Mountain biking in Queenstown: Best trails, rides and scenic routes It’s a glorious autumn day in Queenstown. The sun is shining, there isn’t a cloud in the sky, and real estate investors would pay millions for the views over the Wakatipu Basin from the Coronet Peak gondola station. For someone who’s about to go mountain biking, days don’t come much better than this. “It was like this yesterday,” says a lift attendant. “I can count the number of riders on one hand, though.” “This is a really good time of the year to ride,” adds HeliBike NZ Operations Manager Fraser Gordon. “The dirt's really grippy… what we call ‘superhero dirt’. It really holds the moisture.” As a novice rider in these parts, it’s all music to my ears. Stunning view on McNealy Gnarly Trail. Coronet Peak downhill trails From the summit, there’s a choice of six downhill trails to ride, including a new one that’s rated suitable for beginners. Called Wakatipu View, it only opened a few weeks earlier, allowing less experienced riders to understand why hardcore shredders rave about these trails. “We can leave that ’til later,” suggests Amanda Tutton, our local guide for the day. “How about we ride all the way to the bottom? Then we can catch the midday shuttle back up in time for lunch.” Sounds like a plan to me. Tutton leads us down a meandering intermediate-level trail with tight, technical berms and subtle rock-drops that keep us off our saddles. Called Dirt Serpent, it cleverly utilises the contours of the mountain until it merges with a similarly spectacular trail called Rude Rock. Named after the trail’s dominant topographical feature, Amanda reluctantly admits that its original rhyming name had been sanitised for a discerning public audience. Mountain bikers on Tucker Beach Trail. New Zealand’s