Mt Pirongia Mountain Bike Trails

Hours of operation

6am - 7pm

Months of operation

All Year

Trail grade:

Grade 2 – 5

Nestled in the foothills of Mt Pirongia, the Sainsbury Road Forest Trails are part of the Pirongia Mountain Bike Club’s network of mountain biking trails.

Around 12 kilometres of off-road trails wind through the Sainsbury road forest west of the township of Pirongia. A kids track and pump track provide great off road children’s cycling, while tracks such as ‘Easy As’, ‘The Apprentice’ and ‘Home and Away’ are great grade 2 (easy) Waikato mountain biking trails.

The intermediate grade trails include ‘Hard Labour’, ‘The Sorcerer’, ‘Tusker’ and ‘Not so easy’ which vary in length and wrap around the forestry access road. Whilst signature tracks include 'Trick or Treat (grade 4) and Alchemy (grade 5), for the more advanced rider.

With new tracks regularly in development, the available trails are always growing, providing something to suit all levels and abilities.

The Mt Pirongia trails have been developed by the Pirongia Mountain Bike Club, which holds regular group rides and events on the trails.

Highlights

- Off-road cycling through native and exotic forest trails
- Kids track
- Pump track
- Multiple rides catering to all abilities

The trails are paid for from fundraising and maintained by volunteers, so any donations are appreciated.

Pricing

Free

Te Papa Museum

Rūaumoko: Restless Land

Exhibition on now until Monday, January 26, 2026. Rūaumoko: Restless Land is our new and exciting interactive touring exhibition from Te Papa. Experience elements from Te Papa’s Te Taiao Nature zone that combines cutting-edge science with mātauranga Māori (traditional knowledge) to explore the powerful, natural forces that continuously shape Aotearoa. Te Papa and the Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake have teamed up to promote natural hazard awareness and preparedness through this exhibition. It introduces Rūaumoko to illustrate the forces of nature and presents a wero (challenge) for visitors to learn about natural hazards and ways to be prepared in our communities and at home.

Mystery Creek Events Centre

A beautiful turn-of-the-century church, a picturesque setting, flexible and comfortable reception lounges, and great places for photos – the historic Heritage Village at Mystery Creek Events Centre is the perfect wedding venue. With its cobbled terraces overlooking the lake and village, The Bledisloe caters for al fresco entertaining, while it’s inside reception areas can be adapted to suit either intimate or extensive wedding parties. To help make your day the best it can be the Mystery Creek events management team are on hand to help with anything from pre-planning to looking after guests and catering.

Nature and Nosh Tours

Nature & Nosh - 'Heart of the North' Hiking and Food Tour - 6 days

Get a group of 4 to 8 people together and walk our secret back country trails away from the crowds. Visit picturesque farms and take in all their rugged seclusion on private walks. Explore the lands that time forgot on some tracks even the locals don't know about. Walk through the forests of the largest mainland ecological island in the world, where the air is filled with bird song in a forest alive with some of our rarest native birds. Meander along a river that leads to a pure spring and sample some award-winning cheese produced from the rich pastures of the Waikato region. Admire the limestone bluffs that line the gorges of middle earth like lands and admire the rural resilience and beauty that is the heart of our North Island.

MalcolmPhotos

Raglan Scenic Flight

Arrive at Hamilton Airport and depart on a magnificent journey over the Waikato Countryside. You will never see a view of the New Zealand West Coast like this from an aircraft. The vista from your aircraft is breathtaking and awe inspiring. 1. Scenic flight to Raglan. 2. Guided air tour of the local sights. 3. Landing at Raglan for you to explore the local sights. 4. Scenic flight to Hamilton. 5. Free coffee at Momento AeroCafe. 6. Guided air tour of the local sights.

Christopher Williams

Blastacars Drift Karts Hamilton

Blastacars is not your typical go kart experience. Our karts are Kiwi made and have been developed here for over 25 years. With powerful karts and a custom track surface we are all about drifting sideways. With up to 12 racers on our 220 metre track in our 390cc karts you are in for a adrenaline pumping experience! We have different speeds for different needs. Children need to be 1.2 metres or taller to race. We also have a paraplegic kart. We not only have kart racing, we also have BBQ areas, party areas, vending machines, arcade games and other free games. We are open 10am till 10pm weekends and public holidays and 12pm to 10pm weekdays. We are closed on Mondays. So come to Blastacars and get sideways!

Rotor Work

Hamilton Helicopter Experiences

The Waikato offers a mixture of picturesque coastlines and stunning farmlands. Experience the magnificent feeling of flying over some of New Zealand’s best scenery, whether it’s the breathtaking coastlines, including the surf famous black sandy beaches of Raglan, the untouched beauty of the rugged west coast, or flying above the Waikato river trails. Take a ride with our experienced helicopter pilot, Sam. He has close to 2,500 hours of flying of highly skilful agricultural and commercial operations. The HQ Rotor Work base in Kihikihi currently operates an AS350, a stable, high performance helicopter with comfortable seating for 5 passengers ideal for this type of work.

All things to do

This website helps visitors connect with providers of great tourism experiences. It is not intended to give any assurance that any particular provider complies with its safety obligations. Users should seek more information from the provider concerned. While Hamilton & Waikato Tourism will do its utmost to ensure the information contained within this website is accurate, Hamilton & Waikato Tourism accepts no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions, offers or details of any information or operator listings. Prices, timetables and other details or terms of business may change without notice. The information included in this website is not advice and does not imply any endorsement by Hamilton & Waikato Tourism.