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Kia ora whānau!! another week of community legends quietly making the forest better while the rest of us are cosy inside throwing another log on the fire. adopters, volunteers, the No Brains crew doing what the No Brains crew does – showing up when nobody asked them to and leaving trails better than they found them. let's get into it 👇 🏁 DUAL SLALOM TRACK – GETTING WIDER AND WILDER the Dual Slalom Track adopter is a legend and the trail got some love this week with work on

Due very high winds and rain, there’s a strong likelihood of fallen trees, large branches, and debris across trails. 🚴‍♂️🚶‍♀️ Please use extra caution when riding or walking in the forest. If you come across a downed tree or large obstacle, help us respond faster by reporting it with: 📍 A precise location screenshot (pin drop) + trail name + approx. distance into the trail) 📸 A photo if possible — or a size estimate (e.g. 10cm diameter) so we know what size chainsaw to br

Kia ora whānau!! shortest day has been and gone, we are officially on the way back to summer, and the forest is absolutely in its element right now. crispy mornings, clear trails, and behind the scenes....well lets just say alot has been going on and its been intense. 🔄 CORNERS – RADIUS OF THE LOST ARCS – WORKING BEE GLOW UP ✨ Sunday. volunteers. Corners. blowing, surface repairs, hand build work, the lot. the kind of session where you turn up at 9am and suddenly its getting

another week of bluebird winter magic (ignore the showers) in the Whaka and before we get into the mahi, we just want to say something we don't say nearly enough. this forest is something pretty special. not because of any one thing – its the sum of all the parts eh, the trails, the trees, the birds and the dirt, the people and the moments. the kid on the balance bike having the time of their life. the adaptive MTB rider absolutely sending it. it's all the dogs and their owne

WHAKA WEEKLY 🌲 28 May 2026 right. big week. strap in 👇 Eagle vs Shark lower is rideable. Black House Down is back. three trail rebuilds are being actively scoped right now. Challange Roadside is looking fire. and THIS Sunday the Highlander is on and it is going to be an absolute cracker. let's get into it 🌲 🏔️ HIGHLANDER MTB CHALLENGE – THIS SUNDAY 31ST MAY 🔥 the Highlander is one of those events that gets people out of bed before sunrise in the middle of winter to train

Kia ora whānau!! what a week!🌲☀️ the trails are going OFF right now, the RTT crew have been absolutely flat out, the volunteers have shown up in the most extraordinary way, and we have a collaboration story this week that is genuinely one of our favourite things we've ever been part of. also there's a poem. obviously. let's get into it 👇 🌙 MOONRIDE – THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE first things first – a massive CONGRATULATIONS to every single person who rode the Cateye Moo

The usual Whaka Weekly writer is on holiday, so we got the intern to give it a bash. Enjoy. no cap mother nature has been in its villain era give us harsh main character energy and we are NOT okay 😭🌧️ the storms said "let me cook" and absolutely cooked us. cooked the trails. cooked the crew. just straight up chaos behaviour from mother nature and she is NOT taking accountability for it. every time we slay the trail clean up she comes back and undoes it like girl PLEASE. w

Kia ora, The Lower No Brains mountain bike trail is currently closed due to a significant slip that presents a potential hazard. Riders can still access the trail from the top and take the Tim Tams line, but the Lower No Brains line that takes you back to Taura is Closed. Do not proceed past the barrier, it is there for your safety. The trail will stay closed until the ground has fully stabilised and it is confirmed safe to reopen. This will involve assessment and guidance fr

Okay so the weather has been absolutely COOKED this week. Like, biblical. Wind, rain, more wind, a bit of sideways rain for variety, and then some more wind just to keep things interesting. The kind of week where you look outside and think "yeah nah" and go back to bed. BUT. Here's the thing. The trails? Somehow still going off. And that is NOT an accident. That is the result of an army of incredible humans – the RTT crew, trail adopters, and volunteers – who have been loggin

As a precaution the Whakarewarewa Forest will be closed to the public tomorrow (Sunday 12 April). The closure includes access to Titokorangi / Redwoods, Whakarewarewa, Te Pūtake o Tawa and Waipa. With Cyclone Vaiana heading our way, @MetService has issued a Strong Wind and Heavy Rain watch for Rotorua for all of tomorrow, with wind gusts expected to exceed 110km/h. Forest access is generally considered unsafe in winds above 60km/h due to the increased risk of falling trees an

Kia ora whānau! Happy post-Easter! Hope you all had an amazing break, got out into the forest, ate too much chocolate, and made some beautiful memories with your people. We certainly hope the trails played their part 🍫🌲 Now – before we dive into all the mahi the crew got stuck into this week, we've got two exciting things and one important safety message to get through. Read to the end on this one, it matters. 🏊🚵🏃 XTERRA ROTORUA FESTIVAL – THIS SATURDAY 11TH APRIL! 🔥 I

And now a word from our friends at Kaingaroa Tipu.... "Kia ora koutou, Kaingaroa Tipu (KT) have increased contractor resources to expediate the logging programme in the Hill Road/Tawa Road area. Operational area has increased into the neighbouring harvest area, and log truck activity will increase as more volume is being carted out of the forest. The log truck route will remain the same although loadout of logs will commence on Pipeline Road, at the bottom of the Taniwha Trai

Kia ora whānau! Can you believe it — perfect weather lined up for the long weekend!!!!! Thanks NEVER happens!!! Absolute gift. Dry trails, blue skies, and the forest is humming. If you’re not already planning a visit to Rotorua this weekend… you probably should be!! Rotorua is the place to be right now, dont miss this classic "Last of the summer" weekend. No events this week — just you, your mates, and the best trail network in the country doing its thing. ⚠️ BEST TRAILS TO R

Kia ora whānau! What a week of mahi it's been out there. The crew has been absolutely flat out across the whole network and the results are showing – the trails are in brilliant shape heading into what promises to be a big, event-filled week in the forest. BUT – and this is a big but (and i can not lie) – we need to lead with something important this week. There is a serious weather warning in place at the moment and we need everyone to be across it before heading out. ⚠️ WEA

Kia ora whānau! What a week. What a WEEK. Crankworx came and went and absolutely delivered – what an incredible showcase of the forest and our community to the world. (Chur to the Rinkly Riders for their spot light on Seven Sharp!) The trails are in brilliant shape, the weather is sitting at that perfect late-summer sweet spot, and we've got not one but TWO big events rolling into the forest this coming weekend. But first – let's talk about the mahi, because this week has bee

Kia ora whānau! What a week to be alive and living in Rotorua!! The weather is absolutely cracking – not too hot, beautifully crisp mornings, and the kind of late summer air that makes you want to be outside every spare second you have. The trails are in fantastic shape and the forest is buzzing – and I mean BUZZING – because Crankworx is HERE!!! Oh, and before we get into all of it – huge shout out to a very special birthday this week. Happy 95th birthday to a legend, my Gra

Kia ora whānau! What an absolutely gorgeous week it's been out there….a bit fresh but now we get to appreciate the warmth ☀️. The sun is cracking, there's just the right amount of moisture locked into the dirt, and every last bit of that post-storm bog has dried up and packed down beautifully. If the trails listed below are not on your must-ride hit list this weekend – and they absolutely should be – get planning an amazing ride that includes them! 🚵‍♂️ 🏃 ROTORUA OFF ROAD H