The Timber Trail | Piropiro to Ongarue Mountain Bike Trail

The trail heads off on a logging road before re-entering native forest on a flowing section of mostly uphill singletrack.Around 5km in (at the trail's 44km mark), the Maramataha Suspension Bridge swings into view. At 141m long and 53m high it’s not only an icon of the entire New Zealand Cycle Trail, but also a thrilling experience with its wobbly crossing over a tumbling gorge. This is a good place to spot the beautiful kererū, New Zealand’s native pigeon.The bridge signals the start of the last major climb – the steady ascent to Ongarue Tramway terminus. From here the trail follows the old tramway in a generally downhill direction, with the occasional short uphill.In places, the tramway cuts through sheer rock faces shrouded in thick native bush, seldom reached by the sun’s rays. And that means mud, so be prepared for the odd spatter on this section.Scattered along the way you’ll see remnants of the area’s logging past, and cross more bridges including the handsome 89m-long Mangatukutuku Suspension Bridge – a great spot for a picnic.Around 10km from the end is the Ongarue Spiral. The finer points of this engineering marvel are explained in the interpretation panel alongside, but suffice to say that it’s pretty loopy with the bonus of a spooky old tunnel. It is also truly unique, being the only bikeable railway spiral in the world. How about that?The trail continues to Ongarue, mostly downhill except for a couple of short pinches along the final section through felled forestry blocks and farmland.The official end of the trail is located in the middle of Ongarue township. At around the 82km mark you will pass Bennetts Road car park where you be collected by pre-arranged shuttle. The official end of the trail is 3km further away in Ongarue township where you can get a selfie with the official signage; shuttles can also collect you from here.Fit riders can cycle an extra 26km to Taumaranui via the Ongarui Back Road, the undulating and farmy Timber Trail Connection Heartland Ride that forms part of the world-famous Tour Aotearoa. This is a pleasant and possibly essential option for those who haven’t arranged shuttle collection back to town.