Mountain Biking

1 of NZ's Great Rides
Rides for everyone

Grades 1 to 5
Cycling the vines

30+ cellar doors
NZ Cycle Trails

3 of the best

Guide

Biking

Mountain bike Marlborough’s epic high country trails and coastal ridges, road bike undulating routes at the edge of the sea, tour on long flat runs through vine-clad valleys or take the whole family biking along one of the region’s many rivers.

Marlborough boasts brilliant weather, stunning scenery and an abundance of acclaimed mountain and road trails, including a Great Ride and three Trails along the New Zealand Cycle Trail, Nga Haerenga.

This pedaller’s paradise has thrilling adventure, low key rides, and everything in-between.

Mountain Biking

Marlborough has a mountain bike track for every rider - from the narrow and steep to the wide and sedate, the hour-long jaunt to the multi-day mission. Whether you’re a learner or advanced, young or old, with an hour or a week to spend in the saddle, we’re sure you’ll find your mountain biking trail.

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Road Rides

Road biking in Marlborough gives you a choice of landscapes. Cruise along undulating roads at the edge of the sea or ride at pace over the long and flat straights of the glacial formed valleys, with vineyards as your sentry. If you’d like to do both, join a bunch in the Forrest Estate Graperide, a 101km race through Marlborough’s stunning landscapes.

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Family Biking

Take your kids to the Rarangi Pump Track for a fun little circuit by the beach, or to Conders Bend on SH6 for 6km of easy family-friendly biking through the forest. The Wither Hills Mountain Bike Park has trails for all levels, and for a family outing try a gentle cycle along the Taylor River reserve, before pancakes, coffee and smoothies at a riverside café.

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Gravel Grinds & Cyclocross

Marlborough provides rich terrain for intrepid cyclists who want to see the world by wheel. Gravel Grinds are road rides off the beaten track, which take you on loops through amazing landscapes, on mountain bike, cyclo-cross or touring bike.

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Rider Blogs

Read first-hand experiences of keen riders checking out Marlborough's brilliant trails.

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Mondo Kopua Biking enthusiast

“The thing I love about Marlborough, which you see when you cycle it, is the diversity of the landscape. We’ve got high country like up the Awatere Valley, then the Richmond Range, the Marlborough Sounds and all the rivers. Personally I’m an open country, high country farm sort of person. I love getting up in the hills.”

My insider guide to Marlborough

Kanuka Trail

A new addition to the many mountain bike trails on Picton's Victoria Domain, is the Kanuka Trail.

Starting from the Snout Track carpark, this Grade 2 (intermediate) two-way trail takes mountain bikers on 3.5km journey to the snout peninsula. Along the way, expect to see some brilliant views over Picton and Queen Charlotte Sound so close to the water that you can wave to the passengers on the ferries cruising on past. About 200 meters before you reach the peninsula, the trail joins up with the walking track for the rest of the way (watch out for walkers on this section).

Getting to the trail:

The trail starts at the Northern end of the Westside mountain bike trail. To access the Kanuka Trail, you can drive to the snout track carpark via Sussex St in Picton (the last carpark before driving back down the hill) or you can set off on your ride from Picton via the Marina to Reservoir Track, then onto the Ridgeline Track (or via the road).

Once at the snout carpark, you can then choose to take the Snout Track walking/biking section, or the Westside Bike Track (running parallel). After about 700 meters you can then veer onto the Kanuka Trail.

Caution:

The track can be narrow in places, including some steep drop offs along the way.