🌲WHAKA WEEKLY 🌲 5 March 2026

Kia ora whānau!

What an absolutely gorgeous week it's been out there….a bit fresh but now we get to appreciate the warmth ☀️. The sun is cracking, there's just the right amount of moisture locked into the dirt, and every last bit of that post-storm bog has dried up and packed down beautifully. If the trails listed below are not on your must-ride hit list this weekend – and they absolutely should be – get planning an amazing ride that includes them! 🚵‍♂️

🏃 ROTORUA OFF ROAD HALF MARATHON – THIS SUNDAY! 🏃‍♀️

https://eventpromotions.co.nz/rotorua-offroad-half-marathon/

This Sunday 8th March Rotorua plays host to the Rotorua Off Road Half Marathon! Based Waipa, this event winds through the very trails we all love and work so hard to maintain.

Whether you're a runner or not, this is worth knowing about! The event has something for literally everyone – a Half Marathon, a 10.5km, a 5.5km run/walk, AND a kids' 2km or 3km trail run so the young ones can experience the magic of running through the forest too.

Organised in association with the Lake City Athletic Club, this is a proper community event and it's going to be a cracker of a morning out there.

If you're keen to race, head to the event website to register. And if you're just out for a ride or walk on Sunday, give the runners a wave and a cheer 👋 – they're out there loving the same trails we do! 🤙

Oh and btw they are mostly on the forest roads, just pig and yellow walking track by Waipa are in the event, but all trails and roads are still open 🙂

🐝 RTT MONTHLY WORKING BEE! Creek – Hundred Acre Woods

It was a super beautiful morning and 14 amazing folks rocked up , hi vis on, shovels, rakes and silky saws at the ready to go out and give back to the forest that gives us all so much.

There was digging, chopping, pruning and raking all down the trail 💪, and a fantastic reshaping of the very final dropping berm. All to keep the trail Grade 2 friendly and ready for you all to enjoy.

Thanks so so so much to all the vollys who came along – for all you do, not just at these working bees, but on every other day you are out there on the trails that you adopt and the other community groups you are involved with. You're humble, but you are mighty. Chur. 🤙

🪨 G ROCK

This is a great example of what a pro trail team can achieve in just one week! A combination of tree pruning, surface repairs, vegetation cutbacks and a talented digger driver (big shout out to Scott from Bear Tracks and Trails) – G Rock has amazing dreamy berms now! Yeah, it's not a total trail rebuild, but it has made a big impact. Big respect to the crew who have put so much into this one, def go check it out! 👏.

🌿 DAMMIT JANET

Dammit Janet got a good tidy up this week. Feel a bit bad for the lads as it took ALOT of hard work to get all the Pampas cut back 😅. They have the cutty grass slices all up their arms and legs – it really does look like they have been in a war! Lucky for us, they won, and now we can ride it without getting our arms and legs all cut up! Chur team, we owe you big time!

🚶 THE NATIVES SECTION – Whakarewarewa Walking Track (Black)

Thanks to the reports of a slip on the new open section of trail, the RTT crew went out and assessed the slip for safety. Once it was deemed safe, the legendary trail adopter was out there in a flash to do the hard mahi of repairing the trail and making it good to walk again 🛠️.

Thanks heaps to the awesome walking community for stepping up on this one – greatly appreciated and we love ya! 💚

🌳 BUSH BUCHANAN TRAIL

As you all know, health and safety is always front of mind for us, and getting trees cleared quickly after they come down is a big part of keeping the network safe for everyone 🪚. Cheers to the paid crew for a solid day's mahi on this big one!

💧 FOREST LOOP – FEEDER

There is a reason this adopter won the much coveted Forest Loop Adopter of the Year 🏆. After all the rain we had, they didn't hesitate to get out there and get those drains sorted again. You're a gem – the trail is firming up beautifully and your work is a big reason why. Chur!

🌲 FOREST LOOP – TE KŌTUKUTUKU

Awesome to see the Forest Loop getting the love it deserves heading into what should be a cracking few weeks of riding weather ☀️. This is one of the most beautiful loops in the whole network (maybe even New Zealand?! 🇳🇿) and the crew made sure it's absolutely pristine. Get out there for a lap this week, you won't regret it! Oh and if you do go ride the Forest Loop, please do us a MASSIVE favour and fill in the survey!

https://www.rotoruanz.com/.../whakarewarewa-forest-loop...

🔗 CHESTNUT LINK & ROLLER COASTER

Connector trails like Chestnut Link and Roller Coaster are the unsung heroes of the network – they open up loop options and make the whole experience more varied and fun. It's super important that they are treated with the respect they deserve and kept in mint condition. They may not have all the glamour of more famous trails like Te Poaka, Hot X Buns and Split Endz, but they are still an amazing part of the forest network 🌿. Cheers for keeping them in great nick!

THE POWER OF WHAT YOU'VE BEEN FUNDING 🌳💚

Behind every one of these stories is someone who decided the Whaka was worth their time, their money, or their energy 🙏. From the adopter who gave up their Sunday for six hours on the Black Track to the donor who chucked $20 at the website a few months back and probably forgot about it, and the trail sponsor whose name is quietly attached to a trail they love. It all lands in the same place – back into the forest, back onto the trails, back under your tyres and boots 🚵‍♀️.

We're a charitable trust. We don't have a big corporate budget, a huge team, or buckets of money to build trails. What we do have is way better though eh – it's you lot 💚. Yeah you, the amazing community who give back, look after the forest and treat it like the gift that it is. You respect the process, the fact we are guests on this land, and that it might be free to access but it's expensive to maintain and manage.

If you've been meaning to set up a little regular donation, or you've been riding these trails for years and haven't quite got around to giving something back – now's a pretty good time ⏰. Even a small amount makes a real big difference to what we can plan and deliver.

👉 www.rotoruatrailstrust.co.nz – 3 clicks and you're done, we promise.

Right, enough from us – go get outside 🌤️. The dirt is prime, the sky is blue, and the forest is there waiting for you. Enjoy.

Aroha nui,

– The crew at Rotorua Trails Trust 🌲