Various Locations
Heli-Drops, Billionaire Bike Parks & Backcountry Trails | The NZ MTB Rally Returns to Nelson in 2026
The NZ MTB Rally is back for another year of shenanigans on the South Island of Aotearoa from March 14-21, 2026. With six days of racing at a unique destination each day, there’s uplifts by land, sea and air, a new non-competitive format, fantastic food and better company. We caught up with Event Director Ali Jamieson to get the lowdown on what they have planned for this year’s event.
What is the NZ MTB Rally?
New Zealand is a paradise for mountain biking, with destinations on every rider’s bucket list — Rotorua, Queenstown, Christchurch, etc.
Nelson, however, seems to fly under the radar for some reason. The trails here are world-class and varied. The local club nearly brought the EDR World Cup to town, but the pandemic pumped the brakes on that dream.
NZ MTB Rally is a six-day, uplift-assisted enduro race, centred around Nelson. You’ll visit a new spot each day and stay in three base camps. It’s run like any other enduro, only your time on the stages counts, and whoever has the fastest cumulative time wins.
Where do you ride?
Each day you’ll ride at a new destination around Nelson — Wairoa Gorge, Silvan Forest Park, Golden Bay, Cable Bay and the Nelson City Zone — and they are unchanged for the 2026 event.
Jamieson tells Flow it took them about a decade to get the NZ MTB Rally off and running, so they will continue to refine the event, rather than try to reinvent it each year.
“It’s designed to show you everything that makes mountain biking in New Zealand so special. The landscapes change every day; the support is there when you need it; and the vibe stays fun, no matter how hard you ride,” she says.
Entries are now open, and there are still spaces available. The field is capped at 120, and at the time of writing, Jamieson tells us there are a dozen all-inclusive spaces left and five self-supported spots. So if you’re keen to make your NZ MTB Rally debut in 2026, head over to the NZ MTB Rally website and secure your spot!
