As they say, prior planning prevents poor performance – or something along those lines!
To ensure you’re all set for a great day out at Wānaka Trail Ride 2023, here’s everything you need to know about safety, registration, the tracks, and what will be on site on the day. Have a read, and as always, get in touch if you have any questions.
Wānaka Trail Ride – What you need to know
Track Times
We will open the trails at 8:30 am. Gates will close at 3:30 pm
Location
Deep Creek, Long Gully and Lindis Peak Stations.
The trail ride starts at Base Paddock, located on Long Gully Station, off Jolly Road.
Course
Trails range from beginner tracks to expert single tracks. There is something for everyone, including a free pee wee track for the juniors. We will release the trail map in the week before the ride. These will be in a newsletter to our database and on Facebook. Trail maps will also be on display at base paddock.
Registration
You can register online up until 11pm Thursday 30th April.
If you miss this cut-off, you can register at the Wānaka Primary School office, 7 Ironside Drive, Wānaka – between 4-7 pm on Friday 31st March.
However, you can register on the day. Registration will commence from 7:30 am onwards at the base paddock. There is no cut-off time for rider registration – you can register at any time during the day.
Rider Packs
For those who pre-register online – collect your rider pack at the Wānaka Primary School office between 4-7 pm on Friday 31st March.
If you can’t make it, your pack will be available at the registration tent on the event morning.
Safety
A safety briefing is included in your rider pack and will also be on display at the registration tent on the day. Make sure you have met all safety requirements before entering the tracks.
Spark Arrestors are compulsory for all bikes and vehicles.
Wānaka Trail Ride is a strictly no smoking event.
Landowners and neighbours
Wānaka Trail Ride operates over three private stations, Lindis Peak Station, Long Gully Station and Deep Creek Station. We are immensely grateful to the landowners who allow us to descend upon their properties for one day a year. In return, we ask that all event participants respect the land on which we’re operating. Take all rubbish and belongings with you, exercise extreme caution regarding fire risk, and generally, treat the place like you would treat your own backyard. We also ask that you respect the neighbours around these stations. This area doesn’t normally see a lot of traffic, so it’s quite a disruptive day for all. PLEASE DRIVE SLOWLY when entering and exiting the event.
Vehicles
This year, you can enter with:
– Any two-wheeled motorbike/trail bike
– Farm-style quad bike (where the passenger sits behind the driver)
You cannot enter with:
– Four-wheel, side-by-side vehicle
– Any high-powered Polaris or RZR-style four-wheeler (even if the passenger sits behind the driver).
Food
Wānaka Lions Club will be onsite serving up hot food and drink refreshments throughout the day. We’ll also have Menlove Berries for coffee and berry ice creams. Lions will be selling bacon and bacon and egg butties in the morning then steak sandwiches and sausage in bread for lunchtime. They will also have bottled water and soft drinks. Internet connection is patchy at the site, BRING CASH for all purchases.
Bike retrieval
If there is a problem with your bike and it has to be left on the course, we will do our best to help you retrieve it. However, some areas are only accessible by helicopter. The cost of helicopter retrieval is $250 and must be paid before your bike is recovered from the course.
