Rotorua's secret mountain bike trails

Words and photos: Kath Bicknell

“This trail has everything,” says Gaz, with his trademark bike-riding enthusiasm, months before we catch up. “Mean bush, tech sections, a drop dead view, and two funny stories. Also a downhill on the return run which will blow your mind that it was not designed by bikers.”

Like any good trail that you can’t believe you’ve stumbled on, or into, Gaz is one of those forces of energy that cycling would be very different without. A track racer with Olympic aspirations in his teens, a master mountain biker and gifted storyteller several adventures later.

He and his partner Glen Anderson are best known on the West Island for their clothing brand, Nzo. They’re also big supporters of the mountain biking community at large. If it happened in or near Rotorua, they almost certainly had something to do with it, and they probably have a funny story to tell about it.

Speaking of which, I never did hear the two funny stories Gaz spoke about from the Western Okataina Walkway, but that’s not what had me wondering about this trail in the intervening months. It was Gaz’s energy for this next adventure that had me buzzing.

This is someone who bought a mountain bike as soon as they were a thing, started riding in the Rotorua Redwoods before there were trails, and eventually moved to the town because of the exceptional lifestyle it offers. He’s young enough to drop most people on a fast, flowing descent, wise enough to only say yes to things he likes doing, and old enough to make me hope I can ride as well as he can when I’m a mountain biking version of grown up, too.

But this isn’t a story about Gaz. It’s a story about a ride. One which, like many of this kiwi’s fascinations, we had the privilege of enjoying before most people have caught on to its simple, satisfying pleasures.

Some history

“The Western Okataina Walkway has been a popular track to burgle for the last…” Gaz pauses for a moment, “…As long as there’s been mountain bikes,” he says simply.

“It’s an old forestry road that’s overgrown and deteriorated into a singletrack.” Riders in the area have been seeking permission to ride it for a very long time.

“Only a couple of years ago, the Māori tribe that own the land, and the Department of Conservation that manage it, agreed to open the trail for two years as a trial. That was successful, I think, partially because straight away the mountain bike club started going in and doing maintenance projects on it.”

The track has since been approved beyond the trial period. Meanwhile, the responsibility for trails in the area has moved to the recently formed Rotorua Trails Trust, a separate entity to the club.

“The club became the advocates for mountain bikers and builders and maintainers of trails. That’s all good, but clubs can change with different personnel etc. The Trust will be a better long-term custodian of the trails,” explains Gaz.

“The Rotorua Trails Trust now looks after the development and maintenance of trails for runners, walkers, horse riders and mountain bikers in and out of the forest.” A win for all the trails in the area.

It all sounds very administrative as we stare at the green trees above, but it’s behind-the-scenes stuff like this that has made the Rotorua trails a pilgrimage for many mountain bikers. As the sport grows bigger, more passionate riders like Gaz make up the local community and bring a range of skills to the table that make the sport more accessible for all. Tourists don’t just ride the Redwoods anymore, they can pick from a number of day trips that make every visit, and every adventure, more memorable still.

I’ve had the pleasure of doing a few of these with Gaz over the years, all of which I’d recommend and most of which are mentioned in below. I’ve learned from experience that his descriptions of great days out are usually spot on, but to double the estimated ride time to make up for the comparative differences of our calf size (remember that bit I wrote about track racing and the Olympics?). Also, being old school, he can go all day on a muesli bar and a sip of water, whereas I like to eat a small meal every 30 minutes.

“This ride will take about 2-2.5 hours,” he says casually. While I’m sure this is entirely possible, I packed enough food for four and was spot on. Why rush when you have all day?

The ride

Our crew consisted of myself and the three Gs: Gaz, Rotorua-based photographer, Graeme Murray, and my partner in most things, Gaye Camm.

The ride itself is a 26km out and back, provided you take the left turn to the Whakapoungakau Trig at the only junction on the trail, or you’re in for some hiking on the return. The whole time you’re riding up, you’re taking note of the features you’re looking forward to railing on the way back down. But don’t be deceived, while the altitude gain on the way out is about 600m, you still do 300m on the return.

It’s wide open at one point, closed in at the next, straight, then twisty, easy as walking in some places, and with weather-formed obstacles that will test the limits of your skills in others.

You’re dwarfed, in turn, by a glowing green canopy above, a more muted looking native bush, short spiky green, green with thistles, green with a million roots, punga green, those giant plants that look like broomsticks and, if you’re as lucky as we were, a blue New Zealand sky. It’s a ride you go on to be surrounded, from all angles, by the vast, back-country feeling, bush.

After we had lunch at the trig came the descent we had been waiting for. I held onto Graeme’s wheel for as long as I could, riding fast and loose as I lent, pumped and jumped my bike from one side of the trail to the other. Gayes was far more sensible and rode within her limits. She was never far behind us, but while I’d be picking prickles out of my arms and fingers for the next two weeks, she finished without so much as a scratch.
 

Out of the bike park

People often refer to trails in New Zealand by what grade they are. Grade 1 or 2 are good for beginners (or pleasant and quite fun whatever your skill level), 3 and 4 challenge most cross-country riders, 5 and 6 attract people who like commitment, long travel bikes (or doing skilful things on short ones) and creating home movies.

This trail, by comparison, is best described as un-gradable. Its shapes and obstacles shift with the weather and each season, and will be different anytime anybody rides it. If you were to give it a number, 3 or 4 might be good ones, but what this trail is really about is sight reading and sound judgment.

You can’t go blindly around each corner, bike park style, and know that someone has ridden it before you, therefore you must be able to, too. Instead you navigate and respond with a mix of instinct, experience and common sense on the mostly uphill way out, all the while taking note of any obstacles outside your skill level for the ripper return. 

Flying along on the way back, I got bitten by a wasp that was enjoying my slipstream. A very annoying and harmful import, Gaz informed me, before reminding me that on a previous ride together out on the Moerangi Track, an Avatar like experience worth adding to your bucket list, I got bitten by a horse. Best not to pat the wild ones.
 

The aftermath

Sometimes, after a particularly great ride, its memories, sensations and excitement wake you up with a start at night. As a fairly excitable person, I woke up several times the night before this ride.

This is real mountain biking. Or rather, there are lots of different things that mountain biking is, but this is a type that we don’t experience as often as we used to.

When riding purpose built trails like those in the Redwoods it’s easy to get fixated on riding a trail as fast and as smooth as you can. You chase your mates, or a Strava time, and feel pumped when you get everything perfect.

On this trail none of that matters. Even if you miss a section, it doesn’t matter. What matters is discovering the next bit that lies ahead. The satisfaction comes from smoothly connecting things sight unseen, exploring a place that most people miss out on, and coming home and telling the tale.

15 minutes and a world away. Dwarfed by the landscape and in awe of a track that really is more suited to mountain bikes than so many purpose built ones, the WOW trail certainly lived up to its name.

WHAT TO TAKE

All the regular riding gear for a 3-4 hour journey away from any facilities. Phone reception is limited if at all.

There’s no ‘right bike’ for the many day rides in and around Rotorua. Riders on XC bikes will enjoy the ease of climbing but have to focus more on unfamiliar descents. Most locals ride trail bikes with efficient suspension for the ups and playful handling for hooting through the downs. 

WHEN TO GO

Anytime. We rode the WOW after a huge amount of rain the day before, which drained overnight and had washed all the debris off the track. The trail gets quite sandy in summer with the heat.

HOW TO GET THERE

Take Tarawera Road from Rotorua township toward Lake Okareka. Turn left onto Okareka Loop road and left again to Millar Road. Follow this until you get to the track. Look out for a road on the right which you can take to a Department of Conservation campground and a nice beach on the lake. Perfect for a post-ride swim.

NEARBY RIDES

Rainbow Mountain and Western Okataina are close to Rotorua and easy to find. Within an hour and a bit you can find the Moerangi trail (line up a shuttle to pick you up from one end), Taupo’s Craters of the Moon and the Great Lake Trail.

The Timber Trail is part of the New Zealand Cycleway, linking the tip of the North Island to the bottom of the South Island. Further south of Taupo you can track down Tree Trunk Gorge and the Taurangi River Trail.

Download the Trailmapps app for your phone for up to date maps of the Redwoods, Rainbow and Western Okataina. Check out RideNZ.co for further information on all of these trails and other North Island adventures.

NEARBY EVENTS

The only town on the planet to have hosted a World Championships for XC, DH and trials, 24 hour solo racing and singlespeeders, Rotorua mountain bikers know how to throw a good event. The Rotorua Bike Festival in February has something for every type of cyclist including film nights, participation events and novelty activities. October tends to be the other peak event season, with the Whaka 50/100km marathon a popular favourite among Aussies.