MTB Lifestyle
Jun 6, 2025
Big weekend in Rotorua
Whakarewarewa Forest near Rotorua is not that big. Only about six kilometres from one side to the other, and not much longer than that north to south, it contains hundreds of kilometres of forestry roads and trails for walking or running, horse riding, and best of all, bike riding.
May 30, 2025
Coronet Loop is a great day out
One of the best bike days I have been lucky enough to score this year, and there have been a few, was away down south near Queenstown. The Coronet Loop is a fifty kilometre trail best accessed from Arrowtown.
May 1, 2025
Selective Memory
I assured Mike that the Paparoa climb the next day was not as hard, and we woke in Punakaiki to a bluebird morning, ready to go. From the start, the trail was nothing like my memory of it.
Apr 4, 2025
Fresh trails are hard to beat
Even when the principal activities are sitting around looking at a stonkingly beautiful view, and then wandering out into it, there are a some things that are arguably better.
Nov 19, 2024
Tasmania: an Nzo Field Trip
In late spring, Nzo took a long-overdue trip to Tasmania. The party was Craig and me, and we were heading to Tassie to have a look around and do some bike rides.
Aug 2, 2024
The Paparoa Track
I got to experience the Paparoa Track on a recent trip to the top of the South Island, and I can't wait to go back and do it again. We were camping on the West Coast in the otherworldly little settlement of Punakaiki, at what must be one the top five campsites we have ever parked up in.
May 3, 2024
Top of the South
Almost two months since I reckoned I would report on a recent mountain biking trip in this blog, I am only now getting around to it. I am getting to it now because we are sitting in our little caravan in a tiny but excellent campground while the weather goes from bad to really bad.
Nov 13, 2023
New Zealand's latest great mountain bike ride.
Kaimanawa Alpine Adventures is launching an unforgettable new back-country experience from their base off the Desert Road south of Turangi. Last weekend a dozen lucky riders took the trip, and everybody agreed it was one of the highlights of their mountain biking careers.
Jan 27, 2023
First World Problems
We currently share a house with my very inspiring brother-in-law. He is 84, and right now he is training for a South Island bike trip he has signed up for. In general he is one of the more positive people I have ever met, but he is also given to being glass-half-empty on certain subjects.
Mar 31, 2020
Beating boredom
Hi there from Lockdown! We are entertaining ourselves by keeping an eye on your orders, and reading the discussions on social media about what constitutes responsible outdoor exercise.
Oct 18, 2018
Like a road race, only crunchy
As the seasons roll by the motivation to enter stuff gets harder to muster. Unless there is a damn good reason, it’s easier to just go for a ride. The Dirty K is a damn good reason