WHAKA WEEKLY 🌲 19 MARCH 2026

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 been hectic, volunteers, adopters, RTT Trail crew, and one absolutely enormous community working bee. Let's get into it!

🐴🚴🚶 LITTLE TRAILS, MASSIVE IMPACT

Right, this one deserves a proper moment because it's been a long time coming and affects more people than you might think.

You know the exit of Apumoana, yeah? And the road up to the shuttle drop-off or the start of Te Poaka? Well, for ages that stretch has been a bit of a dodgy experience – rough road, big rocks, no real defined line, just kind of hoping for the best.

Not anymore!

The crew has been out there widening and smoothing the roadside verge to create a proper defined trail. Bikes and walkers now have a smooth, clear trail on the exit of Apumoana all the way up to the shuttle drop-off. Turn right? You've got a smooth trail all the way to the start of Te Poaka. That transition that used to be a bit of a fudge is now genuinely lovely. Small in the grand scheme of things, but massive in how it feels to ride.

But wait – it's not just the riders who got some love here. 🐴

The horse riding community has been patiently asking for years for a way to safely avoid the K2 Link track, which was simply too narrow to share comfortably with bikes. The road was too rocky for horse hooves….It was a real pinch point and a genuine safety concern. Well, the crew have sorted it properly – there is now a beautiful smooth trail running alongside the road, purpose-built for horse riders to travel safely and enjoyably without the stress of sharing a narrow track. No more awkward encounters, no more squeezing past – just a lovely, clear trail that gives our horse community the respect and space they absolutely deserve.

This is a multi-use forest and we are proud of that. Every user deserves a great experience out there. Chur to everyone who made this happen! 🙌

🏆 NATIONAL MTB CHAMPS – IN OUR BACKYARD! 🏆

As if Crankworx wasn't enough, the Cycling NZ MTB National Championships are hitting Rotorua THIS WEEKEND and the forest is buzzing all over again. The best cross-country and Enduro mountain bikers in New Zealand are coming to race the trails we all love, and we want to give them the absolute best shot at a fair, clean race.

That means respecting some temporary trail closures – please read this carefully and plan your rides accordingly!

🔴 XCO Trail Closures: Friday 20th March 8:30am – 4:30pm Saturday 21st March 8:30am – 2:30pm Closed trails: Pohaturoa Road Bridge from Waipa, Tahi, Creek, Dipper, Challenge Climb, Boulderdash, Challenge Extension, Rockdrop, Rosebank.

🟡 XCC Trail Closures: Sunday 22nd March 7:00am – 9:50am Temporary diversion in place on Hemo Gorge.

Open trails may experience some delays so plan ahead, be patient, and be a good sport about it. These athletes are representing New Zealand and they deserve the best possible race conditions. When you see them out there – cheer them on! Loudly! Let's show them what kind of community this is 📣

🚶 ROTORUA WALKING FESTIVAL – THIS WEEKEND TOO! 🎉

And if that wasn't enough, the 33rd Rotorua Walking Festival lands on 21–22 March 2026, and this forest is front and centre on Day One. This is one of the longest-running community events in Rotorua – 33 years of people coming together to walk through this incredible landscape – and we couldn't be more proud that the Whakarewarewa Forest is its spiritual home.

Day One takes walkers through the majestic Whakarewarewa Forest with distances of 10km, 21km and the 42km marathon walk. Day Two heads into Rotorua's urban environment – cafés, the lakefront, Government Gardens – with distances of 10km, 20km, 30km and a brand new 42km option.

It's also worth noting this is the only IML-accredited walking festival in New Zealand, which means international walkers travel from across the globe specifically to walk this forest. How cool is that? Registration opens at 7am each day at Neil Hunt Park on Tarawera Road – just rock up, register, and walk. Simple as.

Whether you're keen to do the full 42km marathon walk or just the 10km to soak up the forest vibes, get along and be part of it. And give everyone you see on the trail a big smile – they might have come from Finland or Japan just to walk through your backyard 🌍

👉 www.rotoruawalkingfestival.org.nz for all the details.

NOW – THE TRAIL MAHI! 💚

ROTORUA RINKLY RIDERS - Te Poaka🌟

Te Poaka got a full blowing run and a massive working bee by the Rotorua Rinkly Riders, with 15 of the legends showing up for a three hours session on the trail surface. They smashed it up, stamped it down, dug the drains, cleared pipes and nailed back the vegetation. Epic effort and it is now fair to say shes in mit condition! 

THE BRAINS TRUST - NO BRAINS WORKING BEE 🐝🔥

This is community trail building at its absolute finest – people giving up their Sunday, getting their hands dirty, and making the forest better for everyone. No pay, no fuss, just pure aroha for the trails. You are all absolute champions and we cannot thank you enough. No Brains is going to be riding beautifully – go find out for yourself and think of the legends who made it happen 💚

CORNERS – RADIUS OF THE LOST ARCS 🔧

The Corners adopter was out again on Saturday doing surface repairs – this is now multiple weeks in a row this legend has been out there quietly keeping Corners in beautiful shape. The surface work they've been doing is making a real difference and every rider who hits those perfectly shaped corners has them to thank. Chur, you absolute gem!

PIG TRACK & PIGLET – Adopter Aroha 🐷

Check this out, a completely epic report from our fav adopter: 

“(To the tune of Last Resort by Papa Roach):

Cut my bare legs on blackberry,*

This is my trail report,

Vegetation,

Needs trimming,

Don’t really matter if it’s a fern or seedling,

(Guitar riff),

This is my trail report.

(Chorus)

Cos I’m losing the (line of) sight,

Keeping riders in mind,

Wish pine needles didn’t fall all of the time,

Losing the (line of) sight,

Keeping riders in mind,

Maybe someone will build a b line.**

*Didn’t actually cut myself because I was h+s conscious.

**Doesn’t actually need a b line but it’s a good rhyme. “

THE VEGE DONT CARE – Hatupatu

Hatupatu got a huge vege run so it doesnt disappear completely! Vegetation doesn't care if the terrain is steep, hard to access and blimmin hard work to keep open eh :/

FEEDER GRADE 3 – Digger, Hand Build & Drains 🏗️

Feeder (the uphill return track) got some serious repairs this week.Great collaboration between the RTT crew and the adopter here – that's the trust model working exactly as it should 🤙

FOREST LOOP – TE KOROMETE TĪTOKORANGI – Corner widening🌲

The Forest Loop got some special treatment this week with digger and hand build work on Te Koromete Tītokorangi – skilled trail construction work invested by RTT and RLC into one of the most beautiful loops in NZ. The widening of one corner is a little touch that quietly enhances the flow and functionality of the trail….more to come? Hope so!

CORRIDOR REBUILD – Adopter Vegetation Control 🛠️

Corridor has a new adopter! The are getting right into in by tackling the vegetation, opening up sight lines. It;s coming along beautifully and the adopter's consistent mahi is a big reason why. Chur for getting stuck in, awesome to have you on the volly team buddy!

TRIG TO MUDPOOL ROAD (Yellow walking trail) – Refresh 🚶

The Trig to Mudpool Road aka Yellow Walking Trail, had been slowly getting eroded into a bit of a mess. It has always been a steep trail on an exposed front, so it was well overdue for a bit of a refurb. With the Walking Festival rolling in this weekend, the timing couldn't be better – this trail is absolutely pristine for everyone heading out this weekend on foot. Go enjoy it!

G ROCK – Final Surface Repairs ✅

G Rock got its final surface repair session this week, wrapping up what has been an extraordinary multi-week transformation of this trail. The crew have poured so much into G Rock over recent weeks and it shows. G Rock is done and it's brilliant. Go ride it!

DODZYS SKILLS PARK – Surface Repairs 🛴

The brilliant Dodzys Skills Park adopter got stuck into surface repairs on Wednesday. The skills park is where so many riders take their first steps towards becoming confident trail riders – keeping it in great shape means more people progressing, more fun being had, and more future trail lovers being born. You're investing in the next generation and that's pretty special. Aroha nui!

PLAN ON AN EPIC WEEKEND! 📋

Quick recap for your weekend planning:

Friday 20th March: XCO trails closed 8:30am–4:30pm (Pohaturoa Rd Bridge from Waipa, Tahi, Creek, Dipper, Challenge Climb, Boulderdash, Challenge Extension, Rockdrop, Rosebank)

Saturday 21st March: Same XCO trails closed 8:30am–2:30pm Sunday 22nd March: Hemo Gorge diversion in place 7:00–9:50am

Heaps of the network is still wide open, conditions are mint, and there's an electric atmosphere in the forest this weekend with National Champs AND the Walking Festival both happening. Get out there and soak it up!

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE TRAILS 💚

None of this runs on thank yous (though we appreciated them). It runs on donations, trail sponsorships, and the collective love of a community that genuinely cares about this place.

If you want to be part of keeping it going – you know where to find us.

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

Have an incredible weekend out there whānau.

The forest is there for you whenever you need it.

Look after it and it'll look after you.

Aroha nui, – The crew at Rotorua Trails Trust 🌲