WHAKA WEEKLY 🌲 26 February 2026

Kia ora whānau!

The sun is OUT, the mud is packing down nicely, and the forest is absolutely humming after last week's biblical soaking. If you've been waiting for the trails to come right – your time is NOW. Get out there this week because the dirt is firming up beautifully and it's going to be absolutely mint.

This week has been a big one – and I mean BIG. Sure we did alot of the fundamentals of drains and vege trims (although there's plenty of that too). Thanks to all the trail sponsorships and donations that have been coming in, we have been able to get stuck into some much needed trail refreshes. Not whole trails, but just some niggly spots that need more love.

The kind of work that makes you ride a trail and think "wait, has this always been this good?!" This is what happens when you – yes YOU – donate, sponsor a trail, or show up to a working bee. The trust fund fills up, and instead of just keeping the trails alive, we can actually make them BETTER.

Refresh over new build, every time – once those trees are up and protecting the trail corridor, the surface lasts longer, maintenance drops away, and the riding just gets better and better. It's the gift that keeps on giving. So thank you. Genuinely. Let's get into this week's mahi!

🚨 DOUBLE DOWN JUMP LINE - SKYWALKER - IS OPEN – GO RIDE IT!! 🚨

She's OPEN people!! This has been a labour of love by the adopter Todd (legend) and with a colab from RTT and Bear Tracks and Trails, we are all so stoked to finally be able to say – go hit it! Take it easy on your first run, learn the lines, then send it. Let us know what you think. We reckon you're going to love it. (check out the video a few posts back)

TĪTOKORANGI – BERM REFRESH 🏗️🤙

Now here's something special. One of the berms on Tītokorangi got a bit of a rethink this week – the crew identified it was sitting just a touch too steep for where it is on the trail, and rather than just leaving it, they got the digger in and reshaped it into something that flows SO much better. This is exactly the kind of thing we mean when we talk about trail refreshes – it's not about building new stuff, it's about making what we have as good as it can possibly be. 16 hours of digger and hand build work went into Tītokorangi this week across Thursday and Friday. That's a serious investment and the trail is absolutely better for it. Go find that berm and feel the difference!

TURKISH DELIGHT – BACK TO ITS BEST 🍬✨

Right, this one's got a special bit of magic to it. Turkish Delight got a proper revamp last week – and not just by any old crew. The ORIGINAL BUILDERS came back to give it the love it deserved and get it back to exactly where it was always meant to be. There is something really special about the people who built a trail coming back to look after it, and we are so grateful they did. Turkish Delight is now riding the way it was always intended to ride – smooth, flowy, and absolutely delicious. If you haven't been on it lately, get out there ASAP. It's a treat (sorry, had to). Check out last weeks Whaka Weekly for more pics!

ROLLER COASTER – THE BIG RUT IS GONE! 🎢🙌

You know the one. That rut on Roller Coaster that's been catching people out. Well, it's GONE. The crew got the digger onto it and sorted it properly – not a patch job, a proper fix. Roller Coaster is now living up to its name in all the right ways, not the wrong ones. This is another great example of a trail refresh in action – targeted work that restores drainage and the surface so it lasts. Textbook stuff.

Lynmore Link Stairs

Nine hours of work on the Lynmore Link Stairs (Purple) to kick off the week – blowing and vege clearance to get it sorted after all that rain. This is such a lovely walking trail and the crew made sure every step of it is clean, clear, and safe.

Whether you're getting your steps in after work or heading up for a sunset wander, the Purple track is looking mint. Cheers team!

Tarawera Return (Pipeline/Windy Rd to Tank)

Tarawera Return got a heavy dose of blowing and drain work on Thursday. After the hammering it got last week, getting the water off this trail quickly was top priority – and the crew delivered. Any remaining softness is firming up nicely, so should be back to its glorious old self again soon.

Feeder (the uphill section)

Big shout-out to our Feeder adopter who got stuck into the drains on Thursday – four solid hours making sure the water is going where it's supposed to go. Drain work is the unsung hero of trail maintenance and this legend just quietly gets it done. You're a star, thank you! Again, this trail is firming up pretty good but well keep an eye on it an maybe give it a refresh? What do ya think?

NGT

Not Got Trees. Boring as it sounds, Health and Saftey is a big priority for us, and getting trees cleared goes along way to keeping trails safe. Cheers to the peeps who reported it and to the crew for getting that sorted!

Bunny Jugs 1

Got a quick but important hit on Monday – drains and surface repairs sorted in a couple of hours. These little targeted jobs are exactly what keep a trail in great shape between bigger maintenance cycles. Cheers to the crew for keeping Bunny Jugs running sweet!

Heckle and Ride – Drains, Vegetation & Surface Repairs (Volunteers!)

Three legends. Nine volunteer hours. Drains, vegetation, and surface repairs all knocked out on Heckle and Ride on Tuesday. These people gave up their Tuesday night to come out and look after a trail they love, and we honestly cannot express how much that means to the trust and to every rider who gets to enjoy the trail afterwards. You absolute champions – aroha nui, you are what makes this community so special!

Side note: they found a sketchy drop made of logs and punga and removed it. Unauthorised trail work is super dangerous, you're literally adding new hazards to a trail. So give RTT a buzz before adding features to trails and we'll hook you up with the propper training and materials you need.

Covering a punga with dirt aint the way to build a safe, long lasting feature eh.

Lions Trail

And now a word from the Trail Adopter....

"Cleared most drains of debris washed down after huge weekend rain. Redug some of the early drains .. silted up. Only fixed one area where root was over prominent but dug out some small roots and made another area easier to ride over. Need to get up next week to work on area around old Eucolyptes near the top of hill . 18 riders through whilst on track.. most I have had at that time of day." Chur buddy, thanks for the mahi!!

Corners - Radius of the Lost Arcs

And a word from the legendary Corners adopter!

"Tree pruning for sight lines and removed all the face slappers and go pro grabbers . Some of the surface is breaking up in places" Chur for the heads up on that one and thanks for the mahi!

Taura

Here he is, the Taura Adopter with a full report!

"Taura running well. This past week the track widening around the 0.5 km marker was completed. A catcher berm has been added in this section. Majority of trail also cleared of storm debris. I will clear the minor slip at the 1.5 km marker - just waiting for it to settle & dry out"

Awesome report buddy, thanks so much, great to know where the trail is at, really helps us to allocate work efficiently.

🐝 WORKING BEE THIS SUNDAY – WE NEED YOU! 🐝

When: Sunday 1st March

Where: 8:45am at Planet Bike

What we're doing:

Making the trail more Grade 2 friendly

Cutting back all the overhanging ferns

Replacing those tiny, hazardous little drains (you know the ones – they fill and spill after one decent rain and go nowhere useful) with big, wide, open-mouth drains that naturally soak out into the forest the way nature intended.

Come be part of it!

What to bring: Closed-toed shoes, water, and your own favourite folding hand saw would be absolutely perfect. Leave the power tools and blade tools at home.

Kids: Absolutely welcome – under 15s must have a parent with them.

No experience needed, just a good attitude and a love for the forest. We'll have you sorted when you rock up. See you out there! 🤙

THE POWER OF DONATIONS 🌳

Before we sign off, a quick thought we keep coming back to.

Every time someone donates, sponsors a trail, or shows up to a working bee, it goes into a pool that lets us do more than just the basics. Yes, we need to keep the drains clear and the vege trimmed – that never stops.

But when there's a little extra, we can do a berm reshape on Tītokorangi. We can get the original builders back onto Turkish Delight. We can fix the rut on Roller Coaster properly instead of just patching it. Again.

And here's the thing about refreshes – once the trail corridor matures, the trees come up, the canopy closes over, and the surface is protected. Maintenance drops away. The trail rides better. It lasts longer.

A good refresh beats a new trail built out in the open slash every single time, because what we already have is world-class – it just needs love.

So thank you for being part of that. Genuinely.

👉 www.rotoruatrailstrust.co.nz – 3-click donation, every bit counts!

Now get out there and enjoy what this incredible community has built. The dirt is dry, the trails are fresh, and it's all yours.

Aroha nui,

– The crew at Rotorua Trails Trust 🌲