Alexandra MTB Trails (Matangi / Flat Top)
Also known as: Mountain Bikers of Alexandra, Central Otago MTB
Rocky "clock on the hill" backdrop above Alexandra, sweeping Central Otago views; Flat Top Hill overlooks Roxburgh Gorge
Who in your group rides what
Whether everyone in your group gets a day at Alexandra MTB Trails (Matangi / Flat Top) - the grades on offer, the named zones, and how mixed abilities split up.
Matangi: blue (intermediate) to extreme double-black. Flat Top Hill: intermediate to advanced/extreme.
Beginner: shorter Flat Top Hill / Butchers Dam loops or lower Matangi blues. Advanced: full Matangi summit climbs and double-black DH; Flat Top Hill descent toward Roxburgh Gorge.
Few beginner trails at Matangi; best for confident intermediate-plus riders; unpatrolled so groups must be self-sufficient
The riding
Dry dusty thyme-covered schist hills; rocky natural surface
Natural schist rock features (not machine berms), technical rocky and flowy lines, big exposed descents on open tussock/thyme hillsides
Matangi 60+ km signposted; Trailforks coverage for both areas; Flat Top Hill signed MOA trails
Relatively quiet; Matangi remote and unpatrolled; Flat Top Hill shared with walkers
Season & conditions
Year-round (~300 mm annual rainfall, dry); occasional winter frost/ice/snow
Open all year; frosty mornings to bluebird days; riding restricted during lambing 1 Oct to 30 Nov (Matangi)
Thyme in bloom on the schist hills (spring); connects to Roxburgh Gorge Trail Great Ride
Central Otago extremes: intense summer heat and dust, winter frost, ice and occasional snow
Getting there & gear
Matangi PAID pass required (day/2-day/season; Child/Youth/Adult/Family, discounted MOA member; season 1 Dec to 30 Nov); prices not published in indexed results. Flat Top Hill free (DOC/Butchers Dam reserve).
Permits and operators change - confirm before booking.
Matangi: Little Valley Rd car park over the old rail bridge (~2.5 hr Dunedin, ~1.25 hr Queenstown). Flat Top Hill: Butchers Dam car park on SH8.
Matangi runs no shuttle but connects riders with operators; Altitude Bikes (Alexandra) provides shuttles, hire and certified guiding
Carry water, food, tools, charged phone and warm clothes; Matangi remote/unpatrolled; coverage variable
Matangi car park with minimal on-hill facilities (self-sufficient, no dogs); full services in Alexandra town
Mountainbikers of Alexandra (MOA) club; Altitude Bikes (Alexandra) hire/shuttle/guiding; Nomadic Cycles feature
Hazards & rescue
Matangi unpatrolled working merino station (respect stock, no dogs, lambing closures 1 Oct to 30 Nov); Flat Top Hill DOC conservation area shared with walkers; hot dry exposed thyme/briar country
Not required but Matangi is unpatrolled with no support services; riders must be self-sufficient
Matangi unpatrolled and remote, no support (111 for emergencies); Flat Top Hill loops return to Butchers Dam car park on SH8
This profile is desk research, compiled from public sources - not a first-hand mountain-bike network report. Coordinates are approximate.