School Holiday Programmes

Not like any other school holiday programme…

“The personal confidence it gave our son is so visible! Beyond a bike, too.”

Each School Holidays, WORD is proud to offer some of the best programmes available to rangatahi in the capital! From introduction-to-riding courses, to 4-day bike packing away trips, we do it all!

Holiday programmes are always run on weekdays during the typical school holiday calendar; we know it can be tricky sending your kids off to programmes, but we think we give good reason to be excited about the upcoming holidays!

Scroll down to learn which camp is right for your tamariki, what parents have said about our camps, and what is on the forecast!

Our Holiday Programmes

New to WORD

2 half days, a great place to start

First time venturing off-road on a bike? Or given it a shot over the weekend and want to dig deeper? New to WORD is designed for you! Over two 3 hour sessions, we will be learning some fundamental skills, as well as what it means to be a part of the WORD Whānau.
Key Points: Shorter days for newer legs, building block skills to excel, like minded bunch of kids in the same stages of their riding.
Maybe this isn’t quite what you’re after? If you’re comfortable biking off-road, chances are you’d get more out of our ‘Know your Local’ camp.
New to WORD camps happen year round during the school holidays, Porirua and Wellington, for 7-12 year olds.
Know your Local

2 full days, an adventure at home!

If you’ve attended our term programme over summer- this is like that but for two whole school days! We will be splitting into crews of 8 with kids who have similar ambitions and abilities on their bike as you. The day will be littered with skills coaching and challenges along the way, all whilst making the most of Wellington’s exceptional parks.
Key Points: Grade 3+ riders are all welcome, 2 x 7 hour days, personalised groups with a brilliant instructor for two days.
Maybe this isn’t quite what you’re after? Kids will be out in the elements for 7 hours, two days in a row. If you’ve loved your biking so far, but not sure you’re that sold on it, try our New to WORD camps instead.
Know your Local camps happen all year round, during the school holidays, Porirua and Wellington, for all ages.
Shuttle Days

One full on day in the van

Want an excellent day out in Vincent Van-Go, being driven to the top with a group of mates and getting to focus on the challenge of the descent? We can tackle a variety of hills in our shuttle rocket; Miramar, Matairangi Mt Vic, Waimapihi Polhill, and Wrights Hill…
Key Points: Cost covers a full 7 hour day of being driven to the top. For you to enjoy the fun of downhill, kids must be competent riding grade 4+ trails (Jailbreak, Parkbench, Serendipity).
Maybe this isn’t quite what you’re after? Shuttles can be a great way to improve your riding through repetition, but if you’re not quite at the grade 4 level it can be an overwhelming and intimidating day. Reach out to us if you’re on the fence, but otherwise we’d love to see you at our ‘Know your Local’ camps!
Shuttle Days happen all year round during the school holidays, Wellington Central, for 10 to 17 year olds.
Away Trips

Adventure awaits…

These are the chance to really learn the value of adventure and friendship. You name it, chances are, we have done it with WORD kids before! Bikepacking the South Coast loop? Yep! Away trips to Rotorua? You bet we have. Pedalled to Wānaka? Haven’t you seen the video? You get the idea… We love supporting tamariki to learn through doing.
Away trips are typically planned with the input of kids, as it is the best way to ensure we are providing chances that they actually want!
These trips can be anything from one night to four nights away, and we are always in tents! With that in mind, we tend to save these camps for the summer and spring.
To find out how you could be one of the excellent rangatahi that gets to help plan one of these trips, get in touch with our ‘teen-guy’, Brad!
Skills Clinics

An opportunity to really nail that thing that thing that keeps you awake!
Throughout the calendar year, WORD will offer one- to two-day holiday camps that focus on a particular skill. This may be our popular ‘Lets Get Airborne’ camps; a one day extravaganza where we all learn by the end of an action packed day to get air time with control.
These camps are less frequent, as they are much safer (and more enjoyable) in better weather. So, keep an eye out for these during the spring and summer holidays.
Typically offered for ages 10-17 years old, in Wellington Central

7-9 yr olds (yr 3-5)

10-12yr olds (yr 6-8)

13-17 yr olds (yr 9-13)

Parent Reviews

Hear what parents have had to say about Holiday camps been

“WORD is awesome! From learning to ride a mountain bike on trails to becoming an Assistant Instructor, WORD has given our daughter such an amazing experience in biking. Highly highly recommend!!”

— J Cederman

“Our 9 1/2 year old son has been to WORD school holiday programs since he was 7. The personal confidence that it has given him is so visible; not only in his biking but it extends to school and other sports. It has given him confidence to know he can do it and the feeling of loving something that he can claim as his own doing. Thank you WORD for teaching our son to take calculated risks in a safe and super fun way 🤩.”

— S Morrison

“My son came home each day bouncing out of his skin. He had a great time. (And as his Mum, I appreciate that the WORD instructors were teaching him track etiquette and ways to be safe).”

— S Pegg

July School Holidays 2026 are open to Book Now!

Book Here

FAQ’s answered here ↓

Photo of a packed daypack and various travel essentials on a wooden surface, including water bottle, snacks, personal medication, inner tube, and clothing, with an infographic overlay listing packing tips.

We are so excited about WORD Camps! Your little shredder is about to be part of the coolest thing in town- WORD! For those of you that are new to WORD, you are just going to love it. All Holiday camps are split into age groups. There are a few different holiday camps on offer at WORD:
- “New to WORD” - New to mountain biking? This one is for you! We’ll get you set up and confident to get riding on dirt!
- “Know your Local” - We set off exploring the local trails of the region!
- “Van and Shuttle Camps” - Vinnie the WORD van drives us to different locations for the day!
- “Lets Get Technical” - If you want to get into more technical riding on Grade 4+ trails this is for you!
- “Jumps and Jibbs” - One days of learning new skills to play and feel more confident on the trails. If your shredder is keen to learn how to jump in a safe and structured way - then this is the camp!
- Adventures camps and trips away. These are overnights and multi day trips.
The main focus of these camps is ADVENTURE! We’ll also learn a few new skills and definitely make great friends, There will be plenty of time for snacks!
Below are a few details that will hopefully ease any concerns and also get your child pumped about riding!
Bookings for School Holidays are live to book 6 weeks before camps start. You can find more details on the WORD Booking page.
All bookings are on a first come, first served basis, there is no way of booking before registrations go online. We do not offer any booking advantages to returning WORD families.
We do offer our Instructors and Assistant Instructors a chance to secure a place for themselves or their kids in advance of registrations going live. This is a big thank you for all of their hard work and contribution to the WORD whānau.
All bookings are made via our website using credit card or bank deposit.
WORD runs rain or shine…mostly. In the off chance that the weather is just awful, we will cancel the session.
For Holiday programmes we have the option to run indoor sessions.
Safety is a huge concern for us, and we don't want anyone to be put in harms way for the sake of a ride. We will post on the WORD Facebook page at 7am on the day of your camp if we are cancelling. This page is an open page, so you do not need to be on Facebook to view, sweet!
If your child can ride a bike, we’ll teach them the rest! They will also need to be able to start and stop on their own. Each rider is placed in a group of kids of similar abilities so they can learn together (and make new friends!).
Still learning to ride? Yay! Check out our great friends at Pedal Ready. They can help your child learn to ride!
Bikes
All participants will need to bring their own mountain bike to WORD. This bike doesn’t need to be anything flash… 2 working brakes and knobbly tires will do the trick. While we don’t have a fleet of bikes for you to borrow, we do work with some amazing organisations that do! Please let us know if you need a bike or get in touch with our buddies at ReBicycle.
Check out the ‘What to bring’ section below for more info on what else is needed at WORD.
Tents
Also thanks to Macpac - we now have brand new Duolite tents to use at a subsidised cost (for maintainance and repair) at $50 per trip.
Need a bike rack?
We have universal fitting Aeroe and Thule racks and drybags. These are hired out at $20/day.
1. Mountain bike with 2 working brakes. We suggest getting it serviced before you come at your friendly bike shop.
2. AUS/NZ Certified helmet
3. Small backpack with the following:
  -Water
  -Snacks (a banana, cheese and crackers, scroggin or an apple make a great snack)
  -Rain Jacket
  -Inner tube to fit your tire
4. A big lunch!
5. Change of clothes…we might get muddy?!
We suggest bringing 2 bags- one for the lunch and change of clothes that can be left at base and the other small riding bag.
We want kids to be independent mountain bikers (and humans), so having them be responsible for their own items is one way to promote their independence.
Yay! It’s the first day! Plan to arrive at 8.15am that way you’ll have plenty of time to get ready. We start promptly at 8.30- packing in the fun!
You’ll meet your Lead Instructor - this is like the ‘captain’ for the camp. They will make sure we have all your correct details and ask about any medical conditions. They will also let you know who you’re child’s WORD Instructor is…exciting! See below for details on how we split into groups.
We’ll then have a big group hui to set the scene of WORD before heading off for the rest of the day. We’ll finish up just before 3pm to hand out WORD t-shirts (yes!).
Meeting Points
Information about the meeting points for each camp is listed on the bookings page. You will also receive an email at the time of booking with all the details. At some Camps we head to a different location each day- we do this to provide variety a variety of terrain for your kids to learn and explore.
Check in/out
All parents or caregiver (drop off person) is to sign in their child on arrival, confirm the authorised person collecting them, and ensure that this person signs them out at the end of the session. If your child is to leave independently (e.g. riding home 10+ yrs old), you are required to communicate this directly with the on-the-day lead and instructor.
Teens (13+) are responsible for signing themselves in with an instructor on arrival and signing themselves out at the end of each session.
Absences
If your child is not able to attend a day of WORD camp, just contact the Lead Instructor (phone numbers in pre-term email). They are your main point of contact for all things going on during the camp. We are not able to offer refunds or make up sessions.
What if we are late?
We start all WORD camps at 8.30am. Kiddos need to be ready to ride and meeting their Instructor just before this time. We then do our bike checks, chat about the session plan and then hit the trails! We are not able to wait for you as we have so much fun to pack in! So please be on time so your child doesn’t miss out for the day. Thanks!
Groupings
We split into groups on the first day based on 3 things: skill ability, fitness ability, preference. The skills ability will be based on your indication at the time of booking, prior experience at WORD and the child’s own preference.
We try our best to ensure that kids are in groups of a similar ability. Camps are about getting to know new people and going for an adventure. If a child is not in a group that is perfectly matched, the Instructor will ensure the kid is moved into the correct group for the following day.
All groups will have a 1:8 instructor/child max ratio.
We think the social side of riding is just as important as the actual riding skills. Because of this, we have split the ages accordingly. 7-9 year olds, 10-12 year olds and 13-17 year olds. Please ensure that you select the correct age group.
Safety
Your child’s safety is our biggest priority. We want them to have fun, but in order to do this they need to be in a safe environment- physically, mentally and socially. WORD is proud to be accredited as an Adventure Activity Operator. This means our Safety Management System has undergone a rigorous external audit by Qualworx and does so each year.
All WORD instructors are outdoor first aid trained (the Lead Instructor has a 2 day outdoor first aid certificate) and carry a first aid kit.
From time to time, your child might fall off their bike and be injured, but we make every effort to see that they are not put in a situation that is overtly dangerous. We have systems in place to deal with injuries and emergencies that are continuously reviewed.
We ask that your child comes with the items in the ‘what to bring section’ to ensure their comfort, safety, and fun levels are high.
Progression
Kids are encouraged to ride at their own pace, and progressions are made slowly. We believe in developing a ‘thinking rider’- a rider that knows how to make decisions when they are out on the trail (whether with us at WORD or out with their friends).
We start small, and build up. We look at obstacles (ie. a corner, a drop, a jump, etc), discuss line choice, body position and speed. As a group we look at all the options. Kids are encouraged to give things a go, if their ability is matched to the difficulty of the obstacle, but never forced.
Walking is always an option.
Skill Levels
We use the following levels for our small groups:
Level 1: Newbie- able to ride a bike, but little/no experience riding off road.

Level 2: Beginner- a bit of experience on easy single track. Starting to get the hang of gentle corners.

Level 3: Intermediate- confident on gentle corners, but still needing work with switchbacks and steeper terrain.

Level 4: Strong Intermediate- totally have corners and rough stuff covered, keen to try small drops and jumps

Level 5: Advanced- comfortable on steep and technical terrain. High level of fitness (riding 3+ times a week)
We love that you love riding bikes too! And although we know some of you are keen to ride with your kids during WORD camp we would prefer that you do your own thing instead. Think of it like soccer- you wouldn't run on the field playing with your kid at practice (well maybe you would, but that would be weird). So go on and enjoy the day… there are heaps of other parents that are also keen on an adult ride!
Let’s get there together! Although some kids are able to ride to WORD, for others they rely on a parent/caregiver to get them to the camp. We know that schedules are a bit crazy and sometimes work doesn’t allow parents to do both the pick up and drop off. On the first day of the camp, there will be an opportunity to connect with other parents to organise carpooling for future WORD camp days.
Once you have booked onto a WORD camp the following applies:
More than 7 days before the start date: 80% refund
2-7 days before start date: 50% refund
48 hours before start date: no refund
For more info check out our Terms and Conditions
Each WORD participant will get a FREE t-shirt (1 per year). For 2026 we are rockin’ the denim blue with coral/red /logo. Kids will receive their t-shirt on the first day of WORD term or camp for the year.
Teens will be issued a pair of WORD socks with the stealth circle logo. (1 pair per year)
Most days we’ll be taking photos at WORD. We love sharing these via the WORD Facebook page. If for some reason you don’t want photos of your child publicised, please let your Lead Instructor know on the first day of the term.
They grow so fast! We love the idea of passing on bikes or clothing that are too small… We have created a private group for those that would like to buy or sell or even give away kids bikes (and bike bits). Check out the WORD Buy and Sell Bikes and Bike Bits Facebook group.
We suggest putting a photo, size, price and best way to get in contact with you.
There's no fees associated with this group, but if you are keen to put a bit of money from your sale towards WORD, that would be amazing! You can donate here.