Best Mountain Bike Trails in Te Apiti

Very difficult

16.5m

1100m

-345m

157h 46m

Distance: 34km returnElevation: 336m – 1,169mTime: Approx. 3 hoursGrade: Expert The ride:This popular Mountain Bike and Four Wheel Drive road offers an awesome and challenging way to access the top of the Ruahine Forest Park. Park your vehicle at the bottom of the road, and begin your ride with a reasonably gentle climb through farmland to a gate leading to the forest park, then on to a steeper gravel road, past regenerating bush and then up into scrub land. The trees thin out as you climb, until you eventually reach the summit. As you’ll be climbing to over 1,100m above sea level, it will get cold – even on a sunny day. The ride down is awesome but the wind chill factor is very high and if the cloud, mist or rain comes down it is extremely cold at this elevation. Takapari Road includes an 11km climb up to the DOC A-Frame Hut and a further 6km to the road-end. The road steepens and becomes rougher as you climb through shrub-land, and then becomes undulating as it takes you along the ridge. The road directly after A Frame hut is marginal for about 1km but is worth persevering on a clear day for the view over Dannevirke. Be prepared and take several layers of clothing, plenty to drink and high-energy snacks. As with all back country trips, tell someone where you are going. Facts:This is the only all-access public road which goes right up to the tops in the Ruahine Forest Park. The New Zealand Forest Service constructed the road in the early 1970s to allow access for planting, and it remains a popular road for mountain bikers and four-wheel drive enthusiasts. There are fantastic views from the tops; on a clear day you can see all the way to the coast. The forest changes from podocarp species, to pahautea, to leatherwood (tupare). The dominant vegetation in the area is dense leatherwood; it is part of the largest unbroken expanse of leatherwood forest in New Zealand. Plan and Prepare for your ride: Take warm clothing whatever the weather or season as conditions can change very suddenly at this altitude. Do not leave home without a minimum of windbreaker, long gloves, hat, and at least one layer of polyprop, if not a second layer. In winter a fleece layer is also recommended. The ride down is awesome but the wind chill factor is very high and if the cloud, mist or rain comes down it is extremely cold at this elevation. Tell someone where you are going. Watch for 4WD vehicles on the descent. This is a public road – all road rules apply. Ride safe. Make sure your drivetrain and brakes are in good condition. You will need some low gears on the way up and good brakes for the descent. Stay on the designated mountain bike track or roads – do not take short cuts.

OPEN

Intermediate

1.6m

53m

-181m

7h 33m

The newest addition to Te Apiti – Manawatu Gorge is Te Ara o Mahurangi, an exciting new downhill mountain bike trail. This trail takes riders on a fast-paced downhill ride through 2km of native bush, and is rated an intermediate trail, or level 3.This trail is the result of collaboration between the Te Apiti – Manawatu Gorge Biodiversity Project and the Manawatu Mountain Bike Club, who will continue to maintain this trail. Is not suitable for beginner riders due to some reasonably steep down hill sections. Currently this trail is best avoided after heavy rains as it can get very slippery.

OPEN

Intermediate

10m

937m

-148m

60h 3m

Wharite Peak is a mountain at the southern end of the Ruahine Range, 9 km north of Woodville in the Manawatu-Wanganui region of New Zealand. The mountain is home to the main television transmitter for the city of Palmerston North and the wider Manawatu region. The top of Whariti Peak is one of the highest vehicle accessible peaks in the North Island, there you can see from Kapiti Island all way to Mt Taranaki and if you turn around you can see all way from Hawkes Bay to Wairarapa.Remember that Whariti Road is a public road, so care needs to be taken and always stay to the left.

OPEN

Intermediate

5.8m

158m

-117m

159h 30m

This gravel-road ride affords you the rare opportunity to see both the wonders of nature, and the marvels of modern engineering. To glimpse the mighty wind turbines is an experience in itself, but to glimpse it on the back of a bicycle is one that you’ll never forget. The gargantuan blades of the windmills will seem in tandem with the wheels of your bike as you race down the magnificent dirt tracks. With its twists and climbs, this ride is not for the faint hearted, but will leave you with a sense of awe and accomplishment as the countryside lays itself out before you. Whether you take it fast and aim for a personal best, or you take it slow and soak in the beauty, this ride is a must. Don’t just see the Manawatu, experience it.