Fly In to Nelson (NSN) Airport. On Saturday 13th March we’ll arrange airport transfers leaving the airport  at (approx) 14h00. You can easily get a taxi to camp 1 (30 mins) or the city (10 mins), if you arrive at a different time. 

We recommend you arrive a day (or more) early, i.e. on or before Friday 13th March if you are flying (see ‘Air Travel With Bikes’, below).

Warm up rides and shuttles will be available from Nelson centre via our partners Gravity Nelson.

For the convenience of those who do arrive early and are already in town, we will arrange a coach transfer from Nelson City Centre at 13:00 on Saturday 13th March, to Basecamp 1

If you are arriving by car, please arrive to basecamp between 13:00 and 17:30 (no earlier, no later, please) on Saturday 13th March 2027.  We have arranged for parking at Basecamp 1 for the week of the event, included in your entry fee.  We’ll return you there by shuttle to pick up your car, the following Saturday morning.

Address details for our Basecamps will be provided in your rider registration pack

No-one wants to fly to an event, only to arrive at your destination to realise that your bike missed the connection.  Unfortunately, it’s always a risk, especially if you travel internationally with short or complicated connections. Flying into Nelson Airport is no different and since the planes that fly in here are small, the luggage capacity is limited.

We’ve consulted with AirNZ and the Airport Staff here and we are a little concerned that if 100 or so riders all fly into Nelson Airport on the same  Saturday lunchtime – some bikes risk getting left behind at the Auckland or Christchurch transfer and sent onwards to Nelson later.  (FYI this is not about baggage delays or mix-ups, it’s about the total hold capacity on each individual plane).

This can become a big problem, considering that we move camps regularly.  If you are really unlucky, your bike will be chasing you around the region all week and you will only finally catch up with it again as you return to the airport to fly home.

Aside from the above risk, there’s also jetlag to consider for anyone coming from further away than Eastern Australia.  We’re not pulling any punches for a big day on Day 1 of racing, so you’ll need to be feeling fresh from the get-go.  An extra day to chill out in Nelson City, build your bike, and meet your fellow racers, is gonna be a real bonus and likely will set you up for the whole week.

In summary, we recommend that you arrive in Nelson on (or before) Friday 13th March 2026, especially if you are flying international via Auckland.  You’ll need to arrange your own accommodation in Nelson City which is a short, low-cost transfer from the airport.

If you can, we’d recommended arriving via Christchurch, because this route tends to be quieter and therefore less chance of your bike getting bumped to a later flight.

Alternatively, you could always just risk it and fly in via Auckland, on Saturday 22nd March. You might not have any problems at all…but we urge you to think about how tough it will be for you on Day 1 if you are stuck without a bike.  

(Be aware that trying to source a suitable hire bike at short notice on Saturday afternoon from Camp 1 is basically, an impossibility).

IMPORTANT – whatever you do, you really must tell us your exact travel plans with flight details by January, ideally before. We have a special relationship with AirNZ who go above and beyond, to plan and track every single inbound NZ MTB Rally passenger.  They will even prioritise and re-route your bike via a 3rd-party NZ airport if necessary (at no extra charge) to make sure it gets here on time – but we can only do this if we know who you are, and the flight route you will take, well in advance!

The Race finishes in Nelson City on Friday 19th March 2027 at approximately 16h00.   Supporters are welcome to join us for beers, a swim and some major heckling across the final stage and finish line.

We’ve got an epic BBQ, afterparty and prizegiving ceremony planned at a Nelson City central venue.  Friends and supporting partners are welcome to join us (meal not included), as are self-supported riders, of course (BBQ is included, for you guys)!

Your accommodation on the Friday night is included in your registration (all-inclusive). You’ll will be spread over 2 or 3 city centre venues within 10 minutes ride of each other.

On Day 7 (Saturday) We’ll arrange a shuttle coach back to Camp 1 (40 mins drive) to retrieve any rider vehicles that were left there all week. This departs Nelson at 9:30 and has space for passengers only (the idea is you’ll pick up your car, then drive yourself back to Nelson to round up your bike / luggage / other members in your group).

We don’t offer a departure airport shuttle.  In previous editions we’ve learned that organising a return group-shuttle to Nelson airport is not very useful.  Most riders want to take extra time in Nelson, or have their own plans to move on somewhere else.  But if you do need to get to the airport, it’s only a 15-minute cab ride or there’s a regular public bus, that costs under $10.

Sleeping Bag: No, all our beds for the event include clean bedding, so you don’t need one.

Towel: We don’t provide towels, so yes, please bring one.  We recommend a lightweight / fast-drying travel towel.

Head Torch: Whist we are not camping, yes you’ll need a small head torch.  We some have early starts (twilight) and a small head-torch is indispensable in dorm-style accommodation.

Bring some swimming shorts too, because we’ll be making the most of our beautiful, natural swimming holes throughout the week….

…and on that note, make sure you bring fly-spray (the sandflies can be crazy at the finish of one race location), and sun cream (NZ sun can burn faster than anywhere else we know) and earplugs (if we could somehow identify and ban snorers, we would!  Unfortunately….well, there’s always one…..!)

This genuinely is THE most frequently asked question of all time…so here’s the truth of it (ignore this…only if you want to have a miserable week)

• Bike – We generally prefer bikes that have around 5-7″ (140– 180mm) of front and rear travel, although some of our hardier (younger!) crew prefer to use solidly-build hard-tails. It’s really a matter of personal preference.  Strength over lightness and a relaxed (slack head-angle) is ideal. 
• Tyres – Listen very carefully. Are you paying attention?  At least 2.3″ DUAL-PLY / DH / DOUBLE-DOWN / ENDURO+ reinforced sidewalls & casing are absolutely essential otherwise we guarantee you will be fixing flats every run.  Tubeless with some kind of rim-protection-insert is ideal, certainly we’d always run an insert in the rear wheel and especially so if you are a heavier rider.   (But this is in addition to a heavier, stronger tyre).  If you are really tight on airline weight limits, you could fly in ‘nude’ and order a pair of tyres from a local Nelson Store such as Gravity Nelson, for delivery to Day 1 base camp – see our Sportity App for address details).  They’ll be pretty much done by the end of the week, so you can ditch them again before you fly home.
• Brakes – 3000m+ descent a day is hard on the brakes!  No brake is “too much”, and your screaming forearms will thank you for a decent investment in your braking setup.  Most importantly, make sure your brakes are freshly-bled with new fluid, and new pads, before your trip. Large brake rotors are a superb upgrade (min 200mm front and rear for the average weight adult male rider, 220mm  if you are a larger build).
• Spare Brake Pads – At least 1 complete (front and rear) set, but be safe and bring two complete sets if you can.   Go for sintered pads since they handle the heat of long descents so much better.
• Spare Tube, Plugs, & Mini-Pump or Air Canisters
• Spare Mech Hanger – if it breaks during your trip, your bike will be effectively useless without a replacement.
• CamelBak / BackPack with usual riding spares (pump, multitool etc), large enough to carry a light jacket, snacks & min 1 litre of water.  Some days, eg the backcountry heli day, you’ll be totally on your own for at least 5 hours without access to feed stations etc.
• Packable Waterproof jacket.
• Usual summer riding clothes and shoes (i.e. shorts, short or mid-sleeved jersey).
• Extra base layers for cold days (unlikely, but never say never)
• Relaxed / comfy clothes for the evening
• Earplugs – essential for room shares, if you are a light sleeper
• Riding Shoes – Roadie-style lightweight clip-in shoes are not ideal for this terrain.  You’ll manage, but you’d be better off with some all-mountain style shoes, something with a decent sole and tread. (Flats or Clips are equally good, whatever your preference).   There may be short sections where you need to push the bike to get to the trail head and this is where you’ll be glad of a comfier shoe.   While you’re on the subject, if you ride XC-style clip-in pedals, ditch them for an all-mountain or DH style set, with a platform/cage.
• SunCream and Biting Fly Repellant: both are absolutely essential to survive a week out in the Kiwi Backcountry.  Don’t forget either !
• Travel Towel:  Unless you plan to drip-dry every day.
• Swimming Shorts: There’s Nothing better than taking a refreshing dip in our natural swimming holes at the end of a long hot day on the bike.

Our Minimum Mandatory requirements are:

• • Half-Lid approved cycle helmet
  • Knee Pads
  • Backpack, hip-sack or large water bottle(s) to carry min 600ml

Our recommendations are:

• Helmet – We’d STRONGLY recommend upgrading to an enduro-style  removeable-chin-bar model if you don’t have one already. Of course a DH /Full-face helmet is also welcomed, but be aware that you’ll need to wear this on the climbs, too.
• Gloves and any desired body armour – personally, we would not consider to ride these trails at any kind of pace without a spine protector and elbow pads, but if you are here mostly for the scenery then I guess that’s your call/risk.  However modern lightweight enduro-specific body armour is so comfortable that there’s little excuse not to really.  You are almost guaranteed to hit the ground hard at least once during the week. Just saying.
• Riding sunglasses or Goggles for protection against both the sun and foreign objects – note that much of the riding is in deep native bush so it can get pretty dark in there, even if its sunny.
• Some kind of splash-guard or front mud-guard is very useful if you want to keep mud and water out of your face and eyes.

This is a backcountry event, and that means we are often camped a long way from the nearest bike workshop.

We will have basic tools, bike stands, bike wash facilities, on-site, but we won’t have any stock or spares which we can sell  (or gift) to you.

The best thing you can do is turn up with a bike that is well-maintained. Seriously though, don’t even think about  getting on your flight to Nelson without freshly bled brakes and brand new brake pads installed and bedded-in (and with at least one spare set packed, too). 

For the first half of the event, you will need to be particularly self-sufficient.  For the second half of the event, we will return to Nelson each evening and we have made special arrangements with a nearby bike shop to stay open late for us each day until 19h00 to pick up emergency spares.

In Nelson we have a dozen major bike stores to chose from all within walking distance of our accommodation, but it’s not always possible to find specific parts in stock, and with long days, there’s not a lot of time for faffing each evening.

We’ve made arrangements for you to make advance online orders with a local supplier for you to pick up in town before you take your transfer to Camp 1.

You should definitely bring essential spares specific to your own bike (or order them as above to be ready for you in NZ on arrival) for example:

• Chain Lube
• Brake Pads (min 2 pairs)
• Puncture Repair Kit (Tubeless ‘Plugs’)
• Spokes that fit your specific wheel (s)
• Rear Derailleur Hanger
• One Spare tyre and derailleur between your group of friends would be a wise backup, if you can manage it.  Or at least, fit strong, heavy tires and inserts.

Yes, we stay in a variety of lodges and hostels throughout the week and most if not all, have standard guest washing facilities available. 

The bigger question is if you will realistically have much spare time to be doing your laundry between riding, eating, and sleeping.

Please refer to the ‘Accident Insurance’ tab on our Travel Page.

(NZ has a super national accident insurance scheme, ACC, which covers bth residents and visitors).

We recommend Travel Insurance for loss or damage to your bike during transport, and/or cover your entry fees in case of cancelation or curtailment (eg for medical or personal reasons).

Travel-Medical Insurance is essential if you are injured and need medical repatriation to your home country.

Note that if you pay buy credit card (eg Visa/Mastercard) you often get some form of financial and/or additional travel protection automatically via your card provider.  Please check this with them, directly.