Unlike Australia, New Zealand is a country known for the absence of animals that will kill you.
No deadly redbacks, no lethal brown snakes and not even any kangaroos to avoid on your dirt bike…
But steep, rocky mountain trails where one wrong move sends you into the abyss? There are many of those, especially in the Southern Alps – the venue for the 2026 Yamaha NZ Rally.
Breakout sections test riders
One tricky breakout section disappeared into low hanging cloud and turned into a steep rock farm, followed by a goat track that traversed the side of a mountain, where the temperature plummeted and you could only just see past your front mudguard.
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The Rally organisers had advised this one was a double black diamond trail for seasoned riders only and suitable for single cylinder 450cc enduro bikes rather than the twin cylinder Teneres we were riding.
Plenty of the Yamaha NZ rallygoers went upside down attempting to negotiate that tricky section, but with the Ténéré Spirit in full force, all were set back on track and cleared the Erzberg-style challenge with not much more than a few scratched panels.
Mixed terrain, mixed conditions
Rocks were not the only obstacles thrown at the 2026 Yamaha NZ Rally participants, who had to contend with dust, rain, ruts, fast flowing river crossings and steep hillclimbs in an action-packed three-day adventure of the South Island.
Starting in Timaru, the Rally took us to Oamaru, Cromwell and Gore in a tour of the spectacular Otago Region.
Day one’s route led us to glacial Lake Tekapo where Mount Cook disappeared into cloud across the turquoise water.
Views were spectacular and the gravel roads perfect for drifting, albeit with brutal dust. So overnight rain got the thumbs up.
Until a grassy hillclimb on day two that caused mass wheelspin and more than a few crashes.
Yamaha Motor New Zealand’s annual event is open to all Yamaha dirt bike riders, but most choose to ride Tenere 700 twins – a machine well suited for all the conditions combined rather than the technical breakout sections alone.
We rode with Aussies Brendan Bell and Aidan Gale from the Aussie Adventure Bike TV Show – airing on Channel 7 Mate. Both are legit riders and we were all on Ténéré World Raids that were perfect for the mixed conditions and their linear power was ideal for gravel road sliding.
Even the deep and fast-flowing river crossings could not stop the big twins.
The mountain-fed rivers offered a different sort of challenge with big rocks and steep, muddy exits that required full commitment to clear.
Water dragged up from the river quickly turned the exits into mudslides meaning traction was at a premium.
South Island resourcefulness
Fortunately, South Islanders are not only bred tough but resourceful. Lifting a drowned Ténéré onto the back wheel and turning the wheel in sixth gear will see most of the water spat out back via the inlet valves and prevents a lengthy plug-out de-watering process.
The no-nonsense Ténéré 700 could have been designed especially for South Island riders who seem to appreciate a motorcycle that is known for its capability, reliability and lack of unnecessary gadgets.
Kiwi food and accommodation are also no-nonsense, with a scone, pie or South Island staple cheese roll – also known as southern sushi – available at each lunch stop. Wash them down with a can of L&P for the full Kiwi experience.
Our accommodation in Mataura just outside of Gore could best be described as basic… but we can came to ride, not to lie around.
Luckily the trails and scenery are world class.
There really is a mixture of every terrain from wide open gravel to rocks and then singletrack, often on the same day.
Temperatures on the early Feb ride varied from 10 degrees on the top of the mountain with zero visibility to 26 degrees, sunshine and stunning views just an hour or two later. As per the trails, the weather was a case of if you don’t like it, don’t worry, it will change soon.
We covered 1100kms across the three days – was a bit shorter if you chose not to ride the breakout sections that were graded black for difficult and double black for expert. Rain on these sections would have changed the single black sections to expert and the double black would have been cancelled or we’d still be there…
Actually we would all have cleared the breakouts because the help from fellow Rally riders was always generously given.
As long as you don’t ride solo, you can be sure of assistance to pick up your bike – which is a real bonus when it slips a few metres down a mountainside and lands bashplate up. One rider wasn’t so lucky as he drilled his Tenere 700 into the ground at high speed and snapped off the right-hand switchgear including the throttle housing and starter switch, bending his bars in the process.
A bit of race tape and a lot of South Island ingenuity saw the throttle operational and the starter switch hotwired. He finished the Rally and rode home no dramas.
The final dinner wrap up was full of epic stories from the final breakout that covered over 70km following the Waikaia River. One Tenere 1200 rider suffered a crash and then bumped into a couple of girls from a local farm in a side-by-side vehicle. With a genuine wish to help him to a main road, the pair wanted to know if he could put the 260kg twin-cylinder bike on their plastic roof…
Adventure riders who have made the trip to the Otago and Southland regions already know this is an adventure riding Mecca – especially with the private farmland access secured by the organiser for this Yamaha NZ Rally. Those who haven’t should know the area from Christchurch to Queenstown is good as gold.
Optional challenges, epic rewards
Fortunately, the breakout sections on the Rally are all optional. Because while Kiwi animals aren’t deadly, one wrong move on one of the optional mountain trails could end in a world of pain. But as a wise man once said, there is no reward without challenge.
What is the Yamaha NZ Rally?
An annual New Zealand-based adventure bike ride open to all Yamaha riders, normally around February.
Organised by Yamaha Motor New Zealand, last year’s event centred around the East Cape area of the North Island and was led by Kiwi MX legend Ben Townley of 101 Adventures. But Ben has been busy in Europe with his two MX riding sons, 85cc World Champ Levi and Jagger.
So this year’s tour was more than ably led by former World Championship MX rider Scott Columb of the Queenstown-based Dirt Bike Tours NZ. Scott’s dad Dennis started hiring out dirt bikes back in 1989, so the Columbs have unmatched pedigree running guided tours in the South Island.
Each night, 55 riders were handed a paper map to complement the GPS route shared at the start of the ride.
All riders enjoyed a group dinner where Dennis shared his extensive knowledge of local South Island history. Scott also gave essential riding tips on one evening and if you were game you could follow Diego Hererra-Reid, one of Scott’s sweep riders, who has represented Chile in world level Super Enduro and rides the Tenere 700 like a trials bike.
Check out the Yamaha Motor New Zealand website for details of the next Rally
