Adventure Riding in NZ

Ride Out to Flat Point

Any excuse for a ride out.

Have a job at a batch out at Flat Point. Required 4 motorcyclists to check it out.

Road bash over Remutakas and out to Te Wharau junction.
Road out from Te Wharau is a fast, smooth, wide access road, till you get to the top of the hill and start downhill to Flat Point. Here the gravel was thick and difficult.

Rode to the job, sighted what I needed to and then we shot south to Craigie Lee Road. An easy climb up and out back out to Te Wharau. Turning right here to travel over Kaiwhata and Homewood out to Riversdale. Great piece of road this, easy and fast gravel, quite well groomed at the moment.

Lunch at Riversdale and back onto tar seal to Waihora Forestry Road.
Here the fun begins, took a side road (loose term, track really) up Everest. Creek crossings, mud, mud and mud. Not quite single track, took an hour or so exploring here. Nothing on the KTM 1290 SAR is designed for this, just saying.

Back on the main track, more mud and channels in the usual places. Apart from these bog holes in the track, still in pretty good shape considering logging is currently happening.

Out to Puketiritiri Road (gravel) to Masterton Stonvar (sealed), to Wainuiora School and Westmere Road. Then a very clipped pace out to Te Wharau Road (smoke stacks).

Refreshments at The Buckhorne Pub, Carterton. Open fire going.

Thereafter, a quick romp back over the Remutakas and back home.

Not a lot of spectacular views this trip, so much forestry happening. Difficult to recognise landmarks of the past.

Wairarapa Coast Rideout

A great ride out to White Rock and Tora via Tuturmiri. Starting out from Remutaka Z in the rain, over the Remutakas, by Featherston not a rain cloud in the sky. A great warm day. Returned journey back into the rain on the Remutakas though.
First stop at the Café in the field opposite Range Road/White Rock Road. I'll get its name next time. A nice spot.
The White Rock and Tora Roads were in exceptionally smooth flat track condition. If it weren’t for the potential traffic!. Tora Road was very busy.
We also decided to traverse two short in and out tracks off White Rock Road. Not done them in a while. Kaiwaka Road & Cape River Road were also in good condition after recent flooding.
277km Remutaka Z to Remutaka Z.

Kings Day Taihape Rideout 2025

This is a 3 day adventure up to Taihape on Saturday, Rideout loop to Blue Duck Café on Sunday and back to Wellington on Monday.

Day 1

We grouped at Ashurst after a dash up State Highway 1. From here we set out for Taihape covering a lot of gravel roads such as Midland, Zigzag, Ridge Road in its entirety, Pohongina through to Umutoi. From Limestone we zigzagged our way up Auputa, Kawhatau Valley, Potaka Road, Omatane South Road, Gorge Road, Torere and through another very wet and slippery paper road Kotukuraeroa to Pungatawa and around on that race track Waikakhi Road, then a few refreshments at our local guides home and through to Taihape.

2 Beavers Rideout

Top of South 4 day adventure ride. Friday morning ferry to Picton, Monday afternoon ferry back to Wellington. 4 bikes, 3x KTM 690R’s & a KTM 890R

DAY 1: To Culverden. Bluebridge ferry over to Picton. Down to Blenheim and State Highway 1 to Redwood Pass Road. Taylor Pass Road is closed at this point. See photo for dates closed. Back onto State Highway 1 to Seddon. Then back up the road to Awatere Valley, Molseworth Road. Down Jollies Pass Road onto pavement, through Hamner Springs and onto Culverden. Stayed at Culverden Hotel, great place, fantastic menu, free breakfast.

DAY 2: To Reefton. Leaving Culverden travelled back through Hamner Springs up Clarence Valley Road to Tophouse Road and onto Rainbow Road. Stopped at Lake Tennyson and then north up to the Ranger Station. Got a tour of the Ranger’s House. Cobb walls are 19” (483mm) thick. Original cottage is still part of the house. From here we carried onto State Highway 63 and refuelled at Saint Arnaud. Compulsory stop off at the wharf and visit the eels here. Then rode just West up the road to Porika Valley Road (recently graded, if you call it that) and over the top to Braburn Track and onto Tutuki Road North, onto Mangles Valley Road to Murchison.

Here we partook in a helicopter ride with Murchison Heli Tours. Flew over the second biggest Park in NZ. Kahurangi National Park at 5193 km2.

DAY 3: To Nelson. Leaving Murch, we travelled South down to Six Mile and onto Maruia Saddle to Burnbrae. Back up State Highway 65 and through the gorge back to Murchison. Refuelled, travelled back over Mangles Valley Road & Tutaki Road/Braeburn Track and North up Gowan Valley Road to Gowanbridge and State Highway 6 and up to Tadmor-Glenhope Road, emerging out at Tadmor. A quick road ride up to Tadmore Valley Road and onto Tapawera Baton Road to the river crossing at the road end and pedestrian swing bridge. After crossing Baton River at this point, we joined onto Baton Valley Road to wind up to the West side of the Motueka River up to Woodstock and over to Dovetale Road/Pigeon Valley Road onto Wakefield for refreshments. From Wakefield we rode Church Valley/Pig Valley Roads and up the Old Mill/Ben Nevis Roads up to the Mountain Bike Park entrance. Backtracking down to met Wairoa Gorge Road to ride to Lee Valley Road and onto Brightwater and onto Tahunanui for the night.

DAY 4: Home . Leaving Nelson after an early start to find nothing open (except a bakery) for breakfast. We rode up Maitai Valley Road to Maungatapu Track. Over Maungatapu Saddle to Maungatapu Road to Pelorus Bridge. A short road ride to Canvastown and turned up an in and out road called Wakamarina Road out to Butchers Flat Campsite. Also called into the Pear Tree Flat on the way out. From Canvastown we road to Havelock and Queen Charlotte Drive to Picton and the return Ferry.

What a great 4 days, just over 1000km.

Could make a 2 day trip of down to Culverden via the Molesworth and back up Rainbow Road the next day.

Rock Buster Rallye 2025

Piggy backed onto this South Island ride with a group of friends basically after it was organised.

Was extremely well organised by Reid. Significant time beforehand and during the tour had been invested by Reid.

9 days of riding, 2600km in total.

The roads listed are not all the roads we travelled. Some of the group did their own ride for the day.

DAY 1 : To Reefton. From Picton to Blenheim, Porika track, Braeburn Track, Mangles Valley to Murchison, Marua Saddle, West bank Road to Springs Junction to Reefton for the night.

DAY 2 : To Moana. Reefton to Blackwater then in and out on the Big River track. Out to Ahaura & over Napoleon Hill & out to Highway 7. South to Nelson Creek Road & onto Moana ( Lake Brunner) for the night.

DAY 3: To Fairlie. Circling Lake Brunner via Maori Gully Road to Dunganville, forestry roads south to Mitchells to Ichhbonnie. A road ride down through Arthurs Pass to Lyndon Road, Homestead Road, Coleridge Road (close to Lake Coleridge) onto Windwhistle. Onto Rakaia Gorge & a road ride to Lower Downes Road & an attempted river crossing. Very fast and flowing. Abandoned that. Onto Montalto down Coskers Road to almost Geraldine & onto Fairlie via the northerly loop route of Tripp Settlement Road, Orari Gorge Road, through Orari Station & Blue Mountain Station onto Lochaber Road & Meikleburn Saddle, Clayton Road & past Lake Opuha to Fairlie.

DAY 4: To Alexandra. Heading South from Fairlie, to Cricklewood Road, Limestone Valley , Waratah Road (Constant drizzle at this stage but cleared up after MacKenzie Memorial), onto Haldon Road to the Black Forest Farm track to Otematata. After lunch we headed south to Backyards Road following the Otematata Stream, up Chimney Creek & onto the Mt Buster tops via a very steep broken rock track, Walking Spur. We investigated several in & out tracks whilst on the tops. Crossed over Johnsons creek to Mount Buster Track & down to Naseby. From a road ride around to Blackstone Hill Runs Road, Thurlow, Auripo, Poolburn Creek, & onto Crawford Hills Road to Alexandra.

Based ourselves in Alexandra for 3 days.

DAY 5: Serpentine. A shorter day after bike maintenance. Road ride to Roxburgh East Road & up Write & Saunders race tracks through to Lake Onslow Road to a unnamed track to cut through to Sepentine Church. Long Valley Ridge to Old Dunstan Road & back to Alexandra via Crawford Hills again.

DAY 6: The Nevis. To Fruitlands, up Symes Road, across Old Man Range to Waikawa Bush Road, to Piano Flat/Whitecoomb/Canton Roads to Waikawa & onto Lumsden. Refreshments then onto Garston & up and over to the Nevis Valley Road to The Old Womans Range. Small off here, bike OK. But turned around here to ride down to the Bannockburn Road, turn right and head over Hawksburn Road to Clyde & Alexandra.

DAY 7: Back to Fairlie. Hawksburn Road up Carricktown track to Bannockburn to Cromwell. Over Thomson Gorge Road to Saint Bathans up & over Hawdun Runs Road to Omarama Saddle to Broken Hut Road to Omarama. After refreshments we road ride via Twizel to Haymen Road (running parallel to Lake Pukaki) to Braemar Road. Onto Lake Tekapo, Burkes Pass and Fairlie.

DAY 8:To Hamner Springs. To Mayfield to Mount Somers, Ashburton Gorge Road, Heron Road to Lake Heron to Double Hill Station Double Hill Run Road & onto Rakaia Gorge to Colgate. Malvern Hills Road & onto Oxford via Auchenflower Road. From Oxford up Lees Valley Road to turn off through MacDonald Downes Station, through Pyramid Valley & Limeworks Roads to Waikari & Medbury. Then a road ride up to Hamner Springs.

DAY 9: Home. From Hamner Springs up & over Clarence Valley Road to Tophouse and Rainbow Road. Sorry to say, we did not travel the Severn to Molesworth but carried on straight up to Highway 63. A quick road ride up Wairau Valley Road to Blenheim and Picton. Wait for the ferry and home.