Feb6 started with a heart-pumping mountain bike tour in Whakarewarewa Forest. According to Marcello, our guide, this area is one of the top ten mountain biking locations in the world! We are not avid mountain bikers, so the more challenging and exciting trails were not in our plans but the park has trails for all abilities and experience levels.
Some trails were flat gravel roads like this. Many were more challenging, sometimes quite narrow with climbs up and down that could get fairly steep. We were all working up a sweat and pushing our legs and lungs pretty hard. A few of the trails went fast around very tight banked turns or over ‘moguls’ where you need to keep your speed down to keep from going airborne.
Along the way there were some mud pots. This area is famous for geothermal geysers, mud pots and vents.
A view point looked out over the town of Rotarua and Lake Rotarua, which is the second largest lake in the North Island. The whole area sits in the crater of an extinct volcano that last erupted 240,000 years ago.
Trail riding is not great for taking pics, so here are some pics, by other people, of the trails we rode.
We worked hard, had a great time and were really happy with Marcello, our guide. After we were done, he recommended a nice cafe for lunch, noting that “they speak vegan, gluten free, etc”. We had a good lunch at the Eastwood Cafe which is in a building that also houses a company that focuses on innovation in the sustainable uses of forest products.
After a mid-day rest, it was off to an afternoon of zip-lining! The founder of the company was really looking for a way to put money into forest conservation and getting rid of the invasive animals (rats, possums, and stoats (kinda like a ferret)) that are killing native animals and damaging the forest. He worked out a deal with the Department of Conservation that he could run the zip-line business in the old-growth forest if he put the profits back into conservation of the forest. Since 2013, the business has been running the zip-lines and funding conservation in the forest and working with the local community to get them involved in the conservation effort as well.
We were happy to enjoy the experience and help the forest at the same time.
On the last line, they challenged us to ride upside down. Why not? What could go wrong?
Another fun day coming to a close, back at the hotel, we enjoyed the best rooms we have had so far.
It started with a huge kitchen and dining room with a sofa bed and a huge TV.
There was a crazy big jacuzzi tub, two bedrooms and a clothes washer.
Outside our room was a huge foyer area.
There were covered BBQ and eating areas, a kid’s playground and a tennis court.
Before we left, we also squeezed in some mini-golf (Ryan smoked us!) and some ping pong. This was a great couple days of activities with a really nice place to stay. I could get used to this life! 🙂