7-Day West Coast Magic

We will meet and greet at the depot in central Christchurch and take this opportunity to fit and adjust bikes for the week to come. Once that is settled, we get underway with our first ride as a warm up in nearby Burwood Forest park. That gets the pedals churning before we transfer out to Godley Head tracks for a bit more technical riding and a bit more grunty up and down. Eventually all good fun comes to an end and we transfer to nearby accommodation and a BBQ dinner to follow.

Meals: L,D

Inland towards Arthurs Pass is the Craigieburn Forest park, home of some great mountain bike rides. First off is the new Hogs Back track based out of Castle Hill village. This will leads us into Broken River and the cruisy single-track rides that follow. Where we get to will depend on you as rides get adapted to riders confidence and skills. In the mid afternoon we pack up and drive over the Pass into Westland and then onto Reefton. This is where we will be based for the next couple of nights.

Meals: B,L

The ride for today is the Charming Creek Walkway. This is a 20km ride through the Ngakawau Gorge. At grade 2 level its relative ease is more than made up for by the spectacular setting with swing bridges and tunnels, waterfalls and creek beds. With vehicle support we are able to get into position early with a relaxing 9km ride to the start of the track proper. Dependant upon the group skill set we should be able to enjoy spare time later in the day.

Meals: B,L

Based on our riding skills and fitness we have options aplenty. One of these option takes us back towards Greymouth and a puzzling variety of tunnels and canyons. At grade 3+ it will extend, delight and develop your skill levels, while the tunnels will just be plain delight. The West Coast is somewhat weather dependant, however with back up transport and two guides, there is definitely have capacity to follow the sunshine. In this case the pursuit of sunshine takes us over Lewis Pass (by vehicle) and into Hanmer Springs where we have a chance to soak in the hot pools and explore the nearby forest trails tomorrow.

Meals: B,L,D

Surrounding the township of Hanmer Springs are great tracks weaving in and out of the forest which make great riding. The trails are lower grade (grade 2) but have lots of opportunity for skill development and sheer fun. In the afternoon we either continue to find more fun in the forest – or for those wanting to do some uphill on unsealed roads, the Jacks and Jollies Pass loop beckons. The higher grade depicts the climb as the loop circumnavigates Mt Isobel before returning to town. Several other ride options are all made possible by our vehicle support so fear not if you are after more fun.

Meals: B,L

The finale of the trip awaits, with a 2 hour transfer delivering us to the Ashley gorge and a stunning ride over the gorge and through to the start of the Wharfdale Track. This old stock route through the beech forest is enough to keep you on your toes with a long and a short option to ride. At grade 3+ the riding will use your new fitness and skill set as you first cross the riverflats of Townsend River and then start to climb through the beech, and Manuka forests towards the first main summit. Numerous small stream crossings test your riding skills and expect to walk a few of these. As the descents start to smooth out, the riding improves and speeds up with a final blast out onto the pastures and the road end. After an additional 5 km ride we will find the access road and eventually we can rejoin the vehicle for a final ride back into Christchurch and our accommodation with a celebratory meal to finish.

Meals: B,L,D

All good things finish sometime and in this case today is about moving on after breakfast. We can assist with packing up bikes if required.

Meals: B