Kiwi Slang for Your Queenstown Bike Day: 12 Words You'll Hear on the Trail
From sweet as to rattle ya dags: the Kiwi slang you'll hear on a Queenstown bike day, the funniest picks from the Sweet As Tees dictionary, and tees to wear the lingo.
Spend a day riding around Queenstown and you'll hear a language that's almost English. Riders say "chur" at the trailhead, the barista says "sweet as" when you order, and someone at the winery tells you the view is "mint". None of it is in the phrasebook.
We got talking about this with Brennan from Sweet As Tees on a Snow Touch day up Coronet Peak. He's built a free NZ Slang Dictionary that's genuinely handy before a trip, and he's written a great guide to things to do in Queenstown, with the slang to match. Here's our trail-side version: twelve words you'll actually hear on a Going Blue ride, and how to use them.
The everyday ones
Kia ora. Hello, thanks and good health, all in one. It's te reo Māori, used by everyone, and the right way to greet the team at our Gorge Road HQ.
Sweet as. "Great, no problem." Your bike's ready? Sweet as. There's no "as" what. It just stops there.
Chur. Thanks, cheers, nice one. Short, friendly, and the most useful word on this list.
Keen. Up for it. "Keen for the Arrowtown loop?" is how a ride gets planned.
Heaps. A lot. As in "heaps of wineries in Gibbston". There really are.
Stoked. Very happy. What every rider says at the Edgar suspension bridge.
Trail talk
Mint. Excellent, in perfect condition. A fresh e-bike battery is mint. So is the view down the Kawarau Gorge.
She'll be right. "It'll sort itself out." A great attitude for a flat white, and a terrible one for brakes or tyres. If something feels off on your bike, message us. We'd rather swap it than have you ride on hope.
Munted. Broken or knackered. A flat tyre is munted. Your legs after 40 km on Ride to Riches might be too, which is why most people pick an e-bike.
Jandals. Flip-flops. Lovely at the lake, banned on the bike. Closed-toe shoes only on our tours.
Togs. Swimwear. Pack them if your ride passes Lake Hayes or Frankton Beach on a hot day.
Chilly bin. A cooler box. Handy for a picnic. Not needed on a winery ride, because the cellar doors have that covered.
And one for planners: the tiki tour
A "tiki tour" is the long, scenic way round, on purpose. It's also the name of our private YourWay Tiki Tour: you choose the stops, we do the driving, and nobody needs to know where the next turn is.
Bonus round: the funniest bits of Brennan's dictionary
We had a proper laugh going through the Sweet As Tees NZ Slang Dictionary. These six are our favourites, with our own trail-side spin.
Yeah nah / nah yeah. "Yeah nah" is a polite no. "Nah yeah" is a yes. Ask a Kiwi if they're keen for one more lap of Lake Hayes and listen very carefully to the order.
Hard out. Totally, all in, full effort. Pedalling the Gibbston climb on a regular bike is hard out. On an e-bike it's more like soft out.
Rattle ya dags. Hurry up. Dags are the bits of muck that hang off a sheep's back end and rattle when it runs. You'll see plenty of sheep from the trail. You'll hear this one when the shuttle's ready to go.
The wop wops. The middle of nowhere. Some stretches of the Kawarau Gorge feel like the wop wops, in the best possible way.
Hardcase. A funny, larger-than-life character. Every group has one. It's usually the person who suggests "just one more cellar door".
Snarler. A sausage, usually in a slice of white bread with tomato sauce. Peak Kiwi fuel. Not to be confused with the wine-matched platters in Gibbston.
Wear the lingo: our picks from Sweet As Tees
If you'd rather wear your slang than learn it, Brennan's tees do the talking for you. Here are a few we'd happily ride in, plus his book for the plane over.
Shop the New Zealand Slang Map Tee
Shop the Yeah, Nah… She's Mint Tee
Want any of these? Find them at Sweet As Tees, and grab Rattle Ya Dags if you want the full survival guide. Photos courtesy of Sweet As Tees.
Put it to use
The best place to practise is out on the trail. Valley of the Vines takes you from Arrowtown to the Gibbston cellar doors with a shuttle back, and our e-bike hire lets you go as far as your legs, or the battery, will take you. Book online, say kia ora when you arrive, and by the second bridge you'll be saying chur like a local.
Want the full list? Brennan's NZ Slang Dictionary has heaps more, from "bach" to "yeah nah". Sweet as.
