Happy trails: Fun in mud for riders
Blessing marks opening of the new gateway pou for bike trails
This past weekend was a big one for the Manawatu¯ Mountain Bike Club. Things wrapped up on Sunday with the muddy running of the Crank It Club Enduro.
More than 90 riders aged 7 to 63 had three hours to complete five trails on a hard course or four trails on an easy one. “The trails,” says event organiser Harry Wells, “were running great on Saturday”.
“Things got a little slippery on Sunday, but while the riders may have been muddy and wet, they all got through the course safely.”
The race was a festive way to end a weekend that started with a much more formal event: the Friday dawn blessing of the new gateway pou. The pou, designed by Rangita¯ne carver Craig Kawana, were commissioned as part of the Arapuke Mountain Bike Park placemaking project that included building a shelter last year and planting native gardens.
“Craig was given a fairly open brief, and what he has created is much more beautiful than I had ever imagined. The design incorporates traditional elements and those important to Rangita¯ne,” club trail committee chairman Shane Telfer said.
The pou include the pattern from the ta¯huhu [backbone] of Te Rangimarie Marae in Rangiotu; the cloaks depict the colours of kereru¯ and huia feathers. Kawana also included more modern and playful elements, like a bike chain, backpack, walking stick and his signature katipo¯ .
Creating a welcoming entrance to the mountain bike park marks a significant achievement for the club. “The shelter — and now more significantly, the pou — reflect the partnership that we have with the Palmerston North City Council and iwi,” Telfer says.
On Saturday, the mountain bike club officially opened Te Ara Kaikohi, a grade-three (intermediate) trail.
The 5km trail has been in the works for nearly five years and required trail builder Velstand Trails to work with very challenging terrain.
“This new trail has opened a new area of the park on the northeastern side. It is built in quite a steep section of the park and was a challenge to construct, but is an iconic trail which we hope attracts more recreational riders,” Telfer says.
“There are some short, steep climbs and really fun downhill sections, and at two metres wide, it is a true grade-three trail. Our plan is to build about 15 more kilometres of trails that will feed into Te Ara Kiakohi, which serves as a new exit route to the car park,” he says.
“We have trails from grade two to grade six [the most difficult], and this trail gives us a 12km loop option for intermediate riders. If riders go up Back Track, along the top and then down the new trail, they can enjoy views, incredible bush and ride along the Kahuterawa Stream.”
Telfer says riders need mountain bikes to ride the trails and also need to be reasonably fit to enjoy the ride.
The club, which has been around since 1988, aims to provide opportunities for riders of all levels, but proudly assumes another role.
The entrance to the mountain bike park, about 17km southwest of The Square, is at the end of Kahuterawa Rd. There is another entrance, where the grade-two trails are, at the end of Scotts Rd.