Six days of enduro riding head to the very north of New Zealand’s South Island this Saturday for the 2026 edition of the NZ MTB Rally.
Saturday 14th March sees 120 riders starting their 6-day adventure in The Wairoa Gorge, winding their way through the best trails of the South Island to finish in Nelson City.
Day 1: The Wairoa Gorge
The NZ MTB Rally 2026 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: – Silvan and Richmond Hills
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 – Kaiteriteri
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 on KarmaKaze-Treehugger, a grippy, technical, fun trail in the Kaiteriteri Bike Park all the way down 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
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
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
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.
