Can you imagine the amazing sounds that your bike, the flying rock, and your yelps of joy would make?

There’s too many amazing places to visit in this life, but there is also many places which once the soul has visited that we can’t shake. Places that are like a drug and we need constant fixes of. Places that inhabit all the corners and crevices of our being. Places that change you for the better, but leave you feeling less than before if you aren’t there. New Zealand, for me, is one of those places.

So I’m putting together plans for N-Zhred mission 2010. Landing in Feb and hitting up friends, riding spots, and maybe a few mystery beauty spots along the throughout the north island to start with. One spot i’m really keen to ride again is the amazing Rotorua trail network. Adam Mantle, Sam Gothorp and myself rode there three years ago when we were on the original NZdiaries trip. We rode there and stayed an extra day just to get more in. This time i’m thinking a good week or so. I pretty much got a boner for this place already. Then out of the blue Jeff Carter of Southstar Shuttles and who lives in Rotorua sends me this link today  of some ozzy chaps from Australian Mountain Biker Mag getting their boots filled. I love the screaming, shouting, singing audio in the clip.

Yeah bonerific singletrack here we come.

Anyway, another legendary spot I can’t wait to hit is Cragieburn in Arthurs Pass on the South Island. Heres a bunch of photos from there that I have been studying.

Yes thats a trail

Tearing shralping roosting goodness

Big mountain alpine epic shredness anyone? Cragieburn please stand up.

This place is without doubt one of my top trails ever ridden. Beech Forest, exposed scree slopes, alpine, flow, roots, luge run, fast, consequence corners, wilderness and outdoors fresh air. I really do have a 29 inch boner thinking about riding that trail again.