Mountain Biking Christchurch- A short jump over the ditch

We all read articles about how good the riding is in New Zealand and hear the stories of people who have been over on a once in a life time riding trip, or worst case cenario have some Kiwi friends that prattle on endlessly how the riding over there is so amazing. Well the articles are accurate, the stories are true and your kiwi mate has a good point.

I was lucky enough to be in Christchurch for a week and had the chance to hire a bike from a local company Natural High. You see the thing about a lot of the Kiwi trails is that they are bigger, steeper, rockier and just a bit more gnarly over all. It's a fact. So instead of taking over my steel hardtail I decided hiring something over there would not only be easier from a logistic point of view but it would mean I could try something different with loads of travel. So the guys at Natural High hooked me up with a Cannodale Rize.

With 140mm of boomtastic travel I was ready to hit just about anything.

Well as you can see from the image on the left riding in Christchurch always starts with the same thing. One very long climb up into the hills. Although even this can be avoided by jumping one of the bike shuttles run by http://www.southstaradventures.com/

But if you do tough it out to the top you are rewarded by spectacular views to enjoy while you have a drink and catch your breath. From here the riding options are almost limitless. With a choice of trails in every direction the only hard decision you will make will be how far, how hard, how gnarly? The choice is yours. And of course to top it all off you don't get to finish any rides in Christchurch without a white knuckle descent back down to earth.
So if your heading over to Christchurch don't forget to pack your helmet, shoes and some kit to hit up some trails while your there.  Andy and the guys at http://naturalhigh.co.nz/ will hook you up with a great ride and can also help you out with where to go, what to ride and where to find some great ice cream.