Waihaha Bikepacking

Exploring the great Lake Taupo region with Jason Beacham.

The Great Lake Taupo region of the Central North Island has fully embraced the explosion of uptake in Mountain Biking. The Amazing trail network surrounding the lake caters to almost every faction of off road cyclist and is quickly becoming another world class destination for the sport. This is due in part to the ever expanding group of trails called “The Great Lake Trail.” Although it sounds like one continuous trail, it’s actually a collective of 5 different trails. Most of them are a grade 2 in technical difficulty, with grade 3 titles due to fitness level required. One of these however, is distinctly different and a great addition to entice the more adventurous rider to the region. Seeing as our winter never seemed to rear its ugly head and spring was just around the corner, it seemed like a great opportunity to test out a bikepacking opportunity before the busy season kicked in. So I called up a Taupo native with extensive knowledge of the area, saddled up our carbon fibre steeds, and set a course for the newly opened section of the Waihaha track.