more stats
1.5 miles
Distance
71 ft
Climb
-118 ft
Descent
00:13:26
Avg time
-48 ft
Altitude change
1,155 ft
Altitude min
1,203 ft
Altitude max
1,203 ft
Altitude start
1,155 ft
Altitude end
-0.6%
Grade
-9.6%
Grade max
10.1%
Grade min
1,923 ft
Distance climb
3,543 ft
Distance down
2,625 ft
Distance flat
00:13:26
Avg time

Dipper Details

  • Activities
    • Mountain Bike
    • E-Bike
    • Gravel Bike
    • Adaptive Bike
    • Winter Fat Bike
  • Riding Area
  • AKA
    The Dipper
  • Difficulty Rating
  • Voted Difficulty
    Blue (2 votes)
  • Local Popularity
    85 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • 75 in E-Biking
    • 5 in Winter Fat Biking
    • 95 in Adaptive Biking
    • 95 in Gravel Biking
  • Global Ranking
    #33109 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • #29011 in E-Biking
    • #3091 in Winter Fat Biking
    • #47 in Adaptive Biking
    • #189 in Gravel Biking
  • National Ranking
    #740 in Mountain Biking · New Zealand [+]
    • #668 in E-Biking
    • #12 in Winter Fat Biking
    • #2 in Adaptive Biking
    • #15 in Gravel Biking
  • Trail Type
    Singletrack
  • Bike Type
    AM, XC, Fat, Adaptive MTB, CX, Gravel
  • Direction
    One Direction
    Popular Direction Shown
  • Climb Difficulty
    Green
  • Physical Rating
    Easy
  • Trail Visibility
    Always easy to follow
  • Family Friendly
    Yes
  • Dogs Allowed
    Yes
  • eBike Allowed
    Yes up to Class 1

One of Whakarewarewa forest's originals and if there is an iconic trail this is The One. Highly recommended for families and beginners. Mostly flat flowing trail with good berms, great introduction to riding for first timers or a warm/up down for more experienced riders. Popular for families with wide tracks to overtake slower riders.
Like all the trails rebuilt and revamped after extensive forestry operations, the brief was to retain the shape, style and length of the original. It was also important that the trail remained what it has always been: family-friendly and also a fast, flat workout for the experienced riders. Success

The series of well-engineered berms at the start of The Dipper is now better, evened-out and faster. WICKED – put the hammer down and see if you can lose those following. The revamped trail features more rollers, jumps (safely tabled topped, so you can roll then) and even more berms.
The actual Dipper feature is an optional 'hard line' now, with two easier lines around it keeping the entire trail within a grade 2 classification.

Pop out after the Dipper (which is where you came into the trail) onto Pohaturoa Rd or keep going and there are more berms after this. Including The Big Berm built by the Corrections guys 15 years ago. They also did some major maintenance on this in November 2009.

The Big Berm was groomed in the revamp and is still a major fun factor on the trail. The following section looping through the mature Douglas Fir has been tidied up with increased flow and the occasional smooth table top jump.

source: Ride Rotorua
Access Info

Starts off Pohaturoa Rd near the intersection of Nursery Rd.

Tags
Trail Supporters
Local Trail Association

Recent Activity on Trail

Past Week
  • 17 rides
  • 13 miles average
6 Months
  • 227 rides
  • 16 miles avg distance
All
  • 1,578 rides
  • Last: Sep 4, 2026
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Dipper Trail Reports

statusdatedescription
Aug 22, 2026 @ 6:28pm (Pacific/Auckland)
Aug 21, 2026
Very fun and nice ride, perfect condition.
May 14, 2026 @ 8:59am (Pacific/Auckland)
May 13, 2026
Apr 9, 2026 @ 12:44pm (Pacific/Auckland)
Apr 8, 2026
A sneaky puddle but other wise good
Dec 6, 2025 @ 4:53pm (Pacific/Auckland)
Dec 5, 2025
reporter Trees cleared. RTT
Dec 4, 2025 @ 3:16pm (Pacific/Auckland)
Dec 3, 2025
Two tees down between Dipper & Pohaturoa Rd
more »
Status:
on Aug 22, 2026
Ideal
Avg: 4.17 (41 votes)
Your vote: 0

view (7,920)
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      Directions to dipper trailhead (-38.170120, 176.266560)

      Photos

      51 more »
      mtb
      206 |
      Feb 12, 2017 @ 1:18am
      Feb 12, 2017
      mtb
      564 |
      Feb 11, 2017 @ 8:21pm
      Feb 11, 2017
      mtb
      559 |
      Apr 7, 2010 @ 1:24am
      Apr 7, 2010
      mtb
      440 |
      Dec 1, 2013 @ 12:15am
      Dec 1, 2013

      Videos

      9 more »
      youtuber The Dipper - Redwoods, Rotorua [Ep#31]
      mtb
      7:11 | 1153 | Apr 26, 2018 , Rotorua
      youtuber The PERFECT TRAIL to Start | Dipper Trail, Rotorua
      mtb
      7:51 | 281 | Dec 3, 2024 , Rotorua
      Dipper Aug2019
      mtb
      10:14 | 876 | Aug 13, 2019 , Rotorua
      Pohaturoa track nz
      mtb
      3:23 | 1024 | Jun 27, 2018 , Rotorua

      Trail Lists

      Routes with this trail

      ★ 4.0 • 5 miles • 347 ft • 11 • Loop •
      This is an awesome easy loop in Rotorua that starts and finishes at the main parking area of the...
      ★ 4.0 • 6 miles • 476 ft • 12 • Loop •
      This is a great beginner mountain bike loop in the Whakarewarewa Forest in Rotorua New Zealand.
      12 miles • 887 ft • 28 • Loop •
      First time Mountain Biking? This loop is your baby, taking in one of the most scenic trails and linking...
      4.2 ★★★★★
      41 Ratings
      5 ★ 49%
      4 ★ 29%
      3 ★ 17%
      2 ★ 2%
      1 ★ 2%

      2 Reviews & Comments

      Tully01
      A highly recommended fun easy G2 track for all bikers. As usually in excellent condition and not technical

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      Frequently Asked Questions

      ▼ Where is Dipper located?
      Dipper is located in Whakarewarewa Forest, Rotorua, New Zealand. It is part of the Whakarewarewa Forest trail network. The trailhead is located at coordinates -38.17012, 176.26656.
      ▼ How hard is Dipper?
      Dipper is rated as Green difficulty. The physical rating is Easy. The average grade is 0.6%. The climb difficulty is rated Green.
      ▼ What is the elevation gain for Dipper?
      Dipper has 71 ft of elevation gain. The trail has 118 ft of elevation descent. The elevation ranges from 1,155 ft to 1,203 ft.
      ▼ Is Dipper a point to point trail?
      Yes, Dipper is a point to point trail. The direction is One Direction. The trail type is singletrack.
      ▼ How long is Dipper?
      Dipper is 1.5 miles long. The trail type is singletrack.
      ▼ Are dogs allowed on Dipper?
      Yes, dogs are allowed on Dipper. Please keep dogs on a leash where required and clean up after them.
      ▼ How do I access Dipper? Where is the closest parking trailhead?
      The closest parking and trailhead locations to Dipper are: View all parking locations in the area.
      ▼ How long does it take to ride Dipper?
      Based on recorded activities, it takes an average of 12 minutes to ride Dipper. The trail is 1.5 miles long. Actual times will vary based on fitness level, conditions, and pace. View recent activity logs for more details.
      ▼ How busy is Dipper?
      Dipper is a very popular trail. There have been 7,729 recorded activities on this trail. The trail has received 7,920 check-ins. View recent activity on this trail.

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