Jeffgre_6163
Likes Dirt
My Wife, Son and I have just come back from a 3 week holiday in New Zealands South Island.
My wife and I are both Kiwis but had not been back for several years, in which time the growth in the Mountain bike scene has been huge. New Zealand has tried and succeeded in marketing itself as the worlds premier adventure destination particularly centered around Queenstown in the lower center of the south Island.
AJ Hackett set up the worlds first bungy jumping operation here, jet boats were invented in the south island for the common braded gravel rivers, the ski season is long and consistant, hiking and the pristine environment all being prime atractions
But our interest for the 7 days we spent Queenstown was the mountain biking which has recently had a lot of coverage in the Kiwi and Australian MTB press as becoming the Whistler of the south.
Has it suceeded?
Having never been to Whistler I find it difficult to comment but from I saw and experienced it is making a pretty good attempt.
The Queenstown MTB club with a lot of support from local council has produced some of the best riding I have every seen, from white knuckle world class DH with a gondola to get to the top, huge free ride and jump parks to beautiful high country XC, it has it all.
All set out on a map that will cost you $3.00 AUD from one of the many first rate bike shops
Queentown is a town of about 10,000 on the shores of lake Wakatipu. [Crystal clear, 50 miles long, freezing cold and 1380!!! feet deep in parts] ringed by steep mountains with ski fields 20 minutes drive away it makes a pretty cool destination.
Pumped full of powder hounds during winter and it seems, MTBers, hikers and general tourists in the summer
From the center of town to the top of the peak runs the skyline gondola, as of late Jan this year it has been opened for MTBs for access to the large number of fantastic DH runs in the Ben lomond forest.
Beautifully groomed Black diamond and double black DH runs, all clearly marked run like spaggetti down the hill to finish at the base of the gondola station. $70 kiwi dollars [approx $50 AUD] will get you an all day pass on the gondola with your bike.
Bike hire shops abound with all types of rigs available
Views from the top
Awesome
My son suiting up for a run
Lift off for my 12 year old son on one run
Scenery and single track
Fancy hitting the local jump park - no problem, its all free!
or maybe doing a little wood work at the Wynyard free ride park - these photos do not do this area justice, a 10 minute ride from downtown.
Is case you are wondering why we are not in any shots in this area, I'm 46 and sensible, my son is 12 and exactly the opposite but with his dad to control his exuberance
Helibiking. $270 AUD will get you a 12 minute copper ride, a bike, in my case a 2011 Giant Reign 2, 1800 meters of vertical decent over 18 kms from well above the snow line to a finish amoungst the vineyards at 200 meters asl
It is like riding on the moon at the top at just over 2000 meters
AWESOME
Franz Joseph Glacier on the west coast approx 300km from Queentown - 200 meters above sea level
The river is the Waiho and flows directly OUT of the glacier. The photo was taken at 4.00 pm, air temp was 13 degrees, river temp is around 0.5 degress C hence the mist rising off the river as the freezing [literally] water hits the relatively warm air
You DONOT want to fall in
My Trance X1 next to the river - full natural colours, no photoshop
I had to throw these two shots in.
Baldwin Street in Dunedin, a city 200km from Queenstown and is officialy the steepest street in the world, at its steepest it has a grade of 1 in 2.86, I had to have a crack.
Did I make it, sadly no, about 3/4 of the way up I could not keep a straight line or the front wheel on the deck.
If you are an Aussie, do your self a favour and jump on a plane.
3 hours from Sydney is riding paradise and at an exchange rate of 1.35 it bloody good value.
My wife and I are both Kiwis but had not been back for several years, in which time the growth in the Mountain bike scene has been huge. New Zealand has tried and succeeded in marketing itself as the worlds premier adventure destination particularly centered around Queenstown in the lower center of the south Island.
AJ Hackett set up the worlds first bungy jumping operation here, jet boats were invented in the south island for the common braded gravel rivers, the ski season is long and consistant, hiking and the pristine environment all being prime atractions
But our interest for the 7 days we spent Queenstown was the mountain biking which has recently had a lot of coverage in the Kiwi and Australian MTB press as becoming the Whistler of the south.
Has it suceeded?
Having never been to Whistler I find it difficult to comment but from I saw and experienced it is making a pretty good attempt.
The Queenstown MTB club with a lot of support from local council has produced some of the best riding I have every seen, from white knuckle world class DH with a gondola to get to the top, huge free ride and jump parks to beautiful high country XC, it has it all.
All set out on a map that will cost you $3.00 AUD from one of the many first rate bike shops
Queentown is a town of about 10,000 on the shores of lake Wakatipu. [Crystal clear, 50 miles long, freezing cold and 1380!!! feet deep in parts] ringed by steep mountains with ski fields 20 minutes drive away it makes a pretty cool destination.
Pumped full of powder hounds during winter and it seems, MTBers, hikers and general tourists in the summer
From the center of town to the top of the peak runs the skyline gondola, as of late Jan this year it has been opened for MTBs for access to the large number of fantastic DH runs in the Ben lomond forest.
Beautifully groomed Black diamond and double black DH runs, all clearly marked run like spaggetti down the hill to finish at the base of the gondola station. $70 kiwi dollars [approx $50 AUD] will get you an all day pass on the gondola with your bike.
Bike hire shops abound with all types of rigs available
Views from the top
Awesome
My son suiting up for a run
Lift off for my 12 year old son on one run
Scenery and single track
Fancy hitting the local jump park - no problem, its all free!
or maybe doing a little wood work at the Wynyard free ride park - these photos do not do this area justice, a 10 minute ride from downtown.
Is case you are wondering why we are not in any shots in this area, I'm 46 and sensible, my son is 12 and exactly the opposite but with his dad to control his exuberance
Helibiking. $270 AUD will get you a 12 minute copper ride, a bike, in my case a 2011 Giant Reign 2, 1800 meters of vertical decent over 18 kms from well above the snow line to a finish amoungst the vineyards at 200 meters asl
It is like riding on the moon at the top at just over 2000 meters
AWESOME
Franz Joseph Glacier on the west coast approx 300km from Queentown - 200 meters above sea level
The river is the Waiho and flows directly OUT of the glacier. The photo was taken at 4.00 pm, air temp was 13 degrees, river temp is around 0.5 degress C hence the mist rising off the river as the freezing [literally] water hits the relatively warm air
You DONOT want to fall in
My Trance X1 next to the river - full natural colours, no photoshop
I had to throw these two shots in.
Baldwin Street in Dunedin, a city 200km from Queenstown and is officialy the steepest street in the world, at its steepest it has a grade of 1 in 2.86, I had to have a crack.
Did I make it, sadly no, about 3/4 of the way up I could not keep a straight line or the front wheel on the deck.
If you are an Aussie, do your self a favour and jump on a plane.
3 hours from Sydney is riding paradise and at an exchange rate of 1.35 it bloody good value.
