

 

Happy to help out where I can!

[patham]

Thanks Patches, those pictures look familiar from my web trawling. I had not thought of the skyline gondola park, and admittedly some of the youtube vids put the fear of god into me, or more correctly, the fear of my youngster up ahead deciding that he is good enough to take the double black diamond fork in the trail, and us testing the NZ healthcare system to its limit.

 

A Qantas 4 day flight sale offer to NZ popped up in my inbox today, so that could be a sign....

[intern]

Good summary from Patches; I've ridden Woodhill a fair bit and Rotorua quite a lot, both are very, very good. In terms of riding up the hills at Rots, really not that bad, maybe 10 or 15 minutes of climbing and then you have an absolute blast ripping it down Billy T or whatever, feels like you descend longer than you climb.

Easy to get lost in Redwoods, but easy to find your way back, too. Just ask other folks, they're generally happy to help. Or refer to your map - having an idea of major points, like Tarawera Rd on one side and the MTB Rotorua car park on the other, helps a good deal.

Let me know when you hit Rots, I'll pop though for a ride and if I'm feeling charitable, might even buy you a beer afterwards at the Pig n Whistle.

[nochain]

I hear the timber trail is a must do..can be done over 2 days with accommodation available. Looks amazing!

[patham]

Good summary from Patches; I've ridden Woodhill a fair bit and Rotorua quite a lot, both are very, very good. In terms of riding up the hills at Rots, really not that bad, maybe 10 or 15 minutes of climbing and then you have an absolute blast ripping it down Billy T or whatever, feels like you descend longer than you climb.

Easy to get lost in Redwoods, but easy to find your way back, too. Just ask other folks, they're generally happy to help. Or refer to your map - having an idea of major points, like Tarawera Rd on one side and the MTB Rotorua car park on the other, helps a good deal.

Let me know when you hit Rots, I'll pop though for a ride and if I'm feeling charitable, might even buy you a beer afterwards at the Pig n Whistle.

 

The downhill feels longer for me because of the time dilation effect of going very fast downhill whilst out of your talent depth. Its just like the slo-mo effect that kicks in as you stuff up and wipe out..... 

 

There's Pigs n Whistles everywhere! It is the second closest pub to me here in the suburbs, and has now become a business with 6 pubs scattered across Brisbane. Pretty sure its a co-incidence though.

 

Thanks for the offer - will keep you posted. 

[Wayne Potgieter]

I hear the timber trail is a must do..can be done over 2 days with accommodation available. Looks amazing!

i am totally keen on doing this in spring.

[hayleyearth]

i am totally keen on doing this in spring.

 

Me too!

I would love to get back on a bike!

Edited August 14, 2019 by hayleyearth

[DawieO]

If there is a gang forming, count me in.

[SwissVan]

The bad-ass...

 

I found one of the new work-in-progress lines at Woodhill this past weekend.

 

They're building some big stuff in them trees!

 

IMG-20190728-WA0006.jpg

 

IMG-20190728-WA0005.jpg

 

Pics never do it justice, but this is the start of the line. A decent sized drop into a step-up. The rest of the line comprises of berm-to-berm gaps, step downs, and the like.

 

One will note the sign on the right hand side "DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T RIDE IT". I think the Spruit needs some of these to hush the whingers 

 

Just saw this now only

 

Out of interest are these rogue trails or official approved (by local community / municipality) ?

 

If official, who builds / maintains and pays for them?

 

Just wondering, as here on my side of the planet we have a plenty of natural terrain like that which is ideal for trail building, but the red tape and paper work to actually build a trail is ridiculous.

 

Rogue trails tend to get closed down / or blocked so riding is not possible

[intern]

I hear the timber trail is a must do..can be done over 2 days with accommodation available. Looks amazing!

My Mrs ran that last year, she said it is very good and 'easy' grade for the most part. We're trying to get Child #2 on his bike so we can go do it at leisure with the whole fam. Somehow, my boys are reluctant to ride bikes before 5 (the 6 year old loves his bike, a machine which came from DawieO...4 yo, no interest yet).