Stay at Camp Epic on the Timber Trail

By comparison to our tramping adventures, we haven’t done a great deal of mountain biking in New Zealand. But so far, the 82km Pureora Forest Timber Trail has been our best cycle yet, made even better by a night at Epic Cycle Adventures’ Camp Epic.

While you can cycle the Timber Trail completely independently, it does make sense to do it with one of the local operators as it makes things a lot easier. We chose Epic Cycle Adventures because we really liked the look of their campsite at the halfway point at Piropiro.⁠

We’d describe Camp Epic as rustic safari-style camping with touches of luxury where it counts.⁠ For us that means warm and super comfy beds and nice hot showers. An added bonus is the communal kitchen area with gas cooktops, cutlery, crockery and all the cooking utensils you need. There’s even a small selection of essentials like tea, coffee, cereal, eggs, cooking oil etc. ⁠in case you forget to bring your own.⁠

In addition to the campsite, Epic can provide a shuttle from the trail end at Ongarue (where you can securely leave your car overnight) to the start at Pureora. They’ll also take your overnight gear and food to Camp Epic so you can cycle with just a light day pack, and trust us, after a long day on the trail, you’ll be thankful.