Off Road Adventures Queenstown — Attraction in South Island

Very impressed!! A good friend and I recently took part in a ride that I’ll never forget. We booked a half day trip through Skippers Canyon under the guidance of Scott and the team at Dirt Bike Tours in Queenstown. This was my second visit to Queenstown and, being an Aussie country boy, I was eager to slip away from the more touristy areas and seek out some of New Zealand’s stunning natural beauty. Well we sure picked the week for it… non-stop rain in the lower lying areas, good snow fall up high, many land slides reported and weather warnings for wind gusts reaching 130kph. It seemed every activity around had been cancelled, along with all the flights, and I thought our bike ride would be too, However, I was wrong! We met Scott in Queenstown, who jumped out of his car wearing Moto X boots and looked so excited to get on the bikes and have a great time. To be honest, I had a lot of concerns at this point and wanted to know the logistics and safety measures in place… I love adventure but I’ve also got a mortgage to pay. After a good conversation and briefing I could tell this was a professional setup. Scott outlined the gear they would provide to keep us warm and protected, the abundant route options to cater to the conditions and our skill level, the safety gear he would carry in the case of an emergency and the vast experience and knowledge he has of the area. Additionally, the Yamaha’s we rode were in great condition and having the option of a 250 or 450 allowed us to choose our riding style for the day…. Lots of playful revs and gear changes or good old fashion power and lazy torque! Before we set off Scott puts our doubts at ease and guaranteed we would both have a great time….. and I’m very happy to say he was right! Our experience was everything I was looking for in a good adventure/enduro ride. We traversed remote beautiful landscapes and challenged our riding abilities without ever feeling like we were in danger. Scott is a great rider and was able to gauge our abilities quickly, setting a pace that was fun but never pushed us beyond our capabilities. This pace allowed me to follow his lines and watch how he navigated fast flowing water and obstacles on track, helping me to learn some new tricks as we rode. The biggest challenge I faced during our ride was trying to keep my eyes on the track, the scenery is simply amazing! We saw snow capped mountains scattered with wild goats that led down into deep gold rich rivers that still held many relics from the gold rush era. Best of all, we didn’t see any large buses full of tourists pushing in front of us to get a selfie while throwing up a peace sign… we only had the howling wind through the canyon and the roar of rushing water down the swollen river. At the end of our ride we had smiles from ear to ear and had created so many great stories that you’d need at least a few beers to retell properly! The hardest part now is trying to organise another trip back to Queenstown so we can jump on one of their multi day tours and see more of what the beautiful South Island has to offer. It’s an enduro/adventure...

We booked an early morning ride a day before from their website to take advantage of the discounted kid prices $149 instead of $199. Luckily in the early morning slot we were (2 people - 1 adult + 1 kid) the only booking and it certainly went ahead because Off-road Adventures promises that the early morning tour will go ahead if there are atleast 2 people. For individuals the afternoon session is better because it's guaranteed to run so even if it was a single booking they honour it and don't cancel the tour.

The check-in process is easy at their office on Shotover street. We were then taken to their quad biking site by Brendan who was friendly and easy to chat to. During the 35 to 40 min ride from their office to the location Brendan points out some of the other key locations that travellers may like.

Once we arrived at site, Mark gave us the boots and wet suit to wear followed by a safety brief and instructions about the quad biking.

He then spent 15 to 20 mins just taking through some test tracks to ensure the riders are comfortable driving the quad bikes through various types of terrains. I have done quad biking a few times but had never seen a test track for the riders to get comfortable before starting on the actual "Off-road Adventure". This was also good because my kid was now much more comfortable with his bike and was able to manoeuvre it easily.

We then were taken through the actual track and loved it. They have made the track to let riders experience quad biking over hills, muddy water, bumps etc. My son loved it to the core so much so that from time to time both Mark and I had to keep reminding him about the brakes 😁.

They use a go pro to take your pictures while riding through the terrain which are provided free of cost. A link is sent in 24 to 48 hrs to the nominated email address.

Thank you off-road adventures for providing an awesome experience. My son is now hooked on quad biking and it was a good father son bonding session.

We will be certainly back once my other son is old enough to ride too.

Highly recommend this experience...

It was our first time in Queenstown, we were walking around the town and saw this shop. We went in to check what these guys can offer. When we were going to Queenstown I didn’t know if I can get something like this. I was pretty happy when we booked this tour. We purchased a quad bike tour for one adult and one kid. Me and my nephew were very excited to go! Brendon, our guide, came to pick us up right on time. It takes about 30-40 minutes to get to the place where the tour is. Transfer was very comfortable. On the way, where the tour was, Brendon told us a little bit about Queenstown and a places good to visit. When we came to the place we were amazed with the view. Brendon gave us all gear that we needed and explained us how to control the quad bike. My nephew was a little bit afraid of going on a bike himself and I worried that the tour was over, but Brendon got along with him really easy and helped him to relax and put my nephew on his bike. After few minutes my nephew was good and we went on the track. It was quite a big field and we were riding all over it. I thought that it was the tour, but after some time he told us that did good and now the time to go to the real track. That was more than I expected. We went to the track and it was so much fun. I really enjoyed it. My nephew was very happy too. The nature is so beautiful, it was many animals around. My nephew loved it. The track by itself is very different. Some places you can go quite fast, and some places are real off-road! We enjoyed all the way. I think it will be interesting not only for armatures but for people who is into it as well. 100% worth money spent on it! I highly recommend these guys!

Thank you very much for such a good ride! I hope I’ll be able to come in summer time and take a dirt bike tour!!! Will highly recommend to all my friends who will go to Queenstown! This adventure...