Chings Highway

Other rides: Barons Flat, Rainbow Valley, Kirwans Track, Blacks Point to Waitahu, D'Urville Island, Queen Charlotte Track, Tuckers Trails, wakamarina, More places to ride.

Fitness level required : Time to complete : Technical level : Moderate 1 to 2 hours Intermediate This ride can be combined with other rides in the area, and is being given here as a section of what could be any number of combinations in the area. To get to the  Chings Highway track, ride out from Nelson up the Maitai Valley road until you get to the turn off to the Hira Forest which is the start of central and Sharlands roads. Waypoint 1  (S41 16.552  E173 19.733)  Turn off from the Maitai Road From here travel up the road a short distance until you come to the turn off to Sharlands Road. Waypoint 2  (S41 16.408  E173 20.069) Start of Sharlands Road Turn left into Sharlands Road and cross the concrete ford. From here it is a 7km moderate uphill ride to the skid site and the start of the Chings Highway track. Waypoint 3  (S41 14.895  E173 20.099)  Start of Chings Highway track
At the skid site you should see some signs that point you to the far side of the skid site and to the start of the track. Drop over the edge and look forward to a great bit of downhill, but beware! Further down there is a very sharp bend to the left where you can either carry on down Chings Highway, or take a shortcut back to Sharlands Road. The first time I flew down here I ended up losing it on this corner as I wasn't sure where I was going and there is a hell of a hole just past the corner!Waypoint 4  (S41 15.177  E173 20.779)  Intersection and sharp turn. Turn left at the sharp bend and follow the track down. Some people love this track, some people hate it. It has several uphill sections as well as some tricky downhill bits, and tends to get a bit overgrown at times. Once you have ridden it you will soon figure out which category you come into. I would not recommend this track to beginners, but there is nothing on it that is too hazardous either. This track's technical nature requires some skill. Near the bottom you come to an intersection that if you turn left, you extend your ride a bit, or turn right and ride down to the road. Waypoint 5  (S41 16.331  E173 20.333)  Short Cut Back To Road Carrying on you follow the hill around, and overlook Central road, before switching back and coming back to Sharlands road near the bottom and the ford.
Waypoint 6  (S41 16.302  E173 20.169)  End of track at Sharlands Road.