Exceptional Mountain Biking Trails Abound

New Zealand “boasts exceptional mountain biking” according to Men’s Journal, which includes a feature on our best trails, saying that local “fat tyre offerings are too often overlooked by adventure-seekers rushing toward the beach or the Southern Alps.”

“The centre of the scene on the South Island is the stately university town of Dunedin, which provides access to the country lanes of the Otago Peninsula, which in turn give way to a web of trails that run from slightly bumpy to full-on technical.

“‘I love the remoteness of the ride, despite the fact we are only a few minutes’ drive away from Dunedin,’ says Nick Beekhuis of Off Track Mountain Biking, which leads visitors up paved roads through Perendale Sheep-covered hills and down grassy chutes.

“[North, in Rotorua] the town’s bike madness is a relatively recent development that seems unlikely to abate. That enthusiasm has everything to do with the 130km of single-track trail cutting through the nearby Whakarewarewa Forest.

“If New Zealand is defined by natural gifts, its people’s desire to saddle up is certainly one of them.”

Original article William Gurstelle and Karen K. Hansen, Men’s Journal, February 19, 2014.

Photo by Getty Images.