A scenic view of a trail leading through dry grassland, flanked by rolling brown hills under a clear blue sky. A green sign indicates the entrance to Oteake Conservation Park, providing information about nearby trails. Mount Ida Water Race mountain bike trail.
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Level: Beginner
Length: 19 mi (30.6 km)
Surface: 4x4 Trail
Configuration: Loop
Elevation: +255/ -257 ft
Total: 1 riders
 

Mountain Biking Mount Ida Water Race

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#147 of 193 mountain bike trails in South Island
#15,077 in the world

The Mount Ida Water Race Track sidles along the lower slopes of the iconic Hawkdun Range whose high, treeless, rockless, rolling, flat topped morphology is visible from much of Central Otago but doesn't seem to belong on this planet. It's isolated - there is not a cafe or cell phone tower for many miles. Nowadays the historic water race is an irrigation canal that carries water from the hinterland rivers to the dry plains down the valley.

The track along the canal is reasonably well formed and easy. It's not a smooth, hard and fast surface though and the local sheep love to camp on it so in places it's wall to wall dung. The ride up from Pierces Gorge car park follows a four wheel drive for about a kilometre and is a little steep.

Eighteen kilometres along the water race track you come to the Shephards Hut Creek Track. There you can go down to Home Hills Run Road and ride that back to the car park for a nice loop of about 31km (19 miles).

The Mount Ida Water Race Track and other walking and biking tracks are briefly described in DOC's "Oteake Conservation Park" brochure.

First added by Jim Cummings on May 24, 2017. Last updated Sep 16, 2024. → add an update
Before you go
  • Drinking water: unknown
  • Lift service: unknown
  • Night riding: unknown
  • Pump track: unknown
  • Restrooms: unknown
  • Fat bike grooming: unknown
  • E-bikes allowed: unknown
  • Fee required: unknown
This trail information is user-generated. Help improve this information by suggesting a correction.
Getting there
Hills Creek is just a name on the map about half way between Alexandra and Ranfurly on highway 85 but it's there that you turn off the highway into Home Hills Run Road and follow it for about 13km to the Pierces Gorge car park. It's a gravel road - you go through gates, and there is a creek to cross after about 10km. If you're in a two wheel drive vehicle you should park just before the creek as the ford gravel is soft.


Mount Ida Water Race Trail map

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Good (May 24, 2017)
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Mountain Bike Trails Near Naseby, South Island

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Intermediate | 15 mi

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