When to ride:
In the North Island we are lucky to have year-round riding, but our favourite times are Autumn and Spring.
The weather is a little cooler and the trails aren’t as dusty. If you’re strategic about where you ride even mid-winter and
mid-summer riding are fun.
Mid-winter riding is a blast in Rotorua (the trails there drain very well and don’t tend to get boggy), and mid-summer riding is great as long as you choose trails with shade and take lots of water with you. Send us a PM and we’ll help custom design an expedition that suits you!
NZ seasons:
Summer: December-February
Autumn: March-May
Winter: June-August
Spring: September-November
Where to ride:
We really are spoilt for choice. If you have limited time in New Zealand then focusing on the North Island bike parks would be a good idea. There are lots within an hour of the airport, and even Rotorua and Taupo are only a few hours away.
Here are some of the main MTB parks. There are hundreds more so if you are planning a Mountain Biking holiday in NZ get in touch and we can suggest other parks too.
Auckland:
| Woodhill MTB Park: A commercially run park in a pine forest West of Auckland (about an hour from the airport). Smooth trails with bucket loads of flow and decent jumps. Great for beginners right through to advanced. Almost no tech and no shuttles. https://www.bikeparks.co.nz |  |
| Riverhead Forest: A pine forest West of Auckland (about an hour from the airport) with hundreds of trails made by local volunteers. Great for intermediate to advanced riders. Technical trails with a range of different styles. Different areas of the forest offer downhill, jumps, flow etc. This is one of our local forests so we can give guidance on which trails to try. No shuttles. |  |
| FourForty MTB Park: A commercially run Mountain Bike Park located South East of Auckland (about an hour from the airport). Boasting four hundred and forty metres of vertical drop. Shuttle up and ride down. Open weekends, and sometimes a few evenings during the week (depending on weather). Not open during the winter. Great fun for a day of downhill, flow and jumps! https://www.fourfortymtbpark.co.nz/park-information/ |  |
Rotorua:
| Whakarewarewa Forest (also called Redwoods Forest): A huge commercial forest with trails built and maintained by the Rotorua Trails Trust. There are literally hundreds of trails and they tend to be in incredibly good condition. There are green flow trails right through to black tech and downhill trails. We can give you a list of trails that you may enjoy. Several MTB coaches and guides operate here so we can also tee up a lesson or a guide if that appeals. Shuttles operate on most days. Their routes can change due to the forestry being active – so get in touch and we’ll let you know where the shuttles are currently operating. Trails are pumice/dirt so drains incredibly well (a good option when the conditions are wet). Always clean your bike after your ride as the pumice is abrasive and will wear out your drive-train. |  |
| Skyline Rotorua MTB Park: A gondola based park with downhill trails, ranging from green flow to Pro-line. Great for a day of fun with no uphill, but limited number of trails. The cafe at the top of the gondola is great for lunch. Skyline is the home of Crankworx in New Zealand. https://rotorua.skyline.co.nz/things-to-do/mountain-bike-park-rotorua/ |  |
Taupo:
| Craters MTB Park: Craters is a purpose built MTB park near Taupo (the big lake in the middle of the North Island). It has roughly 50km of trails, ranging from beginners to technical cross country and downhill. The park was severely damaged during a cyclone in 2022 but has been rebuilt and is now operational again. Trails are pumice/dirt so drains incredibly well (a good option when the conditions are wet). Always clean your bike after your ride as the pumice is abrasive and will wear out your drive-train. |  |
Tauranga:
| Summerhill MTB Park: Admittedly not our favourite park – but a good option if you are in to XC. The park is split in to two sides – the side closest to the carpark is open to the public and has trails that appeal to XC riders who like trickier trails. The trails on the other side of the road are members-only (we can set up a membership for you if you would like to ride them) and are more Enduro style. Not the biggest park but worth checking out if you are in the area. Tauranga is a fantastic area boasting all sorts of tourist activities so worth visiting. |  |
Warkworth:
| Dome Valley: Dome is the home of AKDH (Auckland Downhill). It is a members only park with world class downhill and enduro trails. We can arrange access for you – complete with a private shuttle service so you (and your friends?) can spend the day riding these epic trails. We can even arrange for one of the local riders – @GravityGeorgeMTB to spend the day showing you the trails. |  |
If you are planning on spending multiple weeks in New Zealand then you could feasibly ride the North Island trails and then head to the South Island to check out the trails there. Nelson, Christchurch and Central Otago (Queenstown, Cardrona, Wanaka) all have spectacular trails that are quite different to the North Island ones. If you want to take our MTB van to the South Island we can arrange a ferry crossing for you. We can even do one-way hires so you can fly in to Auckland and out from Christchurch or Queenstown. Contact us for more info on this.