ride / workbee / ride on western okataina track

wow what a day! 

it did take 3 weeks to organise this, since we are all too soft to go out in the pouring rain, but we finally did it and i would say it was a success on all fronts. so the mission was to fix a river crossing on the western okataina track and as a reward ride there and back with a slight detour to the trig. 

the riding was fantastic, the scenery stunning and the crew were doing a fantastic job, well done everyone!

thanks for taking the pics Nick Lambert (zeroseven)

this sums it up: " Yesterday a few of us along with Simon Tuck from DOC rode into the Western Okataina to put a culvert across a washed out stream crossing. A fresh frosty start but it was an awesome day! One more stream crossing to get a bridge and the trail will be fully rideable from Miller rd to Okataina. Cheers to everyone for your help!"

skills session with Martha from Singapore

Martha from Singapore sent me this photo after our skills session together. 

We were enjoying the stunning view before heading down the trails, what a stunning day. 

like a kid in a lolly shop

i tend to ride the same trails most rides since i prefer those trails over others, every so often i start getting bored of them and have to find other trails to keep my interest up.

sometimes i don't realise what i am missing when riding the same trails most rides.  

but when i get to ride a new trail with different features and characters i realise what i have been missing.

there is a challenge of having to adapt to the trail, a charm in getting to know and understand it and it sparks up that passion for riding that i felt when i first started.

here is a taster of what we will be able to ride soon, it's called Boulderdash. i can't wait!

bring it on! :)

a little easter away ride to Waihaha Hut

we decided it was time to scope out a ride we hadn't done before. Waihaha Hut Track had been on our list for quite sometime now so  it was about time we had a look.
the weather was perfect, sunny but not too hot. there were a few rather dark clouds hanging about but they never found the courage to do anything more then look intimidating, luckily for us.
the ride is not very long, it's 9km to the hut and bikes are not allowed beyond there. but the scenery is super stunning with big smooth boulders, crystal clear rivers and massive native trees so you get plenty to look at and admire. the track is quite technical in places with steps and ruts and roots to keep you on your toes and in places you will have to carry your bike but not for long. unfortunately it was also rather overgrown so in some sections of trail we were battling for room and couldn't see the track for the overgrowth. but the awesome downhill sections and the stunning views made up for the bit of grovelling we had to do. we got back to the car with massive grins on our faces.

and not to forget, we also saw a common Robin on a tree right next to the track. the little bird was not fazed at all by our presents, it was quite special.

Whakapapa on Mount Ruapehu - great fun and stunning views

our stunning mountains

This was almost 3 weeks ago on the way to the mountain for a day of skiing. It was great fun but it needed a bit more snow. Unfortunately there is less snow there now rather then more. 

Hopefully we will get to enjoy some more great days up Mount Ruapehu soon. Can't wait!

I am off for a run in the rain instead.

3 D Rotorua

what a fantastic event! 

it was extremely well organised, with stunning & challenging courses and a great atmosphere! 

an event to put on the list if it's not already on there!

i didn't do the main event which is the premier multisport title race, but instead the Duathlon event of the 3D Rotorua Off-Road Winter Multisport Festival. i have not yet learnt how to paddle so had to opt for the mtb & run event. but nevertheless i has a fantastic time doing the event.

the great thing was that the duathletes lined up with the mountain bikers and so we got to do the mtb race as if we 'only' did that distance but instead we then kept going by foot to cover the next 12km, up some hurtful stairs and weaving through stunning redwoods walking trails. 

i wasn't really in race mode before the event or on the start line but fortunately i got into it as soon as the gun went off, i couldn't just let the others ride away from me ;)

the field spread out pretty quickly so we had enough room to enjoy the riding. the race course started with a grassy climb along Tarawera road up to the water tank before heading into the main mountain bike trail network via Lynmore link. i had a great time racing a couple of other riders, we kept swapping positions due to being faster on the climbs or faster through the single trails which made for some good racing. we were pushing each other on throughout the course. i had no idea if they were doing the duathlon just like me or if their race finished at the transition zone, to be honest i really didn't care i just wanted to win the battle that was going on right there and then and i would focus on the run when i got to it, plus i did not want to think about the run as i was not sure how the legs would cope with it after the ride. i was pretty happy to get to the transition zone first and completely forgot that i was meant to quickly change into my running shoes, instead i was taking my time ... wasting quite a bit of time, oh well...

the run was a 2 lap course with a nice (painful) uphill section in the first part of the loop, my pace was a slow shuffle all the way up to the top and didn't get any faster the second time up, despite my wishful thinking that the legs would warm into it. i was glad that i at least managed to stretch the legs a bit on the downhill and flatter sections so it felt more like a run again.

i had a great fun day out there and was pleased to finish as first women and 6 overall in the duathlon. 

i would recommend the 3D Rotorua Festival to anyone no matter what event you would like to do and there are many!!! to choose from!


PS: i went to check out the half marathon course on Monday and it was so much fun that i had to do it again today. this is a proper off road course through the bush and the redwoods on a mix of walking tracks, some wider and smooth and others tighter with roots to keep you on your toes, it will keep you honest and will be very rewarding to do. unlike other so called 'off road' running courses where you end up running on gravel roads for most of the course. so if you like running or walking off road and don't want to mountain bike then the Half Marathon Run or Walk is certainly a very good option for you.