It’s hard to beat NZ’s combination of bike trails and holiday parks

For a break full of fun whānau time and easy adventures, it’s hard to beat the combination of bike trails and holiday parks. For a truly relaxing holiday, forget the endless driving, air travel, poky motels and vanilla Airbnbs in favour of leafy holiday parks and bike trails. The explosion of cycleways, cross-country trails, mountain bike parks and pump tracks has turned New Zealand into a bikers’ dream.

The 23 Great Rides offer particularly scenic options of all lengths and levels of difficulty, but they’re just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to holiday riding. Pairing with them perfectly are classic Kiwi campgrounds, which have evolved into crowd-pleasing, all-season accommodation providers offering everything from camping sites and low-cost cabins through to lodges and luxe apartments. All within big, green grounds with plenty of room to spin your wheels.

Many holiday parks are also official ‘cycle hubs’ offering bike-friendly extras such as secure storage and e-bike charging as well as contacts for local mechanics, shuttles and tour operators. Some even offer their own on-site bike hire. Start planning some pedalling with these popular cycling and holiday park combos across Aotearoa.

If you fancy a Bay of Islands’ break with biking, bush and birdlife, book into Russell-Orongo Bay Holiday Park. Set in 14 leafy acres, it’s a handy base for day rides on Pou Herenga Tai Twin Coast Cycle Trail which starts nearby and winds cross-country to the magical Hokianga Harbour. Riders wanting something more sporty should check out Waitangi MTB Park, a really neat trail network close to the must-visit Waitangi Treaty Grounds.

There’s plenty more to float your boat in this all-seasons holiday hotspot, including tramping, kayaking and parasailing. Discover why Rotorua has earned International Mountain Biking Association gold-level status. Exhibit A is Whakarewarewa Forest, an absolute riding mecca with more than 200km of master-crafted trails.

It’s home to New Zealand’s newest Great Ride, the Whakarewarewa Forest Loop, a day ride suited to bikers with some off-road experience. It also has cafes, sculptures, its own App and even hot tubs en route! The loop traces the edge of beautiful Tikitapu, location of the ever-popular and super-family-friendly Blue Lake TOP 10 holiday park. Taupō is a committed trail town with some serious off-road biking creds.

Making the most of the region’s famously free-draining volcanic terrain is Craters MTB Park, fun for all the family. Then, there’s the intermediate-grade Great Lake Trails Great Ride which boasts three bushy sections with varied lakeland views. Recover from all that activity at Lake Taupō Holiday Resort where you’ll find relaxation and refreshments on tap thanks to brand-new hydroslides and a lagoon-style pool with swim-up bar.

Popular kids’ holiday programmes offer further diversion. Fabulous food and wine, fine art deco architecture, gorgeous weather and mostly flat terrain make the Bay a brilliant place for biking all year round. Avail yourself of its ample attractions on the Hawke’s Bay Trails, 200km of mostly off-road exploration between Napier, Hastings and Havelock North.

In Napier, Kennedy Park Resort has heaps of practice room for novice riders. Set in leafy grounds with excellent group accommodation and family-friendly facilities, it also sports a heated pool, jumping pillow and adventure playground. Synonymous with Nelson is epic Tāhuna Beach, where one of New Zealand’s biggest and brightest holiday parks makes the perfect base for exploring this bike-mad region.

Savour the smorgasbord of the Great Taste Trail, which winds along the coast between Nelson, Motueka and Kaiteriteri and inland through pretty countryside. It offers tasty day rides galore. A second Great Ride, the Coppermine Trail is a more demanding mountain bike ride into spectacular sub-alpine terrain.

But there’s plenty more besides – from urban cycleways to pump tracks, to mountain bike parks and backcountry trails. Want to knock off New Zealand’s ultimate wilderness ride? The Old Ghost Road is 85km of gob-smacking singletrack snaking through bushy valleys and over spectacular mountains, with backcountry huts en route. Westport is the Ghost Road’s popular launching point and up-and-coming bike town thanks to the new Kawatiri Coastal Trail.

It’s a super-easy trail stretching from town to vast Carter’s Beach where you’ll find the salty TOP 10 Holiday Park. Selling points here include a safe swimming beach and spectacular sunsets. New Zealand’s longest Great Ride, the Alps 2 Ocean stretches between Aoraki Mt Cook and Oamaru on the Pacific coast.

The trail’s 300 or so kilometres can be sliced and diced into a variety of day rides with Ōmarama TOP 10 Holiday Park a centrally located spot for a variety of ‘hub-and-spoke’ outings. From there, head through classic Mackenzie Country scenery through to Lake Ohau, or in the other direction down the glorious Waitaki Valley. Bike-friendly services include local shuttles, and heavenly Hot Tubs Ōmarama where you can soothe sore muscles and marvel at the Mackenzie’s wide horizons.

Otago is riding high on the cycling wave with five Great Rides and more mountain bike parks than you can shake a bike pump at. Alexander is the ultimate bike town, being handy to the Otago Central Rail Trail, Roxburgh Gorge Trail, Lake Dunstan Trail, Flat Top Hill and the brilliant new Matangi Station MTB park. For more inspiration, check out the new Trail Hub website, covering all of Otago’s rides.

Next to the pretty Manuherikia River, vast Alexandra Holiday Park has heaps of sites and built accommodation, an easy ride to town. Visit for more information on the Great Rides and the Holiday Parks Association for accommodation listings and ‘cycle hub’ parks. .