Pureora Timber Trail

Dogs No Dogs

E-Bikes Allowed

The Pureora Timber Trail takes you deep into the ancient Pureora Forest Park in the central North Island. It is made up of a mix of long and short ascents and descents, with short flat sections at the southern end. Trail surfaces vary between well graded singletrack and gravel with a total of 35 bridges including eight spectacular suspension bridges.

The trail highlights some of New Zealand's recovering bird and tree species, as a result of extensive efforts to prevent the area being milled in the eighties, it is now an important conservation estate. The area is also in the heart of the King country and is an important home to local iwi - with many stories adding to the rich milling and conservation history which is told in the dozens of story boards along the track.

As the trail is long, not a loop track, and has minimal cellphone coverage its strongly recommended that you make all your transport and accommodation arrangements prior to the ride. Most suited to spring, summer and autumn riding. Outfitters can arrange bike rental, accommodations, camping, showers and shuttles: timbertrail.nz/

For very fit cyclists, the trail can be ridden in a single day. For those looking for a slower-paced experience, the trail can be split across two days with an overnight stop at the halfway point. It can be ridden in either direction, but is typically ridden north to south, starting at Pureora and finishing in Ongarue.

The first half of the trail begins at Pureora Village where you can park your car. From there, the trail winds through the Pikiariki Ecological Area before climbing Mount Pureora. It then traverses the mountain over a high point of 971 metres above sea level, crosses two large suspension bridges, before heading down to the half way point and camping ground at Piropiro.

You can stay overnight at the Timber Trail Lodge or Camp Epic, Blackfern Lodge or camp at Piropiro Flats Campsite. Alternatively there are a number of B&Bs and farmstays in the area which shuttle operators can take you to. If you choose this option ensure you have arranged both the accommodation and transport in advance.

The second half of the trail from Piropiro to Ongarue follows the historic Ellis and Burnard Tramline crossing one of New Zealand's highest and longest suspension bridges, the 141m Maramataha Suspension Bridge, before descending to the Ongarue Spiral. The final descent offers a free flowing ride for more experienced riders, before hitting the final flat section to the Bennetts Rd trailhead carpark. Ongarue is a further 2km west on the sealed Ngakonui Ongarue Rd.