Queenstown and Wanaka: Top of the Pile

This place is almost too easy to fall in love with; the setting is breathtaking, the town has a buzzing, outdoorsy vibe, it’s big enough to have all the facilities, small enough to get around without a car… And it has an absolute tonne of world class mountain biking right on its doorstep.

We spent four days getting just a sniff of what this place has to offer. It’d be overstating things to claim we even scratched the surface of all the riding, but we did get enough of taste to make us wonder why the hell we, and other Australian mountain bikers, aren’t making this trip an annual journey.

A gondola-lifted bike park, heli-biking galore, superb shuttled riding, endless backcountry epics, the best dirt jumps going, and it’s all just three hours flight from the east coast. So enjoy the vid, soak up the images, and begin making some plans to get your family, your mates, your crew across to Queenstown.

Skyline MTB Park is literally on top of town - the gondola runs from just 100m from the main street. — Skyline MTB Park is literally on top of town – the gondola runs from just 100m from the main street.

Another perfect corner. Get used to them!

There's a real variety of trails in the Skyline MTB Park, from the buff and groomed, to the steep and loose. — There’s a real variety of trails in the Skyline MTB Park, from the buff and groomed, to the steep and loose.

Rude Rock is one of many killer shuttle-able trails that run from Coronet Peak, about 20-mins outside of Queenstown.

Flow Mountain Bike - Queenstown and Wanaka 10 — Oh god.

Flow Mountain Bike - Queenstown and Wanaka 20 — Scenic much? Rude Rock is an incredible trail.

Wanaka, about an hour from Queenstown, might be the prettiest town in existence.

The Millennium Track is a 30km out-and-back along the shores of Lake Wanaka, with views like this the entire time.

No trip to Queenstown would be complete without flashing (and riding) the Shotover Jet maniac canyon boats.

Dropping in! The Shotover Canyon Swing is classic fun. Terrifyingly classic fun.

Queenstown is also home to one the most famed dirt jump parks on the planet, the Gorge Rd Jump Park.

No trip to Queenstown would be complete without some heli-biking. Greg from Fat Tyre Adventures guided us for a run down Crown Peak. Mammoth stuff!

Flow Mountain Bike - Queenstown and Wanaka 98 — Greg’s done approximately 500,445,499 heli-biking trips, he’s your man.

This is the kind of elevation you get with a chopper. Save your energy for the descent.

Flow Mountain Bike - Queenstown and Wanaka 30 — The lower reaches of the Crown Peak heli-drop take in some 100+ year old mining trails that cling to the canyon walls.

Flow Mountain Bike - Queenstown and Wanaka 57 — Cheers, Queenstown! It’s been special, let’s do it again soon.

Keen to do this trip yourself? We recommend:

Air New Zealand for direct flights and staff who’ll look after your bike like they own it.

Skyline MTB Park for some kick-arse trails.

Vertigo Bikes for quality bike hire and excellent guiding.

Fat Tyre Adventures for a variety of incredible heli-biking trips.

Queenstown Bike Taxis for all your shuttle services.

Pinewood Lodge for the great bike-friendly rooms, right next to the Skyline gondola.

Edgewater Resort for the great rooms in Wanaka.

Shotover Jet, Shotover Canyon Swing and the Skyline Luge for a break from the bikes.

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