Kia ora, I’m Jamie.
I’ve been guiding and coaching since 2006 – in New Zealand and around the world. These days, I run New Zealand Mountain Biking from Rotorua, working with riders who want to get more out of their riding, whether that’s improving skills, riding better trails, or putting together a trip that actually works.
Because here’s the thing…
Mountain biking isn’t just about turning up and riding.
This is what riding with us actually looks like. Better trails, better skills, and a smoother experience from the moment you hit the dirt.
No wasted time. No guesswork. Just good riding.
Rotorua has over 100 trails. Across New Zealand, there are thousands more.
Most riders only ever scratch the surface – not because the trails aren’t there, but because they don’t know how to link them together, when to ride them, or how to match them to their ability.
That’s where we come in.
We don’t just take you riding.
We make sure you’re riding the right trails, in the right conditions, at the right pace – so the whole day flows.
You don’t just finish the session having had a good ride.
You leave riding better.
Coaching isn’t about standing in a car park talking technique.
It’s about making small, simple changes on the trail that you can feel straight away.
Whether it’s body position, braking, or line choice, we focus on what actually makes a difference – and build it into real riding.
So you can focus on riding, knowing someone’s thinking a few steps ahead.
I’ve spent years guiding in places where getting it wrong has real consequences – from remote backcountry trips to expedition-style travel.
That experience shapes how we run everything.
We read conditions.
We adapt plans.
We manage risk without killing the fun.
If you’re coming to New Zealand to ride, Rotorua is the place to start.
The trail network here is world-class, but more importantly, it’s the fastest way to dial in your riding before heading further afield.
Ride here first, get your skills and confidence sorted, then go explore the rest of the country properly.
For some riders, it’s a half-day guided ride or a coaching session.
For others, it’s building a full trip – working out where to go, what to ride, and how to make it all come together.
That’s where we can help beyond just the riding by planning itineraries as well as running them.
At the end of the day, it’s simple.
We want you to:
If that sounds like what you’re after, we’ll see you out there.
With many years of collective experience in our team, we’ve worked with AdventureMark New Zealand to put in place solid safety protocols and training for our guides to ensure that our trips are run with the highest level of risk management and safety management preventing incidents. With Jamie being a medic and First Aid trainer the staff here are currently in the BEST practice to ensure you have a good time!
Being a backcountry operator, we also have a range of equipment, and the training to use it, available to get us to safety as quickly as possible if things go wrong. We don’t just rely upon our own experience, we update our wilderness first responder first aid knowledge regularly and do practice runs to keep us on our toes, current, and at the top of our field!