Six days of the very best New Zealand has to offer gets under way this coming Saturday in Wairoa Gorge with day one of the NZ MTB Rally.
120 riders will start their 6-day adventure this weekend at the 2025 edition of the NZ MTB Rally.
NZ MTB Rally is a week-long enduro-format adventure, traversing New Zealand’s ‘undiscovered’ top-of-the-south region. Comprising world-class trails in a pristine backcountry environment, sandwiched between three national parks.
120 international competitors will complete a circular itinerary out of Nelson, taking in both historic tracks and IMBA gold-level bike-trails.
Amateurs alongside seasoned pros; this race is a bucket-list adventure as much as it is a competition….with properly rad logistics: if there’s a road, we’ll shuttle it. When that road gets rough, we’ll take our 4x4s. Where there’s no road at all, we’ll jump in our helicopters. And when there’s nothing but water…we’ll go by boat.
Who’s racing?
Whilst it’s a race, our expectations are that at least half of the 120 riders will be here for the adventure, awesome trails, beautiful scenery, and party vibes; not necessarily keeping a close eye on their finishing times.
And amongst these 120 riders are some serious competitors, 3 names seems to have a big chance to be found on top of the podium at the end of the week.
Matt Fairbrother
The young kiwi-grown adventurer has marked the spirit last year by not only completing the NZ Rally fully un-supported, but also winning the whole race at the same time. He’s back for this second edition, as a regular rider. Let’s see how fast he can ride when not exhausted after a 7 hours kayaking night.
Kilian Bron
He is probably the most famous French enduro rider, known for his creative line choices, and daring stunts in challenging terrains, in scenic & remoted area in the world to showcase them in breath-taking, high quality movies !
And if he’s really talented in producing amazing content, he’s also really fast ! He’s 4x winner of the Mountain Of Hell and twice second at Megavalanche Alpe d’Huez.
Sam Blenkinsop
He is a highly accomplished professional downhill mountain biker from New Zealand, renowned for his aggressive riding style and exceptional skills on steep, technical tracks. Sam will be representing our main sponsor, the Kiwi brand ZERODE Bikes.
The bets are on.
6 days adventure on the bike.
Day 1: The Wairoa Gorge
- 8 stages
- 28km
- -2700m
- +660m
The NZ MTB Rally 2025 kicks off with a thrilling first day of racing in the deep, rugged valley of the now famous Wairoa Gorge, a former private Bike Park build by a secretive billionaire in the 90’s for his private use. Riders battle through technical singletrack, with steep and gnarly descents, all of them hand-built over several years by a trail crew picked-out from amongst world’s best. The day ends with a cold beer and a well deserved BBQ on the finish line, right after the suspension bridge, while cheering at the last riders coming in.
Day 2: NEW – Silvan and Richmond Hills
- 5 Stages
- -2100m
- +450m
Riders who are coming back for the second year in a row will enjoy this new day for sure. Silvan Forest MTB Park offers an exciting mix of scenic beauty and flowy trails with panoramic views of the surrounding hills and coastline, the experience combines adventure with stunning natural landscapes, and of course, fully shuttled.
We couldn’t also dream of a better place to finish than this really cool amphitheatre with live music and barbecue facing the ocean and the next destination : Golden Bay.
Day 3: Golden Bay
- 5 stages
- 45km
- -2650m
- +780m
This third day will take the rider into the Abel Tasman National Park, to explore its dense native forest, through slippery and rooty single-tracks. Last stage of the day will take the rider to the beach of Kaiteriteri for a well deserved cold beer, enjoying the sunset on the next destination, on the other side of the bay, Cable Bay.
Day 4: Cable Bay
- 6 stages
- 26km
- -2100m
- +750m
Ready to set sail, matey? Today is boat-day, starting with a 80-minute sunrise boat cruise across to Cable Bay. An awesome experience, with breakfast and coffee served onboard to top off the experience, and if we get lucky maybe even a few dolphins to join the party.
And if you get a bit sea-sick, don’t worry, riding the amazing trails of Cable Bay Adventure park will heal you up in no time. With a perfect mix of flow and gnarly trails, hand-shaped between native and pine-trees forest, this place got everything for an awesome day of racing. Not to mention the quality of the feed station there.
Day 5: Heli Day // WAKAMARINA
- 3 stages
- -1350m
- +475m
Wakamarina trail is a must-do in Nelson area for all back-country adventure lovers ! And the adventure starts with an epic Heli-ride up to a tiny clearing in the middle of a wooded ridge, with no other option out than down an incredible single-tracks making its way between the black beeches, huge native ferns and crystal clear rivers !
Day 6: NELSON CITY
- 5 stages
- 31km
- -2700m
- +600m
The final day showcases the best of the riding around town, straight from and to the accommodation in the city centre to discover all the amazing trails built and maintain by Nelson MTB Club.
Riders race towards the finish line, knowing they’ve conquered one of the toughest MTB challenges in the world. The event concludes with a grand ceremony and party, celebrating both the winners and the incredible achievements of all participants.
Keep tabs on this year’s NZ MTB Rally by following the race on their Instagram page here.
