Taking a breather at Waharau Regional Park
Go straight to the ride schedule below.
For our fortnightly Sunday rides we’ve put together a list of our favourite Auckland venues, drawing on the collective local knowledge of the club, trying to offer a bit of something for everyone, and hopefully letting you ride somewhere new and maybe a bit different!
If you’re keen to venture further afield than Woodhill but aren’t keen on getting lost exploring by yourself at Riverhead or Hunua, then these will be the rides for you. The venues are all local, ideally less than an hour’s drive from Auckland CBD.
These rides are meant to be fun and informal – they’re social rides, not training rides – so we try to keep the rules to a minimum, however:
- Start time will be 9am so aim to arrive by 8:45am so you don’t get left behind!
- Ride time will be two to three hours, depending on group size, group fitness, hangovers etc.
- We aim to ride whatever the weather, so if it’s raining bring a jacket.
- If we do have to cancel, for whatever reason, notice will be posted on here and/or Facebook by 7am.
- As far as equipment goes, helmets are mandatory. Bring a puncture repair kit or spare inner tube and make sure your bike is well serviced and up to the job.
- Pay attention to the track grade. These give an idea of the minimum skill level required to enjoy the ride safely.
- Non-members are always welcome on our rides. If you enjoy them and keep coming back then expect someone from the committee to start politely asking you to join up.
Any questions, please email teamrides@aucklandmtb.co.nz.
Ride Schedule
29th January – Woodhill
Our appallingly wet “summer” has been doing wonders for the sandy trails at Woodhill, and as the Topli are away for a few months we thought we’d kick off this year’s rides with a visit to Auckland’s most popular MTB venue.
Meet outside the pro shop at 8:45am, look for the guys in club shirts.
Ride leaders: Jeremy Smart and Mike Mangino
12th February – Hunua
Challenging singletrack in gorgeous native bush, Hunua is always worth the drive. Even more so at this time of year when the tracks are fast and flowing. Expect a lap of the River Trail singletrack network and for those who are keen, either a ride up to the old National Downhill course, or round the Challenge Track.
Meet at Mangataphiri Dam car park. Travelling south on SH1, take the Papakura turn-off then head for Hunua Rd. 10 mins out of Hunua, turn left onto Moumoukai Rd. Follow the road up and over the hill (it changes to gravel halfway up) into the Hunuas, then down the other side to the Mangataphiri Dam car park.
Ride leader: Edd Ballinger
26th February – Exhibition Drive & Beveridge Track, Titirangi
The brand-new Beveridge Track is a walking and cycling track that climbs from the western end of Exhibition Drive in Titirangi, through the stunning native bush of the Waitakere Ranges up to the Arataki Visitors Centre on Scenic Drive. We’ll stop there for an ice-cream before returning the way we came.
The track is wide and gravelled, has a gentle gradient for the most part (there is a steep-ish, switchbacked 200m climb up onto the ridgeline) and offers beautiful views across both the Waitamata and Manukau harbours.
Kids are welcome on this ride as long as they have reasonable bike handling skills – we don’t want anyone disappearing off the side of the track into the bush! Hopefully the promise of ice-cream will be enough to encourage them up the climb. Expect a total distance of around 12km
Meet at the car park at the junction of Scenic Drive and Woodland Park Road.
Ride leader: Edd Ballinger
11th March – Riverhead – CANCELLED
A popular destination when Woodhill dries out and the sand gets too much, Riverhead Forest’s clay-based soil makes it ideal for summer riding. The forest is huge so the riding varies from finely groomed singletrack, to rutted Moto-X trails to forestry road slogs and can be intimidating to the uninitiated.
Meet at the Barlow Road entrance, next to the Moto-X club.
25th March – Maraetai
Our friends in the Puhutukawa Coast Bike Club have been hard at work over the last year or two crafting some awesome trails in Maraetai Forest. Similar to those found at nearby Whitford Forest, the tracks cater to a range of abilities but expect some technical and challenging riding. As always, it’s all rideable!
We’ll meet at the beach between 8:45 and 9am and ride into the forest along Rewa Rd.
Ride leader: Ta Mejdr
8th April – Royal Albany – CANCELLED
These tight, twisting and technical trails are tucked in the bush just behind Massey University on the North Shore. A dedicated band of trail-builders have been steadily developing the track network and thanks to them there is now nearly 18km of singletrack available for us all to use.
22nd April – Slater Road
Note that this ride is starting at 10AM – an hour later than usual.
Slater Road is a private forest usually used by the club as one of the venues for our race series. Similar terrain to Woodhill but with a very different feel, it’s absolutely riddled with primo singletrack. Owner Rob Garden will once again be setting a course and showing us round his back yard.
We’ll meet at 9:45am at Rob’s place, 45 Slater Rd. Drive out West as if you were heading for Woodhill but keep going, head through Parakai then look out for Slater Road on the left.
Ride Leaders: Rob, Jeremy, Tad
6th May – Waiuku
It’s a bit of a drive but the forest park at Waiuku is teeming with tracks. The terrain is similar to Woodhill and Slater Rd, with the sand base working in our favour at this time of year. Being situated at Port Waikato you get some spectacular views of the mighty Waikato River as it reaches the sea.
Follow these directions. We’ll meet at the Wilson Road South and Forestry Road intersection at the usual time (8:45am).
Ride Leader: Tad Mejdr
27th May – Royal Albany
Let’s try again! These tight, twisting and technical trails are tucked in the bush just behind Massey University on the North Shore. A dedicated band of trail-builders have been steadily developing the track network and thanks to them there is now nearly 18km of singletrack available for us all to use.
Meet at Massey University, in the car park furthest away from the main buildings:
Ride Leader: Edd
10th June – Te Aroha
So Te Aroha’s not quite a “local” ride, but it’s not that far south of the Bombays, and the trails are awesome.
Meet at 10:30am on Boundary Rd, next to the Te Aroha Domain. Expect a ride of around three to four hours.
Ride Leader: TBC
24th June – Hunua
Challenging singletrack in gorgeous native bush, Hunua is always worth the drive. Even more so at this time of year when the tracks are fast and flowing. Expect a lap of the River Trail singletrack network and for those who are keen, either a ride up to the old National Downhill course, or round the Challenge Track.
Meet at Mangataphiri Dam car park. Travelling south on SH1, take the Papakura turn-off then head for Hunua Rd. 10 mins out of Hunua, turn left onto Moumoukai Rd. Follow the road up and over the hill (it changes to gravel halfway up) into the Hunuas, then down the other side to the Mangataphiri Dam car park.
Ride Leader: TBC
