Mountain Biking, Seven Days Christchurch to Queenstown
| location: | Central Otago District (Christchurch to Queenstown) |
| item: | MO12390UN |
| price: | NZD $2,800.00 |
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This 7-day Mountain Bike tour is mostly about the mountain biking, but on our journey through the South Island you’ll be amazed by the natural awe-inspiring landscapes that continue changing even while travelling relatively short distances.
Day 1. Arrive in Christchurch – After sorting out the bikes we will head to Hanmer springs for a ride, BBQ and a soak in the hot mineral pools.
Day 2. Wharfedale Grade 3+ – About 4 hours of great single track. After an early morning coffee we head for the hills near Oxford for the first taste of Kiwi single track. This is a reasonably challenging day. For those who are having issues with some of the challenges on the track then your guide will give you a few pointers. This is not a race so you will have plenty of time to enjoy the native beech forest. This track was originally an old stock route. The night will be spent in the Arthur’s Pass National Park at the Bealey Hotel overlooking the Waimakariri River valley. Enjoy stunning alpine vistas while enjoying the solitude of the secluded mountain environment.
Day 3. Craigieburn Grade 4+. After a relaxed start we back-track a few kilometres to the Craigieburn forest. This is a reasonably technical single track that was originally formed to walk in the rope for one of the ski lifts. The trail is quite exposed and challenging but so much fun and should be about 3-4 hours riding. We have a bit of a drive to stay at Geraldine to sample a bit of small town New Zealand.
Day 4. Ride from top of Danseys pass to Ride Naseby and single track at Naseby. Today is an early start to make the most of the day. We will drive/ride over the Dansey’s Pass, high tussock sheep land in the Kakanui Mountains. This is a road less travelled but well worth the trip. A great ride off the top of the Pass, mostly down hill dirt road, then on to the ‘pot of gold at the end of the rainbow’, single track in Naseby forest. We can and will spend hours playing around some of the best single track in the south, twisting and flowing under the canopy of exotic forest, earning a beer or two at the Hotel that is the hub of all the trails. Once a bustling mining town, now a town which boasts that it is 2000 feet above worry level. A night and dinner at the Royal Hotel Naseby.
Day 5. The ride for the day will be farm tracks and sheep tracks on a film location for the Lord of the Rings - ‘Land of Rohan’. The amazing thing about this ride is that you can look in all directions and not see a power pole, house or shed. It’s like you are in the middle of nowhere and the reality is that you are. There is a good option of turning this day in to a shuttle day where instead of peddling up for 3hrs and down for 2, we can drive up and ride down a different trail. After a bit of a drive to the historic and charming town of Clyde we will treat ourselves to a night out.
Day 6. Enjoy a leisurely breakfast as it is a short drive to one of two trails. Weather permitting we will drive to the top of the Dunstan Mountains to Leaning Rock and ride the Dunstan traverse. This is a Grade 3+ 1700m descent with a ride time of 4-5 hours, stunning barren landscapes with huge rock Tors, narrow farm tracks and old gold mining water courses and 360° views. In the event of bad weather- Bendigo 3-4 hour cross country ride along an old disused water race created during the gold rush of the 1870s, now surrounded by sheep and high country farm land. If we have enough energy we will make a few stops to sample the local Pinot Noir that the Central Otago area grows so well. On to Queenstown for the last night of the tour.
Day 7. Heli-bike option day. The trail of choice will be the Roaring Meg Heli-bike but weather can play its hand, so we will make this ride optional. The alternative is some fun single track around Queenstown for the morning, leaving time to throw yourself from a bridge or some other adrenalin producing pursuit that Queenstown is so good at delivering. We will be offering a cost price for this trip! (it is an option due to weather variables)
This is Mountain Biking not cycle touring!
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Fitness and Experience
- You will need to be a Mountain biker who owns and rides a Mountain bike reasonably often. This is a fairly challenging trip and you will need to have a good base fitness and strong technical skills will be required
- Trail type and fitness. You will be cycling for between 3-7 hours most days on rough single track that has a reasonable component of technical riding. You will need to be mountain biking fit (although your fitness will increase during the tour). All the trails are of a cross country nature and rideable by all; its just a matter of pacing ourselves on the longer tougher rides, after all it’s not a race. But if you have a good base fitness and good bike handling skills you will enjoy your time better
- Clients are normally aged between 20-50yrs young (some younger and older) who actively participate in mountain biking as their recreation. Just because this is an organised trip does not make it a soft travel option, we just make the whole experience easier for you to enjoy, and you will still be riding for 3-7 hours most days
- There will be time to do some sight seeing on the drive times from trail to trail, a good meal and a comfortable bed at the end of the day
What to Bring/Wear
- Being prepared for all seasons is a must; New Zealand has a very changeable climate. Any day can give you a taste of all four seasons; add some altitude and we need to be prepared
- Good quality riding clothing is a must - Light gore-tex Shell and wind stopper outer
- Thermal top and bottom
- We recommend Ice Breaker woollen clothing
- Hydration system - 2litre water with enough space to carry spares, and jacket, trail food etc
- Pump Don’t forget your riding shoes and pedals if hiring from us!
- We would like you to limit the amount of luggage you bring to two small or one large ruck sack type bag
- There will be opportunity to wash clothes so you do not need to bring 10 sets of riding gear
- Mountain Bike (or hire one for an additional $45.00 per day)
- Camera – don't forget this or you will regret it!
- Sunscreen and sun glasses
What is Supplied
- All main meals
- Accommodation (twin share)
- Transport
- Land access and logistics
- Local New Zealander guides with extensive experience and pre-hospital emergency qualifications (just in case!)
More Information
What Bike: The ideal bike for the type of trails that will be ridden is a good cross country to all mountain- mountain bikes, with 3-5 inches travel full suspension although a good hard tail will be fine. Front suspension is essential. As lead guide, Greg rides either a Trek Liquid or a K2 Lithium, both bikes are 5 in travel, light and good climbing bikes. A big heavy free ride bike that is not a good pedalling bike is not so suitable. If you would like to rent a bike from us we will outfit you on a K2 Lithium or a Jamis XLT, both very good bikes. If bringing your own bike you will be responsible for all the bits that might break. The guides are bike mechanics and can keep bikes going. You will need to bring a minimum of spare parts and a trail tool. If your bike is deemed unsafe by the lead guide you will be required to hire a bike for the tour. Have the bike you are bringing thoroughly checked by a good bike mechanic before coming on tour. You will need a bike tool and chain breaker, spare tube, tyre repair kit, (we recommend tubeless tyre kits like ‘Stan’s no tubes’), derailer hanger, chain fixing link. We will do a gear check before leaving on the tour and any compulsory gear you do not have you will have to buy. If you are hiring a bike then you need to let us know at the time of booking. We need to know the make, model and size of the bike you usually go mountain biking on. We will do our best to set the bike up to your liking, but there is no bike like the one you are used to. It is very easy to bring your bike with you but do check with the airline you are travelling on, as there can be an extra charge on baggage handling and weight restriction on some flights.
Also note that the bio-security on entering New Zealand ports is very strict, so your bike and shoes should shine like new to avoid delays with customs. If you are planning on bringing a new bike, then you will need to have ridden it plenty so you are sure you like it. Where you sleep and eat. New Zealand has a good standard of accommodation and very good value. You will be staying at a variety of places from small country pubs and hotels, some motels, and hostels and maybe home stays (this depends on group numbers). Rooms will be on a twin share basis. If you require a single room to yourself then we will have to charge a supplement. All meals are provided, some will be cooked by your guides, and others will be at restaurants. There is plenty of choice for eating out at the many and varied eateries in New Zealand. We will make our own trail lunches and also take trail snacks.
