By Ryan Spates and Susan Stormer, BikeTexas Trail Doctors

We took a two-week vacation down under to visit New Zealand during the beginning of April. As the country is located in the Southern hemisphere, everything is reversed including the seasons (April is going into fall there) and the constellations (Orion was upside down, very strange.)

Stranger still was driving on the left side of the road, due to the fact that New Zealand is a British Commonwealth. When you throw in driving a stick shift car using your left hand because the steering wheel is on the right, we definitely knew we were far from home!

But one thing we found that made us feel right at home was a sweet bicycle trail system that put a big smile on our faces.

We went on two different trail rides during our time there and got enough of a taste to realize we want to return for more in the future. The World Mountain Bike Championships will be held in Rotorua later this year, if that tells you anything about the quality of trails to be found in this beautiful country.

Our first ride was the epic 42 Traverse, a 42 kilometer (and then some) trail that wound throughout the Tongariro National Forest on the North Island. The scenery in the area is spectacular, and one of the mountains nearby was featured in the film The Lord of the Rings—so we cycled in the shadows of Mount Doom.

The trail was mainly composed of fire roads so the riding experience itself was not always technically interesting, but there was enough elevation change and high-speed descents to keep us on our toes for most of the ride. By the end of the day we had ridden about four hours and spent an additional two hours sightseeing, having snacks or fording ‘creeks’ (more like rushing rivers) to complete the ride. The pub in the small town where we finished up was a welcome sight, and we enjoyed some burgers and beverages while waiting for our shuttle ride back to the lodge.

Later in the trip, we managed to get some recommendations for a good ride on the South Island in the beautiful town of Wanaka. We rode our full-suspension rental bikes from the hostel where we stayed through town and out to the Sticky Forest. There, we encountered some of the best designed and fun trails we’ve ever ridden. The ride was so enjoyable we hardly know where to begin describing it.

Spectacular views, check.
Dark primeval forest, check.
Swooping, flowy, sustainable trails, check.
Mile after mile of never-ending fun, check.

Along with our good friend Ted from Austin, the three of us giggled like little kids in a candy store as we sampled all of the various well-marked trails that were laid out for all to enjoy. There were trails for beginners all the way through super-advanced riders, with huge jumps and stunts for those who were brave enough to try. There was even a feature we’ve never seen before, a literal corkscrew in the trail that utilized a bridge to cross over the section that you had just ridden; it was possible to stay on your bike to gain several feet of elevation in a very small area and then continue climbing up the mountain.