New mountain bike tracks for Whakarewarewa Forest
Three brand new bike tracks and an extension to a popular existing track will provide new riding options for the public to enjoy in the Whakarewarewa Forest.
Further investment in the forest from Rotorua Lakes Council now means riders will have more opportunity to explore the area, including providing options for riders who are more comfortable on lower grade tracks to progress.
Council has contracted three local track builders to create these new riding experiences – Rotorua Trails Trust, Empire of Dirt and Velosolutions.
Rotorua Trails Trust is working on the extension to the Whāki track. The existing section of track has been enhanced, and then extended significantly, essentially creating a new grade three (intermediate) track.
Rotorua Trails Trust operations manager Kris O’Driscoll, says the track provides a good progression for beginner riders to move into slightly more challenging trails and improve their overall confidence.
“The Whāki track has a few more challenges, is a bit steeper plus it’s fun and flowy so an intermediate rider will love it too and an advanced rider can boost down it. The track is a good progression and a grade up from the Forest Loop”.
Velosolutions has been working on two of the new bike tracks – a grade three and grade four (advanced) track.
The grade four track stems from Koe Koe Road to the Tawa carpark on Tarawera Road, while the grade three track begins at the top of Hill Road, and flows to the intersection of Hill and Pipeline Roads.
Two of the tracks have been placed on the hills that face Te Pūtake o Tawa to help support development and encourage a spread of users, while the other two tracks are central and can be accessed from multiple points in the forest.
“With shuttles running on both sides of the hill that the new tracks are on, riders are doing multiple runs a day down the new tracks, each track with its own offerings,” says Velosolutions director Craig Pattle.
The grade four track is built on a hillside that has not been replanted yet, making it steeper and great for people working on their jumps and more technical skills as they work up to the higher graded tracks.
“The track has been well-received and is a fantastic stepping stone for people wanting to improve their skills before going to a grade five track,” Pattle says of the grade four track. “I have seen a family with a-five-year old biking the grade three track, through to a former Mountain Bike World Cup racer, so it really suits anyone,”
“The grade four track is suitable for grade three riders upwards. It is the perfect track for working on your skills such as jumps, cornering and off cambering.”
Empire of Dirt has been contracted to work on the final new track, Te Poaka, in this group of developments, which is also grade three.
“The trail is full of rollers, berms and endless flow,” says Empire of Dirt co-director, Adam King.
“The track will cater for most levels of riding. If you want to open the throttle, you will still get lots out of it for the more progressive rider.”
These tracks will become part of the wider Whakarewarewa mountain bike track network, and have been developed to keep up with the forest user demand that is increasing year-on-year.
The Rotorua Trails Trust identified the new track locations after receiving rider feedback. Part of the Trust’s role is to take development requests to the Recreational Management Group for approval.
Council along with, mana whenua Tūhourangi, Ngāti Whakaue and Ngā hapu e toru o Ngāti Whakaue, CNI Iwi Land Management Ltd and Kaingaroa Timberlands Management Ltd make up the Recreational Management Group and work collectively to ensure that the hundreds of locals and manuhiri who visit the forest daily enjoy all that the Whakarewarewa Forest has to offer.
The region is lucky in the fact that Rotorua is well-known as a biking mecca in New Zealand, and has tracks to cater for all types of riders – from less experienced to more professional riders. The pumice soil common in the area, often referred to as ‘Rotorua Gold’ is also a huge asset. It makes for excellent porous yet compacted tracks making them great for year round quality riding experiences helping to make the biking reputation of Rotorua what it is.
Three of the new bike tracks are open for the community and manuhiri to enjoy, and the fourth, being the Whāki Track, will be open at the end of September.
Last financial year, Council invested $170,000 into building new tracks in the forest for general mountain bike use to support and enhance the network. This is separate to the Whakarewarewa Forest Park Development that includes the Whakarewarewa Forest Loop.
Along with a huge volunteer effort, the Council also contributes to funding the Rotorua Trails Trust who undertake year round maintenance of the walk, horse and bike tracks to ensure they stay in good condition.