🌟🚵♂️ WHAKA WEEKLY 🚵♂️🌟 THE FINAL EDITION OF 2025!
- Tony Knauf
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
18 December 2025
Well folks, this is it – the FINAL Whaka Weekly of 2025! What an absolutely INCREDIBLE year it's been! Before we dive into this week's work, let's take a moment to reflect on everything that made 2025 one of the best years on record for Rotorua trails.
We weathered the SECOND BIGGEST storm season on record and cleared almost as many trees as the worst year ever (ya’ll know the one im thinking of!). We also had WAY more volunteer work than ever before, more rebuilds, more new builds, and more community passion than we could have imagined!
We LOVE change, and we absolutely can't wait to see what 2026 holds!
To every single person who picked up a tool, reported a tree, donated a dollar, or simply showed up and enjoyed the forest – THANK YOU. You've made this year unforgettable. This place is run on hard mahi and love, and this week showed it one more time:
🧠 No Brains
The legend returns! TEN hours from The Brains Trust on Thursday! Five hours blowing and five hours vegetation work! After all those epic working bees building features this year, the adopter keeps showing up to make sure it stays absolutely mint and ready for some epic summer laps. Chur!
🌿 Te Pou Koropū
Wow this was getting pretty hairy but we got out there just in time. Its all nice and vegetation free! Yay!
🚶 Puarenga
Lets hear it for the volleys who, while out walking their dogs, saw that this trail was overgrown. That gave us a buzz, then got to work clearing it all up. Awesome stuff eh! Thats how the community works. Boom!
🏔️ Te Huinga
Here’s another set of awesome volleys who saw the need and got out there! They spent 5 hours out there tackling the vegetation! This is the kind of volunteer dedication that makes us speechless! When volunteers drop an entire day on a single trail, that's pure passion! Massive respect! 🙌
🛣️ Phillips Road
Two hours of tree clearing on Friday keeping this access road safe and accessible, thanks heaps for all the reports team!
🍪 Tim Tams
The awesome adopters were out there again over the weekend getting it all cleaned up with blowing, drains, and vegetation all taken care of. Thats it crew, take a break over Christmas, you all really deserve it eh!
🚗 Old Chevy
FIVE hours of blowing from the adopter on Sunday! Half your weekend spent making sure riders have a clean, clear trail – that's incredible!
Arepa Weherua
Massive effort from the trail crew out on the forest loop this week in a desperate attempt to get it in tip top condition for the summer holidays. We reckon it is looking pretty good, so get out there and give it some laps eh!
🎢 Roller Coaster
Keeping those sight lines clear and the trail edges clean, it’s always our priority, you know what I mean? Big effort on the veg by the trail crew, when you get back to the office, you deserve a brew!
⛰️ Hatupatu
WE GOT THAT TREE! There are no easy ways to get trees on this isolated track, lugging the chainsaw and safety gear up their in the heat of summer is a workout in its own right. Good effort team!
🌊 Taura
Here is the adopter with a little word about the trail conditions 👍”Taura is running well. More vegetation control and cutting back has been completed over this past fortnight. Track sections in the little pines have good sight lines and no blackberry tentacles”
We love it buddy, thanks for such an incredible year!
🎉 REFLECTING ON 2025: A YEAR FOR THE BOOKS
Let's talk about what we accomplished together this year:
THE STORMS: Second biggest storm season on record. We cleared almost as many trees as the worst year ever. But instead of being defeated, we mobilized faster, harder, and stronger than ever before.
THE VOLUNTEERS: Record-breaking volunteer hours! From working bees to emergency tree clearing to consistent weekly maintenance – you showed up like never before!
THE BUILDS: Split Enz transformed. Rosebank refurbished and reopened. Forest Loop completed, Out of Office, Divine Wind, Yeet Street, Heckle and Ride, Pest Control – ALL new trails opened in 2025!
THE ADOPTERS: Te Poaka adopter with 76+ hours in a month and the No Brains crew with 56 hours of working bees. Consistent weekly sessions on Tim Tams, Old Chevy, New Exit, Taura, and so many more. The adopter program has never been stronger!
THE COMMUNITY: From Crankworx to the Nationals to countless Enduro events – you rode with respect, reported trees with accuracy, and supported the trust with your donations and memberships.
We love change. We love challenges. We love this community. And we absolutely cannot WAIT to see what 2026 brings!
💚🎄 THANK YOU, 2025 & MERRY CHRISTMAS! 🎄💚
To the RTT crew who showed up day after day, even when the weather was rough and the trees were endless – thank you.
To the volunteers who sacrificed weekends and evenings to clear, build, and maintain – thank you.
To the adopters who treated trails like their own children – thank you.
To the donors and members who kept the funding flowing – thank you.
To every single rider, walker, roller and runner who respected closures, reported hazards, and loved the forest with gratitude – thank you.
To all the event organisers and competitors for all over the world - thank you.
This year was EPIC because of YOU. Every single one of you.
The Rotorua Trails Trust team is taking a well-deserved break over the holidays.
We'll be back in the New Year, ready to tackle 2026 with the same energy, passion, and dedication that made 2025 unforgettable!
Don’t worry though, we will still have a skeleton crew out there buzzing about taking care of business, so please keep reporting any hazards!
Don't forget: 0800 WHAKA1 is your first call for any injuries while out in the forest.
Get out there and enjoy the trails this summer! Ride the freshly completed Forest Loop!
Session the refurbished Split Enz! Explore the new builds! Fall in love with your old favorites all over again!
🤝 Want to start 2026 strong? Donate or become a member at www.rotoruatrailstrust.co.nz
The funding quest starts from scratch every year and, due to more trails being added, gets bigger and bigger! So lets dig deep folks!
Your support makes EVERYTHING possible – from storm response to new builds to keeping the trails you love in premium condition!
Remember folks, 2025 proved that when this community comes together, there's NOTHING we can't accomplish! Here's to an even better 2026! 🎊
See you out there! 🚵♂️❤️
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