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Heli-Biking in Queenstown/Wanaka NZ

2K views 3 replies 2 participants last post by  muzzanic 
#1 ·
Hi All, will be making my first trip to NZ in a few weeks-landing in country Sunday April 12th. I'll be traveling with my gf who is not a mountain biker but have a hall pass for one day of riding on the south island and one day on the north island (we'll be about a week on both). To maximize time, I was thinking of doing a morning heli-bike ride followed by a half day at QT Bike Park. I am an advanced rider who calls SLC, Utah home and have plenty of higher altitude and technical riding experience from riding the mountainous regions of Utah/Colorado and the southern desert meccas like Moab.

Any recommendations on which service to use for heli-biking? And which track offers most bang for the buck in the half-day category? If I plan to spend half the day at the QT bike park is Wanaka a realistic option or too much travel time? I could split my riding I suppose to half day heli, then half day at the bike park another day (I'll be needing to rent a bike while there).

I am looking into the heli-biking option as it sounds Rad and you only live once. But it is a little spendy. Are there van/4x4 shuttle options in the QT/Wanaka area that I should look into that are cheaper but offer similar riding experiences?

Thanks in advance for any beta. I would be happy to help anyone reading this plan a trip to Utah. :cool:
 
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#2 ·
How did it go?

Hi All, will be making my first trip to NZ in a few weeks-landing in country Sunday April 12th. I'll be traveling with my gf who is not a mountain biker but have a hall pass for one day of riding on the south island and one day on the north island (we'll be about a week on both). To maximize time, I was thinking of doing a morning heli-bike ride followed by a half day at QT Bike Park. I am an advanced rider who calls SLC, Utah home and have plenty of higher altitude and technical riding experience from riding the mountainous regions of Utah/Colorado and the southern desert meccas like Moab.

Any recommendations on which service to use for heli-biking? And which track offers most bang for the buck in the half-day category? If I plan to spend half the day at the QT bike park is Wanaka a realistic option or too much travel time? I could split my riding I suppose to half day heli, then half day at the bike park another day (I'll be needing to rent a bike while there).

I am looking into the heli-biking option as it sounds Rad and you only live once. But it is a little spendy. Are there van/4x4 shuttle options in the QT/Wanaka area that I should look into that are cheaper but offer similar riding experiences?

Thanks in advance for any beta. I would be happy to help anyone reading this plan a trip to Utah. :cool:
 
#3 ·
Had a great trip to NZ. Weather was not as cooperative as I had hoped. There was precipitation in QT during the first part of my stay including snow up high. The snow put a stop to the heli-biking idea, but weather cleared enough to do a half day of lift served at the QT bike park. Had a great time lapping Hammy and Thunder Goat as well as some of the blue trails. Great trails and awesome views from the top!

The next week I got a day of riding in on the trails in Rotorua. Once again weather tried to throw a monkey wrench with heavy rains Friday night into Saturday (we had planned to ride Saturday) but a little tweak in the plans found us riding mostly dry trails on Sunday. Rode with some folks who knew the trail system so got a proper tour. I think my favorite trail was Eagle Vs Shark.

New Zealand is an awesome country and I hope to get back for another visit some time. Note to self, don't wait so late in the year to go. Next time I'd shoot for Jan-March to help ensure more optimal riding conditions. Still had a great time!
 
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