Makara Peak Supporters North Face/ Smokin/ JFK Blog

Heaps of Rata on North Face !!

Robert Lawrence — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 20:00:00 GMT

The track is coming together well after an evil wet winter :-)
There is still plenty of refining to do- especially in the Valley of Switchbacks..however..

** We do need to plan some Rata or wait until next year.
Getting them growing a year earlier is a very good thing.

So this SUNDAY we will be up there planting as many of these as we can.

One day they will be maginificent trees, on our magnificent track, seen by all of Wellington :-)

We will be leaving the garage area at St Albans Ave at about 9.45, and be at the top from 10.
See you there!!

A tale of two corners :o)

Robert Lawrence — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 08:28:44 GMT

We had an almost sunny day, with a temperature of about 10.

Great track building weather, at least at first. By late afternoon fierce winds (even in the valley, so who knows what it was like at the summit!!) and the threat of rain had us bailing out at 4pm.

Which two corners, dear reader? The second last switchback on North Face (point B on the thoughtfully provided map below) ) which is a left hander, and the up/downhill corner above it (point A) - which crests a ridge before dropping back into a valley.

The map:

The last switchback was rebuilt 2 weeks ago, and for my money is the nicest corner on the trail: so we were aiming to emulate that as best we could higher up.

A nice roller/reversal with drain was built before the bend, the track itself directed to the right into the corner:.

The camber was built up in the first third, and a rock filled berm was made for the second two thirds, tapering away onto the straighter trail below..................

The entry thing looked like this before we started:

And then like this:

And the middle like this:

And then:

And the way out from this:

To now looking like this:

And finally the exit before:

And after:

Between this corner and the up the track, the bench was improved, (point C) and the low bits armoured against getting soggy.

Working back up the hill, the corner cresting the ridge was attacked, and made dramatically wider. An in-slope was built and the exit made a lot more friendly, as there is a very impressive drop over side at that point...

And it looked like this in the beginning:

And it was transformed into this:

Further around the ridge now looks like this:

And the exit just like this:

And leading into that corner (point D) the track was widened a little, drains made and low points armoured. All good.

Cheers to Bryan, Olivia, Jono, Lewis, Rob, Phil, Colin and Ian for their efforts!

After this we wandered up the hill pondering future improvements, and there are many. So we will be back next weekend !!!

Cheers,

Rob

MAKARA PEAK TRACKS !!!

Today JFK got the Stamp Of Approval.

Robert Lawrence — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:29:15 GMT

This morning our Ranger, Joby Mills, clambered over 1000 perilous spikes and pronounced the JFK pilot track approved and a goer.

Perhaps the beautiful clear fresh air and sunshine at 8am persuaded him, either that or the awesome track that this will be in about 2.5 months : )

Another milestone in the NF project.

Many thanks again to the WCC who allow us to build so many kilometres of shared use MTB tracks, which have become such a tremendous asset to Wellington !!

(thunderous applause)

The build will start when daylight savings arrives, most likely Sunday Oct 3rd, however we will keep everybody informed. The now legendary Tuesday evening digs with Pizza will most definately be happenning.

(more wild cheering)

Hardening and widening: and remaking switchback number 14.

Robert Lawrence — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 07:59:16 GMT

It was fine and sunny today, this really was news!

North Face had the muddy bits drained and armoured from the bottom end upwards today. (translation: smashing rocks into the surface to create a solid riding surface).

So if you find yourself rumbling over a rocky bit- that section of the track used to be slimy mud or a rut, but no more!

Part of the track that sidles the rock face is now about 50% wider and switchback 14 has had a major facelift.

We did say we would make North Face more fun wherever possible, so who are we do just leave an awkward corner alone?

This is the last switchback on North Face, a right hander that used to drop almost 2 metres and then squeeze through some trees, to exit over (or around) a rock feature poking out of the ground.

The entry to the corner was lowered about half a metre, so the gradient on the way in is much more friendly, and the middle and exit of the corner now boast a reasonably handy berm. People rode this with many and various lines, and it seems to be nice and stable.

Made of heaps of rock and minimal dirt in the Smokin tradition, this should stay very solid. Some other riders absolutely blasted through, looking very flash indeed.

Only three people crashed.

The rock on the exit of the corner was claiming chain rings (and probably riders) so this feature was converted into a roller. Nothing more rocks and dirt could not fix.

This part of the trail should now be a lot more flowy, have far fewer skidding ruts forming over time, be nicer to ride slowly or quickly, and just be more fun to ride!

Here is a pic of the armouring along the last 70m of the track. Observe the darker areas and rocks. Astonishing.

By the afternoon this was dry as.

And here are some pics of the remade switchback #14.

The entry bit:

The next turning bit:

The bit after that:

And then the exit:

Here is a pic of the roller where the jagged rock used to be. It has a long gentle down slope so people will not get accidental airtime.

Heaps of drainage and armouring work was done elsewhere, and now this mega track is coming through it's first winter at last.

Many thanks to the 8 people who gave up an excellent riding day to make the North Face trail just that bit better !

Hardpack and fog

Robert Lawrence — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 05:20:33 GMT

The recent rock armouring and gravelling of the top 200m of North Face has transformed the track surface!

We now have a nice hard track that will pack down even more over time. Next week the PD people will be back for a day to do some more. The WCC "cake mix" is really good stuff indeed.

Today we raised the middle of a sharp rocky corner (to remove the sudden cold bath effect) and rebuilt some solid berms on it as well.
We created a couple of drainage points before the corner, by making a long gradual wave. Rocks and a little dirt, and packing down, packing down, and some more packing.

Puddles and bits with a narrow riding line were armoured down the hill from there, (more rock crushing and packing..) and then we spent some time on the steep track just before the right hander into the Roller Coaster.

A couple of drain points were made, and another roller. This one is not such a long smooth wave but more in keeping with the undulations nearby. A corner was armored, and the right hander into the Roller Coaster was benched on the inside to provide a sight-line to an otherwise blind corner.
The edge as also built up a little: Hopefully not so many people will be falling off and scaring the Manuka on the exit now :-)

Cheers to Jono, Bryan, Rob and Matt for working in the spooky fog today, it was also nice to see quite a few riders on the trail after lunchtime.

Next week, we will be up there on Saturday, working from the bottom up..removing puddles, improving drainage, and making the track more fun to ride whenever we can :D

JFK Piloting: Rain Hail or Shine!

Robert Lawrence — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 04:57:42 GMT

Four people, possessed by the Makara Peak bonkers bug finished piloting JFK this morning and then set themselves onto Smokin to check out the drainage.

The location of a switchback was decided upon by the location of native trees, the phases of the moon and a great deal of random debate. Once sorted we were able to link this with some trail blazing uphill from the grassy knoll, and it should all work out well.

The grassy knoll has a lot of open space, all 23 metres of it, so we will need to mark out the swerves with pegs as it is far too big to judge by eye. From there the track zooms down to a ridge and does an almost 180 degree turn. More umming and arrrrring about the run down hill, and whether we need a bit of a gradient change here or there etc, so there is still the chance that we change the trail below the grassy knoll to the ridge!

We want this trail to be at least as good to ride as North Face and Smokin, and to ensure it drains well and does not get rutted.

All done by lunchtime, and after a fierce blast from the wind while soaked, we vibrated our way under the trees in Smokin to have a bite and ponder how this trail was managing through winter.

We had not been back since build day and there were a few bits that needed draining, a few cambers were fixed, and some slimy bits filled with compacted rock. Fortunately rock is in abundance within that valley.

Here is what the lower part of North Face, JFK and Smokin will look like.

This map shows about 1250m of track in red: the group of North Face tracks from the summit will total just over 3000m

So JFK is polited and Smokin is pretty much patched up to be AOK all winter. A win!

Wider, stronger and faster.

Robert Lawrence — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 04:21:19 GMT

Today started with an ominous weather forecast, however this did not dim the enthusiasm enough to stop a bunch of people heading up to the top end of North Face.

Thanks to Bryan, Jono, Ian, Rob and Don!!

The recent gravelling has sealed the first 150m or so of the trail, and this will only improve as it packs down and one day dries out. In that magical point in space and time not called Winter.

We used rocks to widen bits of the trail, harden some edges and fill in some puddles. By using rocks I mean to say that rocks were prized from nearby ground and then hammered into the surface, using subtle techniques with sledgehammers.

A few barberry were demolished, because they were, some gravel redistributed, drains made more drainey. All normal winter stuff on a new track!.

A few hardy people rode by in the morning accusing us of madness. Hello Mr Pot, meet Mr Kettle :-)

The weather got wetter and dramatically windier, ( to a point where it was not too hard to be blown over the side) and the riders no longer wandered by, and fog closed in. This did not stop a few of the gang attacking the “sharp ridge” corner again. Give some people sharp tools and a rock face and they become possessed. Even when numb with cold, and soaking wet.

This is the very rocky almost switchback, which is now wider than ever, and there is now a large pile of rocks on the outside edge will become a berm. The middle of the corner will be raised (using rocks from above) to help the corner drain before and after, rather than in the middle. Meanwhile it may puddle, but it is sold rock and so should not get muddy. All this is pretty obvious as you approach the corner.

Meanwhile the corner is quite rocky so please take care!

Lower down, the track is getting a few braking bumps before the right-hander into the roller coaster, and thinking was done on how to avoid this occurring in future, but that is a job for another (not so wet) day.

Next week the WCC will be out there with more gravel, so once again the track may be closed or impassable until that work is done.

Please be nice to our new gravel and enjoy your ride!!

Cheers,

Rob

Makara Peak Tracks!!

North Face: Warning: Gravelling Work This Week!!

Robert Lawrence — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 05:09:07 GMT

There is gravelling work taking place on the upper few hundred metres of North Face this week.

There may be machinery such as bobcats about- not to mention people, tools and wheelbarrows, so please be very vigilant.

If you intend to ride this trail be prepared to stop at any time. You may even be advised that the trail is closed at that time.

If you have any specific questions on site, please ask to speak to the Ranger Joby Mills, or Don Macleod (from the Makara Peak Supporters).

This work is a big job, however it will provide a fantastic foundation for the track for years to come. Please be considerate and polite to all those working on it :)

Cheers,

Rob

Makara Peak Supporters.

JFK is getting closer: October is JFK month !!

Robert Lawrence — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 10:03:09 GMT

In less than ten weeks the Makara Peak Supporters will begin constructing JFK: the third section of the North face Project.

We will be scheduling dig times just like the initial building of North Face, which saw so many people enjoy getting involved and seeing a trail arise from the gorse, rocks and barberry! JFK however has very few rocks, except for the smaller useful kind, which we will use to build handy things like track edges, and bermed switchbacks.

We will be working one day per weekend, alternating between Saturdays and Sundays, and also every Tuesday night.

The weekend digs will begin at 10am, and the Tuesday nights start at 5 and run to a little before dark. People are of course welcome to help out for a short while or all day, and any assistance is very much appreciated. There is something special about riding a trail that you have helped to create!

A treat for the Tuesday nighters is the now famous pizza delivered on-site!

These nights attracted around 20 people and a great social atmosphere during the construction of North Face and Smokin. Old and young, experienced track builders and novices all jumped in to make great some single track.

With many keen hands this track will be ridable well before Christmas, making the total length of North Face, JFK and Smokin about 2,650 metres. Which will be awesome.

Here is a side view of how JFK will fit onto the end of North Face:

Why not make a note in your diaries that October is JFK month and get involved !!

A smashing success ! North Face, Sunday July 18.

Robert Lawrence — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 07:29:30 GMT

A smashing success !

Today we were beavering away on North Face, further armoring it against the evils of endless water.

Many thanks to Hugh, Don, Jono, Ian and Rob !

I do apologise for not posting notice of this dig on the web, I can only blame me, as I did not do it ....

Anyhow heaps of the track was armored, including nearly all of the rollers after the second switchback. Epic drainage and under-track pipage was devised to cure a particularly soggy area. Don’s next project will be the new Hoover Dam.

And further down, gigatonnes of rock was chipped from the sharp ridge corner, and smashed into about 50m of trail. This has armored the surface, guarded against ruts, and made that corner much wider with far better site lines. A win win kind of thing.

Over the next few weeks the WCC will be delivering some special gravel to the summit, and will be spreading this on the track where it needs it. This is a very good thing, and once done a slimy surface along the top 200m should be a rarity.

Hopefully next winter we can sit at home drinking Milo pondering riding in the rain, rather than being out on the track fixing slime. This will be an all weather track, and I am looking forward to it.

Next Sunday is a big event for the North Face: the very first planting work party!

If you have helped to create this trail (or have not yet made it up the hill to help out) you might like to come along and plant some natives: this will be a whole lot easier that ripping stumps out of the ground, or crushing rocks..

Cheers,

Rob

Makara Peak Tracks!

Two days, 72 metres.

Robert Lawrence — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 04:56:57 GMT

Today we completed a rework of what turned out to be 72m of North Face, starting after the rocky area just past the cabbage tree by the Manuka forest area.

Much of the track under the trees had been drained and armored last weekend, so the surface was dry and hard enough to raise it here, lower it and move it over there and widen it in most places. We were continuing on from where we left off last Monday where a swoop down a hill was widened and small berm made, and a rocky drain created.

Plenty of rocks were rolled down from the hill above the track, and they were used (with tonnes of compacted quality dirt) to both widen much of this area and to produce a nice strong edge. The track was swung further around the trees, and made more curvy.

The track now also rises and falls more to assist with drainage and add to the thrill and happiness factor.

The aim of all of this was to make the trail wider and way solid, while bending more naturally around the trees leaving plenty of elbow room. You may not realize it, but there are now rocks the size of Mars under the side of this trail.

This was all important to do, as much of this area will be graveled shortly, so we did need to have the track in pretty much its final shape before then. The edge of the trail in particular is now far more solid as it has a well-packed foundation made of rocks. Plus, it is now more fun to ride for the quiet and extreeem riders alike.

Jono, as test rider, blasted down the section at increasing speeds: this part of the trail can be ridden at uber velocities by people with the will and the ability J. More sedate riders can just enjoy the experience..

Cheers to Jono and Rob who will be very stiff and sore puppies tomorrow after a tough day!

Some pictures for your examination:

That ought to about do it...

Cheers,

Rob

Makara Peak Tracks !!

School Holiday Pixie Work : banks and berms!

Robert Lawrence — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 06:25:12 GMT

Icy sunshine started the day where we had a plan to introduce a small curve where the track was straight and downhill, (to better swing around a small tree), with the aid of a berm- and to make the short uphill flow much more betterer. What could possibly go wrong?

A pixie:

Such a change from the many days spent fighting mud!

An attempt to oil my chain before leaving home failed, as the oil (left outside) had fruz into a blue waxy immovable object. Out on the higher reaches of North face however it was pretty warm in the sun, and we set about making a small berm (really a rock armored edge) and packed it down, and packed it down some more. Then we packed it down again. And did it again.

We then built a rocky area at the bottom of the downslope which should drain well, then moved along.

and then:

Ruts were removed between the Manukas, and a little further along plans were hatched to dig the existing track down, and to swerve it more naturally around the trees.

Non rutness:

Worried about creating more dirt than we could use today, rocks were found and hammered into the surface of the corner on the sharp ridge which was close by. Dirt was added. And packed down, then some more packing etc.You get the idea. Then we packed it some more.

A decent drain was also dug to avoid the sudden cold bath effect, then we headed back to the swervery.

Hopefully this will provide a margin for error on the exit this corner which is located on impressively steep terrain. Or, allow you to ride it with more speed: your pick!

Back to the trees and the bank was dug and we started to shape the turn, however we will be back later in the week to finish this off.

It is a mess at the moment :( We started to dig the upper bank on the right hand side...

The plan is to lower and widen the track to the left, (using tonnes of rocks harvested from just beyond the ridge) distancing it from a tree, then have it gently rise to cross over the existing mess into a nice gentle left hander which then runs to the sharp ridge. Various rocks were hammered flat (sledge hammers are fun things) into the corner to help avoid ruts and other evilness.

Not quite as rough and rocky:

Many thanks to Jono and Rob, and also Jonty and Martin (Happy birthday Martin!!) who interrupted their ride to help out.

Quite a few riders were tackling the trail today, which is what it is for !!

Cheers,

Rob

Makara Peak Tracks.

Rocking North Face

Robert Lawrence — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 08:08:58 GMT

Today in fine cold weather Jono, Don, Bryan, Rob and Hugh continued armoring the top 200m of North Face against the winter. The rest of the track is in basically very good condition.

Heaps of rocks were crushed and driven into the surface, creating a very ridable track and also a great foundation for the future. One day the surface will pack down hard, and any water will just wash off it, possibly with the help of a special gravel surface. Meanwhile we keep working away to make this bit as civilized as we can.

While slippery, the top part of the track can certainly be ridden (it does have a solid base) although it takes a certain sense of humour and the ability to keep a little momentum. Tires with lots of tall widely spaced knobs may also help...

Once the evils of winter have passed we will be able to get back to the Perfection Process, as there is plenty to tinker with over Spring time. And JFK awaits in October!

Conversation covered a wide range of topics probably best not repeated here, except for the bizarre and pathetic struggles of cleaning a filthy body while paralyzed with exhaustion. I solved this issue this evening by immersing myself into a hot bath for a considerable length of time!

We packed up at about 4:30, and it was a searing 4 degrees C on the way down the hill! Brrr.

Hopefully the forecasted fine weather this coming week will allow the wetter bits to dry out: and we may have track pixies out and about before next weekend, so beware the wheelbarrow!

Cheers,

Rob

Makara Peak Tracks!

Crushing Winter.

Robert Lawrence — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 06:02:40 GMT

Today Don, Hugh, Bryan and his daughter Olivia, Edmund (one of the pioneers of this trail, visiting from overseas), Jono Martin, Ian and Rob worked on the top hundred-ish metres of this track, which has been most effected by the endless rain.

You will notice a large amount of rock has been used to armour the track. This will pack down solid one day, and meanwhile provides a good riding surface. A lot of time was spent mining the rocks from the side of the existing trail, or by smashing nearby rocks with sledge hammers.

People also went wandering through the nearby bush levering other large rocks from the ground and some were broken into little bits while others were used as foundation for the trail.

Many of the soggy bits are caused by springs seeping water continually on short parts of the trail, so we will need to keep working on those to provide a permanent and solid riding surface. After all, this track should be ridable in all weather once we are done! At the moment the top section does get slidy and gooey, but it can be ridden when wet. Please stay away from the edges!

Work was done on the second switchback from the top to both minimize the height dropped in the corner, and to make a bermed exit. This berm was made of many rocks and a little dirt, (much like those on Smokin) hopefully compacted well enough to withstand the evils of our weather.

I forgot to take any photos, being so unused to having decent fine weather!

Nice to see plenty of people out and about this afternoon riding the trail :D

Cheers,

Rob

Makara Peak Tracks.

This is going to be Bloody Good: JFK piloting continues!

Robert Lawrence — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 07:57:12 GMT

In spite of evil weather a fearless band of four keen dedicated, brave strong cunning and wise men continued the piloting of the JFK trail: the second last track in the North Face project.

Cheers to Rob, Jono, Bryan and Ian for getting wet, tired and filthy !

In the last episode we had navigated around a ridge with the intention of running the trail into a valley where it would switch back and go on to wonderful things.

So, we chopped our way through gorse and barberry, wandering around natives and entire rows of huge King Ferns, and in a mere few hours arrived in the said valley.

Under a high canopy with little undergrowth we were able to scamper about pointing at trees, ferns, rocks and even the ground while making Big Decisions about where the switchback should go.

In the end the best solution was pretty obvious, and due to the large amount of local surface rock the plan was hatched to build a bermed switchback with a solid rock wall retainer like the four superb corners on Smokin. (If you have not ridden there smack yourself hard and go and do it).

Should be massive fun. Right next to a few giant ferns, too.

From there the track heads back in the general direction of the Grassy Knoll (via a ridge or two) and we climbed above and below various natives, causing the track to be a bit longer than the earlier plans- which is always good!

From there we will now do a short run across a valley before turning around near some cabbage trees, and thenceforth onto the Grassy Knoll. This patch of…grass will one day host two large 180 degree sweeping bends for the delight of all.

And, as Bryan said during the afternoon, this track is going to be bloody good!

Here is a map of JFK so far:

Red= piloted track, grey dots= likely path from there

And here is a map of the entire North Face Project, showing all 4 parts:

where the black line is built trail:

grey line = piloted and cleared, not built yet

black and white dotted lines: piloted only

grey dots: likely path as of today

North is up.

Cheers,

Rob..

Makara Peak Tracks

Armouring the Beast

Robert Lawrence — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 05:53:39 GMT

Today Bryan Don Hugh and Rob reported in on a rainy bleak day, where the plan was once again man+ North Face versus the elements.

Only the first 275m is soggy (except for the first switchback, which is nicely packed down hard) which leaves 1345m of great track!

We saw quite a few riders and some runners doing their orienteering thing down the trail: it seems that mud+ sense of humour works well, and most rode down the trail with few dramas.

Heaps of the track was smoothed, parts given side slope, drains made or improved, and bits where ruts were appearing between the trees were armoured with local rocks.

All we need is a few fine days in a row and suddenly all this work will materialize as a really nice track.

We have had a worst case scenario with the weather being far too dry for the new trail to pack down, then suddenly weeks of sogginess. However we will prevail, and the trail really can be ridden by any keen intermediate rider:

The track is not finished (nor officially open as a done deal yet) however one day it will be.

And once we win the battle with winter, the Track perfection process must continue!

Beyond that ( in October) JFK awaits..

Turn right, and try not to bleed… JFK Piloting continues

Robert Lawrence — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 20:19:25 GMT

Work on the pilot trail for JFK proceeded today with Rob, Ian and Bryan machining their way through the scrub.

We had three main objectives: the first was to decide where the left-hand corner at the end of North Face (this being the start of JFK) should be. The second was to pilot our way the 70-odd metres to the next ridge at the correct gradient, and the third was to assess whether the track would continue around the ridge and beyond, or be switched back along the face of the valley again.

A bit of clambering about and measuring angles etc placed the first switchback right next to the road, and this will one day sweep around a flax bush. There seems to be ample dirt& rocks to about build a decent exit berm. From there we set sail below the last part of North Face, dropping as we did so towards the next ridge.

To aid visibility (there are some bloody tall gorse trees about, try 2.5 metres) Bryan was "volunteered" to walk 30 metres back along the last straight part of North Face, and clamber down the side of the hill through the prickles, trees and scrub until he was in line with the right gradient. The advice was to turn right and try not to bleed. Once in position he started clearing the gorse+ barberry down to knee height towards the start of the trail, so we worked towards each other successfully even when visibility at ground level was um non-existent by selecting objects high in the distance to aim for.

A break for lunch and quite a few riders were finishing North Face, so we pointed them down to Smokin which is not yet on any official maps and watched proceedings from above. Some people liked it so much they climbed back up the road and had a second shot at it. Great stuff :-)

After lunch, with not much barberry in the way it was basically a gorse clearing mission to the ridge (which is below the last right hander on North Face) however the barbery struck back with a vengeance from there.

A short hike along North Face and measuring of side slopes etc revealed that we could indeed wander past the ridge and have just 1 switchback in a relatively mellow valley- well below the Valley Of The Switchbacks. In this way we avoid planning maybe 3 more switchbacks (if we were to just zig zag down the hill) making for a much more flowy trail, which will also be far easier to build and maintain.

From above, looking down from North Face the area looked like a cliff, but then again so does most of North Face! Side slopes were confirmed and we hacked our way along until we had piloted about 120m.

A good day! This is in addition to the 245m piloted at the bottom of the trail (200m of which has already been cleared), and the two huge 180 degree sweeping bends. This means about 420m of 600 or so has been accounted for.

We were sheltered from the high winds, and only had a little light hail now and then, however we could see high about Ridgeline where the summit Tower was howling, and gusts of wind were sending sheets of rain sideways.

A quick trot up to the Switchbacks on North Face to measure more angles and sight the valley, and we wandered off at 4:45 just as evil heavy cold rain set in. It was a balmy 4 degrees at that point.

All three objectives were met, and with a bit of care and cunning the rest of the trail will map out into a critter with quite a different personality to both North Face above, and Smokin which is below.

Here is a map showing the existing pilot trail and the likely path of the remainder:

Our deadline is to have the whole track piloted before October.

This is the magical month when daylight saving starts, along with our hugely popular Tuesday night track builds. Give yourselves a Christmas present and help out then, and we will all have a new trail as part of the North Face Project. In time for Santa :-)

See you on the side of the hill,

Cheers,

Rob

Makara Peak Tracks!!

Adding dryness

Robert Lawrence — Sun, 30 May 2010 06:08:09 GMT

Today we set off armed with a pile of box drains and the usual grubbers, picks and spades.

The aim was to clean up the 20% of North Face near the top that has been made slimy by a great deal of water from the sky.

Ruts were removed, bits of track armored, other bits recambered, nice ridable drains appeared by magic,

bits were raised and other bits lowered.

Cheers to Hugh, Don Rob and Jono for wandering about in the ooze!

Box drains were placed where a simple drain may not last too long, rocks were packed into the surface, puddles were demolished. .

A few people rode the trail today and we could hear them mostly laughing (and occasionally cursing) and they slithered into view and rode past: some at impressive speeds.

About 1300m of the track is in really good condition, so once we get the bit through the Manukas organized it will be mint. This may take a while, and the more people who can help this winter the merrier!

Hugh also put in some practice at high speed semi controlled wheelbarrow drifting wearing gumboots: surely an Olympic sport any day soon!

Here be a picture of a box drain:

And here is a photo of…. My boots.

Next Saturday we will be tackling the trail at Upper Leaping Lizard and Nikau, to complete the huge amount of clearing that Peter has been doing recently !

Cheers,

Makara Peak Tracks !!

Walking on water.

Robert Lawrence — Thu, 27 May 2010 09:19:22 GMT

Well after a long run of almost no rain, the water had arrived with a vengeance in the week before this work party, thoughfully drying out on the day!

Cheers to Don, Hugh, Colin, Bryan and Rob who slithered about in the wet draining puddles, removing ruts and lowering the odd high point.

The trail seems to have handled the rains better than expected: given that it is a new trail that is just starting to pack down.

We were kept busy making sure that water drained from the track without compromising any nice riding lines, and drained the odd soggy tire-print through the Manukas near the top to let the water out.

A fair bit of work was done just after Switchback # 4, as it has a rising exit creating puddles. Hours spent removing the world's most tenacious barberry fixed the problem!

Quite a few people slithered by, dissappoingly clean for the most part, sometimes twice!

Here be some photos..

It was mostly sunny:

Colin attacks!

And Switchback 4 had an uphill exit, so was pooling water..

And after a long and sometimes violent battle:

So the track slowly improves, and hopefully after a winter and spring of nuturing will be just awesome !

We will be up there this SUNDAY, please drop by, and say hello or lend a hand :-)

cheers

Makara Peak Tracks!

We do apologize for the interruption in transmission..

Robert Lawrence — Thu, 13 May 2010 09:27:16 GMT

Well folks, in case you are wondering, there is no work-party scheduled at Makara Peak this weekend.

This appalling thing has not happened (excepting christmas) for umm the last 58 weeks in a row.

Heavens.

I can understand the withdrawal symptoms, however normal services will resume on Saturday 22nd May !!