7-Day South Island Dirt Seeker MTB Tour

7-Day South Island Dirt Seeker MTB Tour

Get ready for an epic MTB adventure of world-class trails and jaw-dropping scenery as we explore the beautiful South Island, from Christchurch to Queenstown, taking in the best riding hotspots along the way.

It’s an early start on Day 1 as we meet at 7am for breakfast at our Christchurch accommodation before making our way, bikes on the back, to some riding.

In the evenings on the tour you are welcome to relax at the accommodations, rest your legs and soak in the local hot tub(s), cook in, eat out, or have a beer.

As you build your tour online, you will see some extra activities available – none of these are compulsory. Not sure which activities to choose? No problem. Once you’ve paid a deposit and secured your seat you can add activities anytime until 45 days prior to departure.

Activities can also be purchased on the road – just let your tour guide know, they’ll be more than happy to help. You can also opt to stay at our Christchurch accommodation the night before tour.

Itinerary

Day 1: Christchurch to Castle Hill

Stop At: Haka Lodge Christchurch, 518 Linwood Avenue, Woolston, Christchurch 8062, New Zealand
Kia ora, and welcome to New Zealand, where you’ll find some of the best mountain biking anywhere in the world!

We kick things off early, meeting at 7am in the lounge of our Christchurch accommodation, where your guide will have set up continental breakfast. Over breakfast your guide will introduce everyone to the group and run through everything you need to know to get started. And then getting started is exactly what we'll do!

Duration: 12 hours

Stop At: Christchurch Adventure Park, 225 Worsleys Road, Cracroft, Christchurch 8022, New Zealand
From a superb winding singletrack around Godley Heads, to tracks such as Flying Nun and Anaconda, you know you will be in for a treat on the perfectly built XC and DH trails that only the locals know. Today you’ll be rewarded with panoramic views of the Southern Alps, Banks Peninsula and the Pacific Ocean.

In the afternoon, we head to the Christchurch Adventure Park for some lunch and fun laps. After we have ridden our fair share of Christchurch’s best, we rally the troops and move onto our next destination: Castle Hill.

Duration: 12 hours

Stop At: 3458526, Castle Hill 7580, New Zealand
We’ll be staying at the epic Porters Lodge tonight, and dinner is included. Fancy an evening ride? There are some super fun trails near the lodge to keep you entertained until sundown.

Please note: Private accommodation upgrades are not available for this night of the tour due to the limited availability of accommodation in the area. In special circumstances other arrangements may be possible.

Duration: 12 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Porters Lodge

Day 2: Castle Hill

Stop At: Craigieburn Trails - Castle Hill, Castle Hill Drive, Castle Hill 7580, New Zealand
Today starts with a white-knuckle classic: the Craigieburn Edge, home to mystical limestone rocks and gold tussock.

This is a true alpine track, crossing 37-degree scree slopes, dipping in and out of bush.

Pioneered for ski tourism over 70 years ago, these trails were tackled by intrepid cyclists before mountain biking was even a thing!

If you want something more relaxed, there’s the newly constructed Hogs Back Track – a perfect blend of natural trails with berms in just the right spots for flow.

Tonight is your second - and final - night at Porters Lodge. Swap trail stories with your new mates over dinner (included) and be ready for more activities tomorrow.

Please note: Private accommodation upgrades are not available for this night of the tour due to the limited availability of accommodation in the area. In special circumstances other arrangements may be possible.

Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Porters Lodge

Day 3: Castle Hill to Wanaka

Stop At: Mt Hutt Bike Park, Rosehill Road, Mount Hutt 7782, New Zealand
It's difficult to leave these views behind, but today we track on to another picturesque South Island MTB haven: Wanaka.

En route we stop off at Mt Hutt for some fun laps on their beautiful network of flowing trails then head towards Geraldine for some lunch.

After lunch we drive along one of New Zealand’s most scenic roads, taking in views of Lake Tekapo and Aoraki Mt Cook before winding our way down to Wanaka.

Duration: 12 hours

Stop At: Wanaka New Zealand
Wanaka is a stunning lakeside town with some incredible bars and restaurants where you can kick back and scroll through the best pictures from your drive to upload to your social media
Duration: 12 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at YHA Wanaka

Day 4: Wanaka to Queenstown

Stop At: Sticky Forest, Unnamed Road, Otago 9382, New Zealand
We start today by riding from the hostel to the local Sticky Forest for some fresh morning laps through the pine trees. Once we’ve had our fill of fun we head back to the town for a bite to eat before loading the bikes onto the trailer and heading to Alexandra.

Duration: 12 hours

Stop At: Alexandra Bridges, Alexandra New Zealand
Alexandra is a one of a kind of out-of-this-world terrain. This is a mountain biker’s dream playground, with multi-line trails allowing riders to take it easy or take on gnarlier drops and rock lines, all within whooping distance of your fellow Haka companions.

Duration: 12 hours

Stop At: Pinewood Lodge, 48 Hamilton Road, Queenstown 9300, New Zealand
After Alexandra we make the short drive to Queenstown to check into the accommodation - your new home for the remainder of the tour. Your guide will show you around the town and point out the bars and eateries not to be missed.
Duration: 12 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Pinewood Lodge in Queenstown

Day 5: Queenstown

Stop At: Queenstown Bike Park, Hammy's Track, Otago 9300, Otago 9300, New Zealand
Waking up in the Adventure Capital of New Zealand is an experience in itself, with impressive scenery and colossal peaks towering over the energetic lakeside town. This MTB Mecca has a whole lot to offer.

We look to the skies and see New Zealand's first ever gondola-assisted bike lift, providing direct access to Queenstown Bike Park. Get your suspension ready and heart pumping; there will be no granny gears here! With over 26 world class mountain biking trails and varying terrain for all abilities, in amongst the pine trees of the Ben Lomond Reserve, Queenstown Bike Park boasts over 30 kilometres of tracks and a longest run of 6 kilometres.

A 450-metre vertical rise via the Skyline Gondola gives you easy access to one of New Zealand’s best mountain bike parks. Attach your mountain bike to your Gondola cabin at the Skyline Queenstown base and enjoy the leisurely uphill Gondola ride before detaching your bike and taking on the legendary challenges of the Queenstown Bike Park.

Please note: this is a scheduled day of rest for your awesome guide.

Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at Pinewood Lodge

Day 6: Queenstown

Stop At: Coronet Peak, Queenstown New Zealand
Today, we’ll show you some of our local favourites. The trails descending from New Zealand’s first commercial ski resort, Coronet Peak, are world class.

Rude Rock and the Zoot Track have been voted some of the top tracks in Queenstown by locals and visitors alike and, once you blast around and down them, we are sure you will agree! We might even save you from the uphill sections and cart you to the top so you can fly through the downhill without delay.

If you still want more gravity trails we can continue on to areas such as Remarkables DH and Gold Digger. Or for more chilled trails we can loop a few lakeside laps at 7 Mile. There are so many options it is endless, but we guarantee you will have a superb day.

This afternoon is also a great time to get some additional activities under your belt! Want to go up higher into the surrounding mountains? We totally recommend a heli-bike trip. If there’s one extra activity you are going to splash out on this trip, heli-biking is one of the most jaw-dropping and exhilarating activities you can do. Take to the skies to ride otherwise inaccessible trails and get all of downhill but none of the uphill. 100% awesome!

Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at Pinewood Lodge

Day 7: Queenstown

Stop At: Moke Lake Road, Queenstown New Zealand
Your tour ends this afternoon, but not before you've gotten through a morning of adventure! Queenstown is the perfect place to wrap up your Kiwi adventure.

One last scenic loop in the mountains to end the tour on a high: the classic Moke Lake Loop. This ride is filled with incredible views of several lakes, high in the mountains with some truly awesome scenery.

The options are endless: jump on one of Queenstown’s many adventure activities such as jet boating, bungy jumping, luging, skydiving or rafting, or give your tires another spin and shoot out around the extensive and impressive trail network over at 7 Mile Delta, just a short ride from Queenstown on the Awatea and Sunshine Tracks.

While the tour ends this afternoon, the fun doesn’t have to! Extend your stay at Haka Lodge here in Queenstown to keep the adventure going; there are many more magnificent trails around the area to experience and explore.

Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Extend your stay in Queenstown with an extra night