Panpac Mountain Bike Park

There is 50km of single-track available as of July 2024, plus connecting forest roads. The forest is permit only entry

• Obtain your permit by joining the club.
• Or get a visitor permit here https://www.hawkesbaymtb.co.nz/visitor-permits

For park updates / closures and social media feed, check the bottom of our home page

In the main carpark you will find a map board, shelter and picnic tables. Trail maps can also be found on Trailforks: https://www.trailforks.com/region/pan-pac-mtb-park/

Stratco and Outdoor Specialists kindly sponsored the carpark shelter.

Landowner: Pan Pac Forests Ltd

Club Park Manager – Ross Mepham 022 544 0069

Further Information

• You MUST BE A CLUB MEMBER TO ENTER the park
• Access is from the Esk valley – turn off SH5 into Waipunga road, cross the bridge and take the first forest road on your right (Burden Road). Follow this until you reach the carpark.
• The access road is narrow and passing oncoming traffic is difficult in places. Please drive carefully and considerately: look out for oncoming traffic, use the passing bays, give way, pull over, back up if needed. Speed limit  20kmh
• There is NO access to the forest from our old carpark off SH2, next to the Panpac mill. All the old trails in the Mill Block are permanantly closed.
  
• There is no water in the park – bring your own water and food
• A toilet is available at the carpark – please treat it with respect. If it gets abused, it will be removed
• Mobile phone coverage: There is good  coverage in the Waipunga Block and the Tait Block, but no coverage over the back in the Replanted Block, don’t ride alone over there.
• All trail entrances and exits have GPS locations on them, if someone is hurt call 111, ask for a helicopter and give the location on the sign, do not call an ambulance as they can’t get in the park or get to any trail heads
• Be wary of oncoming riders  on two-way trails:  Ride accordingly.
• Horseshoe, Rimrock, Cliffhanger are steep technical G5 trails with lots of exposure - don't attempt unless you are confident riding trails at that level, and don't ride alone.
• Be wary on windy days, Enterprise to Time Warp can be extremely windy at the saddle. 
• Please respect any park closures. 

Panpac Mountain Bike Park Rules

• You MUST be a member to enter the park. No membership, no ride.
  • Join up on our website
• 20km/hr speed limit on the access road
• Drive considerately on the access road
• Strictly no BBQs or fires
• Take your rubbish home with you
• No freedom camping
• No rogue trail building – all trails MUST be planned by the club, get signoff from an archaeologist, and be built by approved trail builders who have completed Panpac Beakon Health and safety training.
• You MUST remain within the designated mountain biking areas (signs show the boundary areas, as marked on the map) 
• You must KEEP OUT of the Pan Pac Mill & sections of the forest that are CLOSED to mountain bikers at all times, even in emergency situations.
• You must adhere to all/any warning/hazard signage/tape within forest boundaries at all times for your own safety
• All signage is deemed to be read & understood once seen / ridden past.
• NO Helmet = NO Ride 
• Every member must wear an approved hard shell safety helmet and enclosed footwear while riding
• All members must carry their current membership (or valid Visitor Permits) when riding in the park. This can either be the Sporty PhotoCard on your phone or a copy of your membership confirmation email. yes, we do spot checks for valid membership.
• You MUST keep clear of any logging operations, or operating machinery that may be in place 
• Treat all tracks as 2-way unless marked as one-way, these have signs stating EXIT only
• Please KEEP OFF freshly built trails, until they have firmed up & been opened for riding !!!
• Bicycles must be in good working order with functional front and rear brakes. Handlebar ends must be plugged and have no sharp edges.
• ALL users of the MTB Park should be courteous to one another at all times.
• MTB riders should be aware that runners and/or stock may be on the MTB trails and be prepared to avoid them.
• Riders must not use abusive or offensive language at events, act in an anti-sporting manner, be disrespectful to other club members or ignore club rules.
• Smoking is NOT permitted in the forests, or at events AT ALL TIMES.
• Please close/shut all gates that you open & leave gates as you found them.
• No unauthorized vehicles, including motorbikes, are allowed within the forest
• The Club reserves the right to exclude any person who breaches any of the rules as outlined above or commits any act which would or may endanger any other user of the park or user of trails operated by the Club.
• Children under 11 years must bike with an adult.  Parents are responsible for their children’s safety.  It is the parents’ responsibility to make sure their child has developed sufficient skills and knowledge if venturing into the park unsupervised.
• Riders 11 to 13 years must be accompanied by another rider 11 years of age or older. Such riders must know what to do in the event of an emergency, have access to a mobile phone and a check-in system with parents.  The observance of this rule is the parents’ responsibility who are accountable to HBMTB for any breach of it.
• Runners:
  • Runners must be current members of the MTB club or obtain a MTB Visitors Permit.
  • Runners are encouraged to use the forestry tracks and two-way mountain bike trails.
  • If runners use a one-way trail, they must run in the direction of the trail
  • Runners must give way to ALL bikers.
  • Runners must not run with headphones on or music playing.
• NO DOGS ALLOWED
• TAKE ALL YOUR RUBBISH AWAY WITH YOU :)

• Disciplinary Procedure & Policy

  At ALL times, club members (including those using a visitors permit) are required to comply with the Club’s rules, goals, constitution, club or landowner instructions, procedures and policies. If any member is deemed to have breached any of the above rules, the following disciplinary procedure is to be followed by the Club Committee:

• Details of any alleged breach/incident to be investigated by the Disciplinary Committee, including discussion with the offending club member(s) to obtain all information, to be outlined in writing.
• Club Committee to discuss the alleged breach at the following monthly committee meeting, or at a special committee meeting.
• Depending on the severity of the breach/incident and the decision by the committee, one or more of the following steps will be taken (in order):
  1. A written warning to the offending club member(s);
  2. Membership suspension for a set period, determined by the committee;
  3. Trespass notice issued by landowner, which bans all access into all commercial forests across the entire North Island for 2 years, with a copy supplied to and enforced by the New Zealand Police.

• Any breach or incident that either jeopardises the HBMTB Club’s access to the forest, has endangered the safety of other forest users, or is in breach of the landowner’s rules, shall be considered to be a serious breach of misconduct and will be dealt with accordingly.