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NEWS

Whaka Weekly
What's been going on it the Whaka Forest and what's coming up? Find out in this weeks Whaka Weekly!


🌟🚵 WHAKA WEEKLY 🚵🌟 22 January 2026
G'day folks! Another week down in the forest and it has been a beaut with heaps of happy campers coming in to ride the new sections of the forest loop, check out the views of the loggin and in general get up to the best kind of mischief in the forest! Yeah, the weather's been super duper soggy this week, but luckily we're blessed with fast drying tracks here in Roto, so actually the rain has done the forest a service! The dust has disappeared, the dirts got tacky and all your
Tony Knauf
Jan 227 min read


🌟🚵 WHAKA WEEKLY 🚵🌟
15 January 2026 What an EPIC fortnight in the forest! Over 349 hours of absolute graft, and we need to shine the spotlight on the legends who make this place what it is – the volunteers and trail adopters! These are the people who don't get paid a cent but show up week after week, year after year, because they genuinely LOVE these trails. This place is run on hard mahi: 🦸 VOLUNTEER & ADOPTER HEROES Let's celebrate the incredible humans who poured their hearts into the fores
Tony Knauf
Jan 156 min read


Pinkbike: Out Of Office featured as Trail of the Month!
We’re super excited to see Out Of Office featured as Trail of the Month on Pinkbike! The Pinkbike and Trailforks article dives into what makes this trail special, from its hand-built, old-school feel to why simple, well-designed singletrack still delivers some of the most rewarding riding. A huge shoutout to everyone involved in bringing this trail to life. Check it out on Trailforks and read the full feature on Pinkbike below👇 https://www.pinkbike.com/news/trail-of-the-mont
Tony Knauf
Jan 81 min read


🌟🚵♂️ WHAKA WEEKLY 🚵♂️🌟 THE FINAL EDITION OF 2025!
18 December 2025 Well folks, this is it – the FINAL Whaka Weekly of 2025! What an absolutely INCREDIBLE year it's been! Before we dive into this week's work, let's take a moment to reflect on everything that made 2025 one of the best years on record for Rotorua trails. We weathered the SECOND BIGGEST storm season on record and cleared almost as many trees as the worst year ever (ya’ll know the one im thinking of!). We also had WAY more volunteer work than ever before, more re
Tony Knauf
Dec 18, 20255 min read


🌟🚵♂️ WHAKA WEEKLY 🚵♂️🌟 27th November 2025
Weather: Bit hot mate, cooler in the trees tho and swims in the lakes after are dreamy! Dirt: Fantastic and fasssssst Another cracking week in the forest with 137 hours of quality mahi from the RTT crew and the incredible adopters! With summer rolling in and the trails drying out, we're full steam ahead on building, refurbishing, keeping the vegetation under control, and keeping everything in premium condition ready for your summer holiday or staycation in Rotorua. Get out th
Tony Knauf
Dec 11, 20257 min read


🌟🚵♂️ WHAKA WEEKLY 🚵♂️🌟6th November 2025
Another cracker of a week out in the forest! 🌞 The sun’s shining, the dust is rising, and the trails are buzzing with riders, runners, and crews hard at work keeping everything mint. From big working bees 🐝 to tidy-up missions and digger sessions 🚜, it’s all go! 🌤️ WEATHER & DIRT CHECK Summer’s knocking! ☀️ Warm, dry days have the dirt feeling fast and fun, with that early-summer tackiness hanging in. Mornings are perfect for digging, evenings perfect for riding — classic
Tony Knauf
Nov 6, 20253 min read


🌟🚵♂️ WHAKA WEEKLY 🚵♂️🌟 23th October 2025🌤️
🌤️ Weather and Dirt Oddly warm, not sure if im ready for summer yet….. Dirt is dry and any boggy bits are drying up, yeah nah im def ready for SUMMER!!! THIS WEEK'S TRAIL LOVE 💚 🌳 Tihi o Tawa Two hours of tree clearing keeping this beauty accessible, as much as we did enjoy the new log feature for a while…. 🏔️ Mini DH HUGE shout-out to the trail adopter who put in THREE hours on Tuesday and another TWO hours on Wednesday doing surface repairs! That's FIVE hours of love fr
Tony Knauf
Oct 23, 20258 min read


🌟🚵♂️ WHAKA WEEKLY 🚵♂️🌟 15th October 2025
🌤️ Weather and Dirt The season’s shifting gears, with temps warming up but the rain falling hard! The crew’s been flat-out sorting out the drains AND catching the vegetation growth BEFORE it goes absolutely crazy! The clock is ticking, the crazy vege and thistle season is rapidly approaching! THIS WEEK'S TRAIL LOVE 💚 🛠️ Dodzy’s Skills Park Surface repairs dialled in and looking mint! The trail adopter has been super busy making things smooth and safe means riders can progr
Tony Knauf
Oct 16, 20254 min read


🌟🚵♂️ WHAKA WEEKLY 🚵♂️🌟9th October 2025
🌤️ Weather: It’s got that “summer is coming!” vibe — the sun’s out, the trails are drying fast, and those after-work rides are...
Tony Knauf
Oct 9, 20255 min read


NZ Pump Track National Champs
Celebrating Community, Celebrating Trails 🚴♀️ On 21 September, Rotorua's Velosolutions Pump Track was alive with energy as it hosted...
Tony Knauf
Oct 3, 20251 min read


Shoutout to Mark Upshall
A huge shoutout to Mark Upshall, our incredible Operations Manager here at Rotorua Trails Trust! Mark sits in a truly essential role,...
Tony Knauf
Oct 3, 20251 min read


🌟🚵♂️ WHAKA WEEKLY 🚵♂️🌟 2nd October 2025
🌤️ Weather: It’s warming up a bit and daylight savings = after work adventures are on! 🌱 Dirt: The team has been throwing round the...
Tony Knauf
Oct 2, 20257 min read


🌟🚵♂️ WHAKA WEEKLY 🚵♂️🌟 25th September 2025
🌤️ Weather: Yahoo! Sun's out, wind's taking a day off! ☀️😎 🌱 Dirt: On the ground, flicked up your back, in the tread of your boots -...
Tony Knauf
Sep 25, 20253 min read


🌟🚵♂️ WHAKA WEEKLY 🚵♂️🌟 18th September 2025
🌤️ Weather: Windy and wild with bursts of warm sunshine. 🌱 Dirt: love it 🚨 DH Track Update We’re super gutted the DH track copped...
Tony Knauf
Sep 18, 20253 min read


🌟🚵♂️ WHAKA WEEKLY 🚵♂️🌟📅 11th September 2025
🌤️ Weather: Lol — spring has sprung! Windy, raining, then suddenly warm and sunny. Typical Rotorua! 🌱 Dirt: Dry with some damp spots —...
Tony Knauf
Sep 11, 20253 min read


🌟🚵♂️ WHAKA WEEKLY 🚵♂️🌟4th September 2025
Crazy… where has the year gone already?! 🌤️ Weather: Best check the weather rock this week — it’s all over the show! 🌱 Dirt: For the...
Tony Knauf
Sep 4, 20252 min read


🌟 Trail Legends Spotlight: The Rinkly Riders 🌟
The Rinkly Riders — what a crew of legends 🙌. They are a bunch of good people who give their time and energy to the trails we all love,...
Tony Knauf
Aug 28, 20251 min read


🌟🚵♂️ WHAKA WEEKLY 🚵♂️🌟28th August 2025
🌤️ Weather: Good right now, very spring like, but could get sketchy if that predicted wind comes up! 🌱 Dirt: how many different ways...
Tony Knauf
Aug 28, 20252 min read


🌟🚵♂️ WHAKA WEEKLY 🚵♂️🌟 14 August 2025🌤️
🌤️ Weather: I mean come on, it's absolutely epic! Reckon Rotorua's got the best winter weather, eh! 🌱 Dirt: Dryer than a moth sandwich...
Tony Knauf
Aug 14, 20255 min read


🌟🚵♂️ WHAKA WEEKLY 🚵♂️🌟 7 August 2025
🌤️ Weather: ☀️ The way winter is supposed to be - good mix of sunshine, frosts and big rain. Love it! ❄️ 🌱 Dirt: 🤯 I am blown away by...
Tony Knauf
Aug 7, 20253 min read
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