A long weekend was upon us and we had plans to go to Taumaranui for a special occasion. True to our nature, we just don’t go to things for the event…. We start by over packing the ute; taking our bikes, camping equipment and clothing for all conditions. We actually have no idea what we’ll do, but we’ll make it an adventure anyway.

Day 1

After a hard night celebrating it is fair to say that we were on the go slow and weren’t really prepared to start adventuring. Once we had said our fair wells to our mates we decided to make our way to Ohakune and we’ll figure out what we’ll do when we get there. I googled a few tracks, we weren’t in the position to do Fishers Track or the 42 traverse, so we parked up and decided to take the casual approach exploring the Marton Sash and Door Tramway Loop Track.

National Park:  Marton Sash and Door Tramway Loop

Distance: 16kms |Average Time: 2 Hours | Grade: 2-3

Start: National Park Station | Finish: National Park Station

Appropriate for all abilities, the Marton Sash and Door Tramway Loop follows a recovered bush tramway route for an approximate 2-hour ride. Parking up at the old train station café we made our way south and followed the train tracks until we hit the gate. We had only covered 1km of track to find ourselves stopping to take in the beautiful scenery of Mt Ngauruhoe, Mt Ruapehu and its remarkable surroundings. There is one tiny, steep hill and the rest of the track is easy as, bouncing in and out off native bush and pine plantations. We started the trail around 3.30pm and finished the track at 5.45 with plenty of stops to explore and to play around on natural features – what an amazing way to see the sunset.

After our scenic ride, we made our way to Station Lodge Ohakune for a restful nights sleep in a clean backpacker hostel. They’re busy in the winter season, but the off-peak season is peaceful. Station lodge has an awesome setup, including a large communal kitchen, lounge, great showers, drying room, spa pool, coffee shop and bike cleaning facilities. If you’re planning to do Old Coach Road or any trails in the area, they offer a shuttle service and bike rentals at an affordable price.

Day 2

Talking to backpackers in the lodge, they all thought we were crazy to make our way to Turangi and miss the tracks nearby, we’ve done a few before, but I wanted to tick Tree Trunk Gorge off the list. From Ohakune, it takes about 45 minutes to get to Tree Trunk Gorge Road and you get to see Mt Ruapehu in all its rugged glory, the Army training area and the intriguing silhouettes of the Kaimanawa ranges.

Kaimanawa Ranges:  Tree Trunk Gorge and the Pillars of Hercules

Distance: 17kms |Average Time: 4 Hours | Grade: 4

Start: Tree Trunk Gorge Road | Finish: Desert Road (3km ride back to start)

Wow! This place is amazing. As soon you get out of your car you’re drawn to the bridge looking over fast rapids and deep crevasses in the rock formations. Your journey is greeted by a fast and flowy downhill section amongst classic beech forest; it’s quite a magical place with ancient trees and the subtle flowing sounds of the river nearby. Tree Trunk gorge has a bit of everything to get you excited with technical sections including trees to duck under, muddy tracks and plenty of river crossings to test your mental and physical skill – we had to make the call to take our shoes off at one stage, best decision ever!  Make sure you plan ahead as rivers can rise during the wet seasons.

Just meters from finish gate you can start the exhilarating and rowdy ride down to the Pillars of Hercules. It doesn’t’ take long to get to the bottom to reap the rewards of the stunning canyon and the Tongariro River which roars beneath you.  Once you’ve taken in the sites, you can start the climb to Desert road where you see glimpses of Mt Ngaruahoe. You do have to ride the main road back for a little bit, so do take care!

Next Stop… Rotorua, to meet of with friends and ride… Time to drive, camp and fuel up for tomorrow.

Day 3

A nice and crisp wake up by the lake, we’re frantically sorting out breakfast, arranging to meet up points by phone and packing up camp. We’ve agreed to ditch the very popular Redwoods Forest and explore Rainbow mountain for the first time. It’s one of those tracks where we had big intentions to do it, but we never do. We should have done it sooner!

Rotorua:  Rainbow Mountain

Distance: 10kms | Average Time: 2.5 Hours | Grade: 4

Start: Kerosene Creek | Finish: Kerosene Creek

The best way is to start the track at Kerosene Creek. The Drive down takes you past a beautiful emerald green sulphur lake. Once you’ve parked up and you’re ready to go, make your way through the windy and bushy trail to the walking/riding junction. I’m not going to lie, its the hike your bike and puff the tough ride to the top. If you’re fit, you can ride most of it and get off the bike when you come to high steep ruts. The uphill challenge takes you past green volcanic lakes, steaming cliff faces, red and yellow thermal banks, ancient native trees, thermal pools, and interesting plants that grow in the thermal soil. Once you get the summit, you are rewarded with a stunning 360degree view, overlooking multiple lakes, mountains and man-made thermal structures.

Make sure you follow the mountain bike only trail. You’re in for a treat! Such a technical and rowdy section that takes you over volcanic rocks, roots and a few drops. The second downhill stage takes you into another world of fast and smooth riding. We ran out of batteries, so I don’t have any photos. Make sure you check out the sweet edit below.  Don’t forget to see it and ride it for yourselves though!