Descend New Zealand, 2 Weeks
Two week itinerary:
Day 1 - Travel day
Embark on the long journey to the Southern Hemisphere.
Day 2 - Arrival and introduction
Meet the team in Queenstown. We kick start the tour with a Gondola ride above Lake Wakatipu and surrounding mountains. Once at the top we descend 300m down one of the best voted tracks in the country. We spend the evening in Queenstown.
Day 3 - Dirt Park NZ
Ride New Zealand’s newest free style park at Dirt Park NZ. The park is loaded with a mixture of timber structures, dirt jumps, huge berms and a purpose built 5 km DH track. We lodge at the park.
Day 4 - Heli-Biking above Lake Wanaka
Its heli-bike day! Enjoy a high alpine heli biking experience with stunning views. The scenery of Lake Wanaka and the surrounding mountains really tops off this already fantastic ride and with nearly 3 hours of uninterrupted freeride, you're sure to get your money's worth on this one. For those who prefer not to take the heli-bike option, another day in Dirt Park NZ or simply a day relaxing on Lake Wanaka are your alternatives. We then head to another forest location local to Wanaka where you will find the latest and greatest in freestyle features. Tonight we’re staying in Wanaka.
Day 5 - Alexandra
Alexandra has terrain like no other, awesome trails and sometimes no trail at all! We will ride a great 2-3 hr freeride trail followed by an optional dirt jump session. We make our way to Naseby after a hard day’s riding.
Day 6 - Naseby and Oamaru coastal riding
An early morning ride in Naseby is followed by east coast freeriding in Oamaru. Both locations have an endless web of mountain bike trails in lush pine forest. Tonight we rest our legs in Oamaru.
Day 7 - Christchurch
We head north along the eastern costline and with the assistance of a local mountain bike guide we ride some amazing trails over looking Christchurch. This is the largest city on the South Island, so if you fancy a day off, there’s no shortage of things to do and see around town. This is also where we’re staying tonight so if you end up in one of the local bars, it’s only a short stumble home.
Day 8 - Christchurch day 2
Because there is such an abundance of great single track around Christchurch we will spend another day riding here. These forests and open trails overlook the city and the Antarctic Ocean, and après-ride here’s the perfect chance to go paddle in the Antarctic! We stay here for another night.
Day 9 - Hamner natural hot springs
Today we head further north to Hamner. This is an amazing place to ride or a wonderful location to kick back in natural hot springs. Tonight we spend our last night on the South Island.
Day 10 - Ferry to North Island & Wellington trails
Ferry across the Cook Straight to the North Island as a whole new abundance of trail awaits you. Depending on time we will begin our North Island experience riding the large variety of trails in and around Wellington and will be spending the evening in the Capital.
Day 11 - Hawkes Bay
After a four hour drive we arrive in Hawkes Bay on the east coast of the North Island. There are plenty of great trails surrounding Hawkes Bay, even a freeride trail that was built by one of your guides!
Day 12 - Day off in Taupo
Taupo is a popular tourist destination. This is a good spot to have some free time with many adventure actives and stunning views of Lake Taupo and surrounding forests.
Day 13 - Rotura
Rotorua was the host of the 2006 World Mountain Biking Championships. The forest trails are a must do for any mountain biking visitor to New Zealand. We actually start the day with a traditional native greeting which is a performance to remember, followed of course by some of the best trails on the Island.
Day 14 - Castle Rock
Heading even further north, Castle Rock is a popular mountain bike park located just outside Auckland. There is great slope style terrain and an abundance of freeride trails. We spend the evening in the local lodge at the park.
Day 15 - Auckland & airport transfers
After an intense two weeks of great riding, it’s on to Auckland for a relaxing day in the country’s largest city. Here we say our farewells and provide a shuttle to the airport if needed.
Further details:
All 13 nights accommodation will be arranged by RTW. All transfers, meals and biking passes are included in the price of this holiday. Heli-biking and surfing lessons are optional at extra cost to the customer.
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