Piropiro Flat is a large DOC campground at the end of ~18km’s of gravel that backs onto Pureora Forest Park. The campsite has basic facilities with toilets, and some bbq’s and water can be obtained from the local stream. There are no charges for this campsite, it is free to stay in.
There a quite a few side tracks to ride in this area and @daniel_fisher has tracked many of them. Separate GPX tracks for these are included in the download below.
One loop that takes about 45 minutes to complete is on the right about 200 meters or so before the campsite down a well-formed exit from the road. The road quickly turns into a grass track, then dirt. I rode 2km into the loop and encountered a fairly steep uphill with big humps partway up it followed by a steep rutted downhill. Being alone with a full load of camping gear on board I decided discretion was the better part of valour and turned back at that point.
Piropiro Flat is part of the ‘Timber Trail’, a section of the National Cycleway. Because of this it is popular with mountain bikers and the campsite can be very busy at times, particularly on weekends. The Timber Trail is well marked, do not ride on the mountain bike tracks! Piropiro is also popular with hunters.
The road into PiroPiro Flat campsite is suitable for beginners on all sized motorcycles, however the sidetracks vary in difficulty.
Doc information for PiroPiro Flat campsite: http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-stay/conservation-campsites-by-region/waikato/waitomo-pureora/piropiro/
Contributed by: @eddieb, @daniel_fisher
Track type: Gravel Road
Track composition: Smooth, Firm, Undulating
Slippery when wet?: No
Suitable for bikes > 650cc Beginner
Suitable for bikes < 650cc Beginner
River crossings? No
Thanks to @Daniel Fisher the track download has been updated to include many of the sidetracks in this area.
A great campsite to stay in as a base to explore the Southern Pureora. If you are lucky enough you can even bag a wood burner/cooker and a garage for your motorbike 🙂 If you go mid winter though be warned, it’s cold enough to freeze the water in your camelbak!