Bike the North Self Drive Itinerary

When you touch down in New Zealand your detailed documentation pack will be hand-delivered by one of our trusted representatives. You'll find everything you need in one handy place: your personalised itinerary, clear instructions and maps, and reservation details for your accommodation and activities.

24 Hour Assistance: We’re just a free phone call away if you encounter any issues while you're on the road - at any time of day or night. Don’t waste your precious vacation time stressing - First Light Travel are here to help you quickly when every second counts.

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Located approximately 45 minutes northwest of Auckland City, Woodhill Forest boasts some of the best trails in New Zealand and is a mountain biking Mecca, accommodating hundreds of riders in a typical week. The park offers something specifically suited for everybody and provides a host of facilities to complement your riding - this includes an on-site mechanic and service area complete with tools and spare parts, bike rentals, clean toilets, cold drinks, snacks, free up-to-date maps, changing rooms, an on site coffee shop along with riding clinics and regular races.

New tracks and tricks are constantly created at Woodhill. There is now close to 60km of mountain biking mania to immerse yourself in, with tracks all over the place, excellent signage and route markings make it very difficult to get lost here. The terrain is 90% single custom-built tracks serving up a delightful selection of goodies for all abilities, from easy flat tracks through to competition and insane event trails. It's not hard to see why it's one of the most popular mountain biking spots in the country and why so many riders flock here.

Woodhill Forest has over 50 named trails/courses which provide over 100 kilometers of single track riding and over 100 purpose-built jumps and stunts including our huge and pretty scary “North Shore” stunts. Grades 1 – 5

Rotorua, the heartland of New Zealand, is the host to some of the world’s most incredible earth forces. Surrounded by the unmistakable smell of bubbling sulphuric geysers, clouds of steam magically appear around the city giving it an incredible 'other worldly' feel. Here lives wonders like the Pohutu geyser, which erupts 20 times a day and can spout up to 100 feet. All around this geothermal hotspot there are spouting geysers boiling mud pools that bubble and belch and warm geothermal pools and ponds and hot spring bath’s that create a kaleidoscope of colour. With a deep-rooted Maori cultural heritage spanning from the 14th century, Rotorua is still considered Maori cultural centre of New Zealand.

Enjoy Two Days of Riding doing one or more of three very distinctive rides:

1) Whakarewarewa Forest - Grade: 1-4+

The Whakarewarewa Forest is a place where you can escape and unwind . . . or escape and energize! This Giant Redwood Forest has trails that weave their way under towering forest canopies of redwood, radiata, douglas fir, eucalyptus and larch. Riders are rewarded with stunning views through gaps in the forest of lakes, thermal activity and the looming bulk of Mt Tarawera. Take off deep into the forest, feel dwarfed by nature or just perhaps find quiet…. relax, there are a myriad of trails to choose. Alternatively with a high performance mountain bike, take speed through the trees on a undulating network of purpose built trails some are suitable for first timers but there are many suitable for advanced riders looking for extreme action with cross country or downhill.

2) Night Ride- Whakarewarewa Forest Night Ride - Grade: 1-4+

Night Ride - Discover another world in Whakarewarewa Forest, an amazing wildlife and single track experience. Cycle home on the thermal lake trail - surreal and spooky!

3) Lake Loop - Grade: 2+

"Out the back trails" near the magnificent Blue and Green Lakes - The 30km loop track around the lakes is very beautiful. One of the most amazing sights on this lengthy loop is seeing the popular Blue Lake then the undisturbed peacefulness of the Green Lake. After the days ride visit geysers and bubbling mud and sooth the body in the relaxing geothermal hot pools.

The Timber Trail

Winding between the tiny King Country settlements of Pureora and Ongarue, the 84km Timber Trail trail serves up a 1–2 day adventure in and around Pureora Forest Park – a mix of virgin, regenerating and exotic forest full of surprises such as ancient trees, delightful birdlife, and abandoned timber milling sites. Along the way, it reveals not only a landscape of awe-inspiring beauty and intrigue, but also stories of how this special place has changed through the ages.

Day 1: Take in the panoramic views from Mt Pureora on a clear day stretching as far as Mt Taranaki in the southwest, Pirongia - northwest, and the attention-commanding Mt Titiraupenga at a slightly northeasterly direction. The halfway point at Piropiro Flats Campsite provides the perfect opportunity to overnight, and replenish energy levels.

Day 2: Piropiro to Ongarue is where the big suspension bridges have been constructed to provide the opportunity to venture into the heart of the Pureora Forest, to see and experience the native birdlife, and if you’re lucky possibly even the odd deer. The lower end of the Trail gives you the opportunity to journey back in time, and get a feel for how life might have been for the loggers of the native trees. Explore the interpretive signs along the Trail for stories and images of this by-gone era.

Location: Tongariro Forest, National Park

Grade 3+, Distance 44 km

Rating: Hard, a good level of fitness required, ride includes 20km of hill climbs, 2km of technical downhill, 5-7 hours. This is one of the best mountain bike rides in New Zealand. The 42nd traverse is a 44km ride through the Tongariro forest with amazing views of the mountains and some awesome riding. The ride follows a four wheel drive track and crosses several streams and one river. There are some really awesome long downhill sections along the way with some picturesque river crossings, but also be prepared for the many unrelenting, muscle-wrenching, hill climbs en-route, that not only test you physically, but mentally as well. For the not so fit, some will eventually reduce you to walking. The scenery through the park is simply amazing, offering views on a clear day of the many volcanoes in the region. The 42nd Traverse is an exhilarating, rewarding experience and well worth the effort.

We know you will love our North Island Mountain Biking itinerary and our promise to you is to make your travels through New Zealand as hassle-free and hospitable as possible - ensuring that today you leave with a memory card full of photos, and huge smiles on your faces when recalling your time in New Zealand! Have a great homeward journey, farewell and hope to see you again soon in Aotearoa, New Zealand. 

Bon Voyage!

Approximate Distance: 170 km | 105 miles  Total Driving Time: 2 hours 15 mins