Essential North Island

DAY 2

Ride the backcountry on the Timber Trail (Pureora to Piropiro)

A drive south of Rotorua and through the volcanic heartland of the North Island brings us to the beginning of the Timber Trail – one of the most iconic multi day backcountry rides in New Zealand. After a final thorough check of our bikes and gear, we’ll head into the wild from Pureora, through dense mossy forest on single track, crossing numerous high suspension bridges over amazing forest canyons. There’s a sting in the tail on the first half of today’s ride – a 500 metre gradual ascent through cloud forest and mist, straight out of Lord of the Rings. After a break at the summit of Mt Pureora taking in the epic views, it’s an equally gradual descent down to Piropiro, and our accommodation for the evening, which definitely involves hearty food, hot showers, comfortable lodging and a well deserved drink.

ACCOMMODATION: Timber Trail Lodge  RIDE TIME: 4-5 hours DISTANCE: 40 km CLIMB: 500 metres  DESCENT: 540 metres  MEALS: (B,L,D)

DAY 3

Ride the Timber Trail (Piropiro to Ongarue)

Today is a day of undulation on single track through epic forest (again!), over spectacular suspension bridges, past weird and wonderful rock formations and remnants of New
Zealand’s colonial history, and all round fun on the best grade 2/3 trail in the world. After the 5km mark, the significant uphill section is behind us and it’s all about the descent through the forest, New Zealand’s highest suspension bridge, and experiencing the only rideable railway spiral in the world – a relic of New Zealand’s early logging pioneers.At the end of the trail we’ll head back to Rotorua.

ACCOMMODATION: Rotorua Twin Share (single sup available)  RIDE TIME: 5 hours  DISTANCE: 44 km CLIMB: 400 metres DESCENT: 750 metres  MEALS: (B,L,D)

DAY 4

Free time in Rotorua

Rotorua is the cultural heart of New Zealand, and a fantastic place to explore, given the variety of options available – from zip lining, to lake cruises to rafting. We can point you in the right direction and help you reserve any activities you might like to do. Or if you’re keen to kick back and relax, it’s also a good idea to have a non-activity day to be rested for the following days riding! For those who are keen, we’ll have our bike guide and guru hold a bike maintenance workshop today, to go over our bikes and satisfy our need to tinker with our bikes. It’s good wholesome bike-nerd fun!

ACCOMMODATION: Rotorua Twin Share (single sup available) **Lunch and dinner not included on rest day. You are free to explore Rotorua.

DAY 5

Ride the Whakarewarewa Forest Loop

Today we ride straight from the accommodation. The Whakarewarewa Forest Loop is a one-way loop that circumnavigates the forest otherwise known as the Redwoods. This 35km trail gets great views of Lake Rotorua, Tikitapu, and Rotokakahi. The trail is grade 1-2 with easy to moderate climbs and flowy descents. This is a pretty relaxing ride with anywhere between 2.5-4 hours in the saddle. There are opportunities to stop for coffee and a swim mid-way and there are also other routes that we can take depending on the group. The forest loop is made up of 27km of single track with a path back to town to close it off. There are a few other options within the forest to keep it single-track the whole way. That’s another one of the benefits of having a local guide.

 ACCOMODATION: Rotorua Twin Share (single sup available) RIDE TIME: 2.5-4 hours DISTANCE: 35 km CLIMB: 850 metres DESCENT: 850 metres MEALS: (B,L,D)

DAY 6

Ride Whakarewarewa or Upgrade to a Heli bike trip

After the breakfast of champions this morning we’ll head into Whakaewarewa  Forest. This forest captures everything that North Island riding is all about – tight, winding single track through lush sub canopy tree-ferns and incredible native forest and pine forest. On trails like this, even when you’re riding slow, it feels like you’re going fast!

If you are into something a little more adventurous, ask us about our HeliBiking add-on.

ACCOMMODATION: Rotorua Twin Share (single sup available) RIDE TIME: 4 hours  DISTANCE: 15-25 km or more if you’re up for it. CLIMB: 300-800 metres MEALS: (B,L,D)

DAY 7

Depart

Today is the last day of your North Island riding adventure with us. We hope you’ll have enjoyed your time here, having ridden some of the best trails in New Zealand and taken in the best scenery on the planet in the process. Our specialty is first class guiding, being welcoming hosts, taking care of all the logistics and nitty gritty details, and ensuring it’s all done in style. We’ll send you home relaxed, refreshed and looking forward to the next epic ride.

OPTIONAL
​Heli biking in the Kaimanawa Ranges – $800

Things are always better when you introduce a helicopter into the mix, and the fun factor is ramped up even more when we’re dropped off in arguably one of the most scenic areas of NZ – and then we get to ride through it with absolutely no one around. After the chopper drops us into the mix, we’ll ride the purpose built single track through alpine and into pristine forest, traverse big bluffs, take on some grunty climbs and enjoy a lengthy downhill descent to the end the trip on a high. It really is the jewel in the crown of New Zealand riding and the ultimate way to round off our trip.

TOUR DEPARTURE DATES

Departure dates

Ask us if we have any departure dates that suit your travel dates and we’ll see what we can do!

Available dates 2025:

December 14-20 (Waitlist only)

Available dates 2026:

January 11-17

February 8-14

March 8-14

April 12-18

October 11-17

November 8-14

December 13-19

Available dates 2026/27 Season:

October 11-17 | November 8-14 | December 13-19 | January 10-16 | February 14-20 | March 14-20 | April 11-17