🍫🌲Whaka Weekky 9🍫🌲 April 2026

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! 🔥

If you haven't heard of XTERRA, buckle up – because it's one of the most exciting events to roll through our forest all year. This Saturday 11th April, the XTERRA Rotorua Festival descends on Blue Lake (Lake Tikitapu) and the Whakarewarewa Forest, and it is genuinely one of the best XTERRA events held anywhere in the world. Not our words – that's the reputation this event has built over years of being set in some of New Zealand's most stunning scenery.

It's an off-road multisport festival with something for literally everyone – from the full distance triathlon (swim in Blue Lake, 26km MTB through the Whaka, 11km trail run) all the way through to 11km and 5.5km trail runs and kids' events. If you've ever wanted to have a crack at off-road triathlon, this is arguably the best place on earth to try it.

Now – the trails are open to everyone as usual on Saturday, and we absolutely encourage you to get out there and enjoy them. But if you're heading out on the MTB or on foot and you notice someone coming through fast with a race number on – give them the right of way, cheer them on, and step aside with a smile 👏.

They won't be on the trails all day, and the stoke of watching someone absolutely smashing their race through the forest is honestly infectious. Don't let it put you off heading out – just share the love and enjoy the atmosphere. It's electric.

Go to xterraplanet.com for all the details and to cheer on the competitors 🤙

THE MAHI 💚

Right – the Easter period is traditionally a quieter one for trail work, and the crew still absolutely delivered. Here's everything that got done:

POST-STORM BLITZ – Mahana, Minerals, Tūteata, Apumoana, Te Poaka & Box of Birds 🌬️

First order of business after the weather we had was getting out with the blowers and clearing the trails up. The crew covered a solid run of trails – Mahana, Minerals, Tūteata, Apumoana, and Te Poaka all got blown out by the crew, and the Box of Birds adopter was straight out there too doing their bit. Cheers to everyone who got out there quickly and got it sorted!

BOX OF BIRDS – Surface Repairs (Adopter) 🐦

The Box of Birds adopter went above and beyond this week – multiple days of surface repair work to get this trail back to its brilliant best after the weather.

Box of Birds is a super fun tech trail that buzzes the line of Grade 4 really well, but it takes alot of keep it that way and hold back the creep to gnarly! Epic effort, true dedication, just fantastic trail adoption work!

BE RUDE NOT TO – Tree Clearing (Certified Volunteer) 🌳

A volunteer got out and sorted a tree clearing job on Be Rude Not To – keeping this trail open and safe. Two hours of mahi from someone who just turned up and got it done because they care. That is community in action right there. Chur! 🤙

CHALLENGE DH – Drains 💧

Challenge DH got its drains sorted on Tuesday – getting the water moving properly off this trail is critical for keeping the surface in good shape, especially after a wet spell. The crew nailed it and Challenge DH is riding beautifully. Go test yourself on it!

TARAWERA RETURN (PIPELINE/WINDY RD TO TANK) – Blowing & Vegetation 🌿

Tarawera Return got a solid blowing and vegetation session to clear it out properly after the recent weather. Clear lines, clear surface, clear trail – go enjoy it!

FOREST LOOP – TANGAROA-MIHI – Blowing & Drains 🌲💧

Tangaroa-mihi got some Forest Loop love on Tuesday with blowing and drain work. Keeping the drains clear on the Forest Loop is so important for the longevity of the trail surface and the crew were straight onto it. The Forest Loop is in beautiful condition – get out there for a wander this week while the weather holds!

TŪTEATA – Tree Clearing 🌳

Tūteata got a tree clearing job on Tuesday – keeping the corridor clear and safe. Quick, targeted, important. Chur to the crew!

KID'S LOOP & TAHI – Drains 💧

Both the Kid's Loop and Tahi got drain work on Wednesday….no better time to check the drains than in the pouring rain! The Kid's Loop is such an important trail – it's where so many young riders get their first taste of what the Whaka has to offer, and keeping the drainage sorted means it stays fun, safe, and accessible. Tahi is a classic and well worth the drain attention too. Great work from the crew!

74 hours of mahi over the Easter period. From the Crew, from amazing volunteers, and adopters all doing their bit – even over a public holiday week. That is something to be genuinely proud of. The trails are in great shape, the network is loved, and it's all down to this community.

If you got out over Easter and had an amazing time in the forest, maybe it's time to give a little back. It doesn't take much.

👉 www.rotoruatrailstrust.co.nz – 3 clicks. Every bit counts.

⚠️ IMPORTANT WEATHER NOTICE – PLEASE READ ⚠️

We always want you in the forest. Always. We are the first ones to say get out there, ride in the rain, embrace the mud, live your best life in the trees.

But maybe not this time.

There is a Tropical Cyclone Category 2 system on the way and the outlook is not good. We are asking you, sincerely, to keep a very close eye on MetService (metservice.com) over the coming days and to take any warnings seriously.

Here's the thing about forests in big wind and rain events – trees fall down. Without warning. You don't hear them coming. You don't see them coming. It doesn't matter how well maintained the network is – when a Cat 2 cyclone rolls through, branches and whole trees come down and there is simply nothing we can do to predict where or when.

Please do not put yourself at risk. If warnings are in place and it's howling out there – choose another day. The forest will still be there when it passes. We will be out doing damage assessment as soon as it's safe to do so and we'll keep you posted on conditions via this page.

When the storm passes, and you find a tree down please report it via trailforks.com. It is free to use for reporting, and helps us keep all the reports in one place and up to date. Chur!

Wind and rain = hazardous conditions. Stay safe, stay home, and let the storm pass.

Please take care of yourselves and your families, and if you can, contribute to the costly cleanup by making a donation. 🙏

Aroha nui, – The crew at Rotorua Trails Trust 🌲