Descend New Zealand, 3 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 - Clyde & Lake Dunstan
We shuttle to the top of purpose built down hill tracks in Clyde. This is an amazing experience with the views of Lake Dunstan and the surrounding landscape breath taking. We then drive on to Alexandra where we shall spend the night.
Day 6 - 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 7 - Naseby
There is a web of trails in Naseby that are great for freeriding. This place has recently become very popular since screening on the Canadian TV series ‘Drop In’. We make our way to Dunedin where we will spend the evening.
Day 8 - Dunedin DH
Ride the purpose built DH track in Dunedin that was used for the 2006 Nationals. This trail is surprisingly close to Dunedin and it over looks the city. It’s a great course and perfect for shuttles. We stay in Dunedin.
Day 9 - Day off in Dunedin
Take a break and relax with some surfing lessons (optional). We then make our way up the coast where we will spend the night in Oamaru.
Day 10 - Oamaru coastal riding
Enjoy real coastal riding in the pine forests of Oamaru. These trails are located at the ‘Cape’ which over looks the town’s harbor and has panoramic views of the ocean and distant mountain ranges. We then head north along the coastline and spend the night in Christchurch.
Day 11 - Christchurch
With the assistance of a local mountain bike guide we will ride some amazing freeride trails over looking Christchurch, then stay here for another night.
Day 12 - 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! Again, we stay in Christchurch.
Day 13 - 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 14 - 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 15 - Wellington
Wellington has variety of trails that can be shuttled. Its also has a amazing city life, so we can make a little spare time to look around. Spending the night in Wellington.
Day 16 - Levin DH
We head north along the west coast to Levin, where a great selection of forest DH trails will test your skills. Tonight we stay in Levin.
Day 17 - Hawkes Bay
After a three hour drive we arrive in Hawkes Bay on the east coast. There are plenty of great trails surrounding Hawkes Bay, even a freeride trail that was built by one of your guides!
Day 18 - 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 19 - Heli-Biking above Lake Taupo
Just outside Taupo there is a second heli-bike option for those that want just can’t get enough. Again the stunning scenery and unmistakable trails around Lake Taupo make this one adventure not to be missed. The entire trip lasts around 3 hours and is highly recommended.
Day 20 - 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 21 - 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 22 - Auckland & airport transfers
After an intense three 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 20 nights accommodation will be arranged by RTW. All transfers, meals and biking passes are included in the price of this holiday. Surfing lessons are optional at extra cost to the customer.
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