NZ South Island trip

[gusdawg]

Howdy all,
I'm planning a trip to NZ in January with a few mates, still a long way off but we're getting a bit of planning done early. We're going to fly into Christchurch, hire a car there and drive down to Queenstown. Anyone done a similar trip? What trails should we hit along the way, will have plenty of time so will be able to go off route a bit. Will also be trying to fit in a bit (heaps) of fly fishing as well. Cheers in advance for the help!

 

[slippy]

The drive out of Christchurch crosses (IMO) the most boring part of the South Island. I only tell you this so you don't think the whole island is like that.

Depends what sort of riding you're into but the hills to the south of town and Bottle Lake forest in Christchurch itself are worth checking out.

One of my favourite rides was through Naseby forest (middle of nowhere, but on the way).

Alexandra has more bike shops than it should and more trails than it should for a town its size.

Try and get to the north of the south island. Nelson is good and the Queen Charlotte track is phenomenal.

Also, this isn't an expense, it's an investment that will change your holiday: http://www.kennett.co.nz/product/classic-new-zealand-mountain-bike-rides/

 

[pink poodle]

Sounds like fun times in the making. If you get a chance, have a look here:

http://www.rotorburn.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?209-Travel

 

[gusdawg]

The drive out of Christchurch crosses (IMO) the most boring part of the South Island. I only tell you this so you don't think the whole island is like that.

Depends what sort of riding you're into but the hills to the south of town and Bottle Lake forest in Christchurch itself are worth checking out.

One of my favourite rides was through Naseby forest (middle of nowhere, but on the way).

Alexandra has more bike shops than it should and more trails than it should for a town its size.

Try and get to the north of the south island. Nelson is good and the Queen Charlotte track is phenomenal.

Also, this isn't an expense, it's an investment that will change your holiday: http://www.kennett.co.nz/product/classic-new-zealand-mountain-bike-rides/

Awesome, cheers for that mate. We'll be doing mostly enduro sort of stuff, hopefully get a bit of shuttling in but always happy to pedal to the top. I'll definitely be getting that book, looks like it's worth its weight in gold! Thanks for the tips.

I'll have to browse through that travel forum, didn't actually see that when I posted here!

 

[Mattydv]

If you go towards Dunedin, send me a PM. Lived there for '10-'12, can definitely point you in the direction of some great trails for Enduro/XC/DH.

Edit: Yep, Alexandra is quite nice. Roxburgh also has a few trails around it, but it's mountain biking at it's core - basically sheep tracks up and down grassy/rocky hills. I love that sort of riding, but there's ways to spend your time if you want to get to Q'town.

 

[Calvin27]

Wanaka was my favorite - 1 hour out of queenstown and easily reachable if you have a car.

The only other would have to be of course the Queenstown DH track (with gondola).

 

[nzhumpy]

Chch has some pretty good stuff in the Port Hills as well if you're there for a day or two, and check out Craigieburn on the way to Central.

 

[Ridenparadise]

For the fly fishing make sure you take some sinking head line and weighted nymphs and consider a shooting head setup. The water flows fast in most rivers and unless you get the fly down a bit you may miss out.

 

[QBT]

Craigieburn, My Hutt on the way down. Wanaka, and Alex are an hour out of Queenstown, so a good day trip while you're here. Dunedin on the way back up to Chch