Bay of Plenty
School MTB championships: Tauranga and Rotorua race-week plan
The 4–9 October School MTB Championships span Tauranga and Rotorua. Check venue dates and the updated event manual before travelling.
Updated 5 October 2026: Added the organiser’s XCO seeding and category lap information.
The National School MTB Championships run from 4–9 October across Tauranga and Rotorua. Cycling New Zealand Schools has posted version 4.2 of the event manual, dated 1 October, for entered schools and families.
Which venue, which day?
- 4 October: short-track cross-country at Summerhill MTB Park, Tauranga.
- 5 October: cross-country and relay at Summerhill.
- 6–7 October: enduro at Summerhill, split by category.
- 8–9 October: downhill at Whakarewarewa Park, Rotorua, split by category.
Check your rider’s exact programme
Pre-registration is closed. Confirm the allocated race day through your school, then use the current manual for practice, race-plate collection, parking and start lists. There is no contingency day.
For the 5 October cross-country races, the organiser’s event page now links XCO seeding and lists lap numbers by age and category. XCO means cross-country Olympic, the lap-based cross-country race. Check your rider’s category before race assembly, alongside the current event manual.
Read the discipline-specific equipment rules
Downhill, enduro and cross-country have different protective-equipment requirements. Use the regulations linked by the organiser before packing or borrowing gear. Families travelling between venues should leave time for the transfer and bike checks.
Sources and photo credits
Sources checked 5 October 2026.
Photo: Karen Hanlen at the 2015 Mountain Bike Nationals in Rotorua; archive photo, not the 2026 school event. 14022015 MTB Karen Hanlen.jpg — Kim Harwood. CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized for display.
