WHAKA WEEKLY 🌲14 May 2026

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 Moonride last Saturday 🏆

what a comeback. what an event. what an atmosphere. riders going lap after lap through the Whakarewarewa Forest from day into night – the festival village buzzing, the lights weaving through the trees, the smell of BBQ and the sound of bikes absolutely sending it. this event has been away for five years and it came back like it never left.

to everyone who raced – solo legends, relay teams, e-bike heroes, first timers, veterans who've been waiting years for this to come back – YOU were the event. thank you for bringing the energy and showing the world why Rotorua is the mountain biking capital of New Zealand 🤙

we hope your legs have recovered. mostly. kind of. good luck with the stairs this week 😂

🔥 BE RUDE NOT TO – THE COLLAB OF THE CENTURY

okay. buckle up. because this is the story of the week and it is an absolute BANGER.

this week, Be Rude Not To got a resurfacing tickle – and it wasn't just any resurfacing job. it was a collaboration between the RTT crew and the legends of the Rotorua Rinkly Riders – and we need to take a moment to properly appreciate what went down here.

the Rinkly Riders are not your average trail crew. these are experienced, knowledgeable riders – even at the ripe age of 84, some of these legends are still out there getting their hands dirty and sharing knowledge that you simply cannot learn from a textbook. EIGHTY FOUR YEARS OLD and still out there putting in the mahi. we are not worthy 🙏

so what did they actually do? think of it like roading research but for mountain bike trails. the crew tested a variety of different resurfacing techniques across different sections of Be Rude Not To – no compaction, foot compaction, roller compaction – to see which method produces the best result over time. the RTT crew brought their decades of professional trail building knowledge. the Rinkly Riders brought their own methods and experience for various engineering and farming backgrounds.

Now it's your turn! we need YOU to complete the experiment 🚵‍♂️

in a few weeks we're going to check back in and see how each section has bedded in and which technique has proven most effective. but the only way to get a proper result is for lots of riders to actually RIDE it. so your homework this week is to get out there and ride Be Rude Not To. repeatedly if possible. for science.

we've got our money on the pro trail crew methods 👀 but honestly? we would absolutely love to be surprised. time will tell. what's YOUR money on?

drop a comment below – we genuinely want to know 👇

and to the Rinkly Riders – thank you from the bottom of our hearts. the knowledge shared, the mahi done, and the absolute legend energy you brought to the forest this week is something we won't forget in a hurry. this is intergenerational trail building at its finest 💚

🐝 TIM TAMS WORKING BEE – ANOTHER SUNDAY STUNNER

the Brains Trust volunteers were at it again on Sunday – a full working bee on Tim Tams that delivered the goods in a big way 🙌

you know, sometimes we throw the spotlight out on random one off events, and it might seem like we take the week in, week out mahi from The Brains Trust for granted. We dont. you need to know that crew. there is a reason you are left to it. you are pros, ledgends, regular as clock work, and delievery results that are on par with the RTT trail crew. word.

This be why No Brains and Tim Tams is one of those trails that makes you feel like the forest has been specifically designed for your enjoyment. smooth, flowy, just enough tech to keep things interesting.

this is just what this community does. it shows up. it does more than asked. it leaves the forest better than it found it.

THE MAHI – ALL OF IT 🌲

MOONRIDE EVENT PREP & RECOVERY 🌙

before the Moonride could happen, the RTT crew was out making sure everything was absolutely dialled. Dipper, Creek, Tahi, and Challenge Roadside all got blown out and full event prep treatment on Thursday to make sure every metre was race-ready.

then Mudpool Road got a HUGE blowing and event prep session on Friday – a serious amount of love to get the course corridor in perfect condition. the event looked and rode the way it did because the crew put in the work beforehand. always the way 💪

DODZYS SKILLS PARK 🛴✨

Dodzys Skills Park got a massive blowing session on Thursday – a full day of work to get every inch of it spotless. the Skills Park is where so many riders take their first steps towards actually riding properly, and keeping it in immaculate condition matters. go practise your drops. go learn that berm. go become the rider you were born to be. And if doesnt quite work out, 0800 Whaka1 🚵‍♂️

FOREST LOOP – TŪHUA TOKORANGI PA RD TO THE TANK 🌲🏗️

the Tūhua section continues its multi-week glow up – digger and surface repair work on monday, then compact operator and digger on tuesday, then ANOTHER full digger and surface repair day on wednesday.

this section of the Forest Loop is getting completely transformed and the results are going to be worth every single day the crew has put into it.

the Forest Loop is already the best Great Ride in New Zealand. this section is about to make that argument completely unanswerable 🤌 all diversions are down, the loop is ready to ride! Get out there and love it! ….oooohhh and theres a new loo at the clearing at the end of Te Kōtukutuku! Yay!

PONDY ELEVATOR 🛗💨

Pondy Elevator got a thorough blowing, drains, and vegetation treatment on Monday. Honestly, not my favourite trail but the cross country kids….andthe ebikers….think its a pretty fab linking trail. So there ya go.

TE POAKA – Tree Clearing 🌟🌳

Te Poaka had trees cleared on both Sunday (by volunteers! legends!) and Monday by the RTT crew. two days, two groups of people, all caring about the same iconic trail. Te Poaka is clear, safe, and absolutely ready to remind you why it's the trail everyone brings their friends to 🌟

MINERALS 🪨🌳

Minerals got tree cleared on Monday. classic. reliable. always delivers. go ride it!

SIDEWINDER, APUMOANA EXTENSION, PEST CONTROL…. 💨🌿

Tuesday was a big blowing and vegetation day across this cluster of trails – Sidewinder, Apumoana Extension, the Apumoana Extension to Sidewinder connector, Pest Control all got properly sorted. this whole network section is absolutely humming right now. string them all together for a proper afternoon mission and you will not be disappointed 🚵‍♂️

NEW EXIT & OLD EXIT – Adopter Double 🚪💚

New Exit got surface repair love from the adopter on both Saturday AND Sunday this week, with Old Exit's adopter also getting out on Tuesday for their own surface repair session. three sessions across two trails, three different days, two absolute legends quietly making the forest better. you are both so appreciated 🙏

BUNNY JUGS 2 & PIG TRACK – Adopter Aroha 🐰🐷

Bunny Jugs 2 got blown by the adopter on Thursday and Pig Track got a blowing from its adopter on Friday.

and speaking of the Pig Track adopter – they have done it again. a poem. to the tune of The Boys Are Back In Town. we present it to you without further comment because it needs none:

🎸 Guess who went on Pig today, The trail adopter but there was a race the same day, And he didn't wanna get in their way, But man he didn't wanna be lazy.

So on the lower half of Pig he hung around,

Blew some pine needles off the ground,

Worked out where the next drains should be found,

So don't call that guy lazy.

(chorus) Pig's uphill but you can walk down I said,

Pig's uphill but you can walk down-a-wow-own Etc… 🐷

we genuinely do not deserve this adopter. Pig Track absolutely does. chur forever and always 💚

💚 THE BIGGER PICTURE

84 years old and out there building trails. volunteers working bees on a Sunday.

adopters writing songs about their trails. the RTT crew running science experiments in resurfacing techniques in collaboration with the community's most experienced riders.

this isn't just trail maintenance. this is a living, breathing, intergenerational community that genuinely loves this forest and refuses to let it be anything less than world class.

if you want to be part of keeping it going

👇 www.rotoruatrailstrust.co.nz – 3 clicks. any amount.

straight back into the forest.

now get out there and ride Be Rude Not To. for science. 🔬🚵‍♂️

aroha nui, – the crew at rotorua trails trust 🌲