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pedalingkiwi
Scuffed
Joined: Mar 30, 2006
Posts: 376
Location: mostly christchurch
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 Posted: Tue 23/Sep/08 9:12am Post subject: Thoughts Re The Port Hills Xc Tracks |
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Following along from Jono's very useful Vic Park thread am keen, on behalf of Nick Singleton and the Mtbike Tracks Committee, to field riders thoughts / ideas / feedback about ;
* maintenance required
* specific problem areas / types
* unsafe features / modifications
* suggestions for improvement of the Port Hills riding experience (possibly a can of worms considering the multiple views of what a good ride / track is ....)
I will endeavour to answer queries posed, and update riders about current thinking re progress towards creating a sustainable track network that caters for all skill levels
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swtchbckr
Worn
Joined: Mar 22, 2005
Posts: 576
Location: Chacha
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| Posted: Tue 23/Sep/08 9:29am Post subject: |
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my 2 cents. well, maybe 10 cents...
little bit maintenance required on a few little ruts on Capt Thomas on the marginally newer section leaves the original (that you used to go out tothe road on)... below the gulley where that car that had the prostitute in it is 'parked'... nothing major, and i was surprised how well the track as a whole has survived the winter.
I've always wanted to see a wee out and back trail above Tunnel Rd motorway, in the bush just below the farmtrack along there, and down to the water tanks at the end then a switchback trail back up from the road and back.
a few options of sidling singletrack above Rapaki on Montgomery, (called Mont Bombery?), single directional, a couple of downhill, one up well marked.
a few loops on Montgomery
McVicars OPENED UP!
Singletrack from top of Kennedy's to Marley's.
Singletrack parallel to Kennedy's (like whats been done above the Crocodile, but all the way)
Access to the valley below Rapaki. there's only about three rocky sections that need a little bit of work and that would be a sweet bit of riding, (currently marked No Bikes) with maybe a sidle trail from the shelter round and up a little to Vernon Farmtrack to avoid walker/runner conflict in lower valley...
ooooops, i thought you said wish list...
i'm loving most of the tracks right now, tho the occasional rock does throw the flow out of whack, but rocks are good.
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pedalingkiwi
Scuffed
Joined: Mar 30, 2006
Posts: 376
Location: mostly christchurch
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| Posted: Tue 23/Sep/08 10:10am Post subject: |
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Am totally with you on those ruts at top of Capt Thomas - rode them Sunday and did not enjoy. They are on the list - might get to them wiith a sub group this Sat morning, or first evening work party 23 Oct.
Re Montgomery Spur - there is currently a CCC consultation process going on re the recreational use of that area, and there is hope that some intermediate level mtbike loops may eventuate, but no time frame for that.
As far as I'm aware access / use of the farmland that bounds Rapaki - both sides - is strongly dictated by the farming operations.
Regarding things west of Sign of the Kiwi - this is an area of the Port Hills that has much greater 'natural reserve' status, and there are little or no plans to develop mtbiking into that area. Linking Kennedy's to Marleys does make some sense, but is unlikely in the short term. Re McVicars - it is 'on the radar' but, as with all things CCC, that involves planning and budgeting, and priorities that are determined city wide. Keep an eye on the prize, but don't hold your breath.
Having rocks in the track whilst achieving flow is one of our objectives - we will look to improving that as we tackle each section of track 
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swtchbckr
Worn
Joined: Mar 22, 2005
Posts: 576
Location: Chacha
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| Posted: Tue 23/Sep/08 11:03am Post subject: |
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Whats the status of that 'Arboretum' project. cos that 4wd track that continues round from Kennedy's below the road towards Marley's i've always thought could take us most of the way. i've never been game to ride that, and i've heard its a scramble to get back up onto the road.
understand about the 'natural reserve' status. but that track above the road between marleys and kennedy's is entirely rideable.
anywho, all good out there
oh, and John Britten Reserve... i mean, WHY!? its NEVER got walkers in it, and yet the moaners closed out bikers?
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neels
Slightly below average
Joined: Sep 05, 2007
Posts: 1,316
Location: Waiting for the great leap forward
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| Posted: Tue 23/Sep/08 11:20am Post subject: |
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| swtchbckr wrote: | Whats the status of that 'Arboretum' project. cos that 4wd track that continues round from Kennedy's below the road towards Marley's i've always thought could take us most of the way. i've never been game to ride that, and i've heard its a scramble to get back up onto the road.
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I've wondered the same thing, would make a nice track around to marleys hill or a loop with kennedy's bush.
While on the subject of port hills tracks, I was looking at survey stuff the other day and saw a road that doesn't exist called Burkes Bush Rd that runs from Cass Peak down to Old Tai Tapu Rd, I wonder if it's still a legal road?
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Slim
Mangled
Joined: Aug 15, 2003
Posts: 16,717
Location: Opawa
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| Posted: Tue 23/Sep/08 11:25am Post subject: |
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there is a bunch of paper roads that head down towards Tai Tapu most of them are overgrown and horrible to ride. I used to ride Gerkin a bit when I lived at Lincoln, think I only managed to make it down once without getting a puncture.
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more_horse_link
Worn
Joined: Jun 14, 2007
Posts: 926
Location: Avoiding pies
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| Posted: Tue 23/Sep/08 11:34am Post subject: |
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All good at the moment.
A few things:
- More tracks would be a bonus to minimize time on tarmac 
That is all
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danose
Mangled
Joined: May 27, 2004
Posts: 10,986
Location: Nose City
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| Posted: Tue 23/Sep/08 12:00pm Post subject: |
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| pedalingkiwi wrote: | Linking Kennedy's to Marleys does make some sense, but is unlikely in the short term. Re McVicars - it is 'on the radar' but, as with all things CCC, that involves planning and budgeting, and priorities that are determined city wide. Keep an eye on the prize, but don't hold your breath.
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also there's the issue of the block of private land that'd block such a track - so can't see it happening. It's only a short road ride from kennedy's to top of flying nun - much less onerous than from bridle path to john britten for example
I reckon number 1 priority would have to be extending the old bowenvale singletrack to the summit rd (no more boring 4wd/shingle bits) - and obviously engineering it to survive heavy rain a little better  If that was sweet singletrack (with bits of uphill pedalling required to keep lazy DHers off) it'd be the best xc descent around and would take the xc load off vic park (easing contention between the big bike / wee bike crowds)
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Trail
Thrashed
Joined: Aug 15, 2008
Posts: 1,134
Location: Chch
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| Posted: Tue 23/Sep/08 12:07pm Post subject: |
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There are supporters of that option Danose. I would like a single track option to get to the top of the hill... and that only goes a quarter of the way up at the moment.
Trouble is, that will always be the wet side of the hill and norpe to slips...
Also the corners that were built up there are climbing turns, and I really dont think that slope can sustain climbing turns. They would need to be built as proper raised switchbacks with an almost flat turning surface if you want them to last.
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Butch
Wrecked
Joined: Sep 02, 2006
Posts: 7,669
Location: Clearing out the SPCA
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| Posted: Tue 23/Sep/08 12:16pm Post subject: |
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It would also be nice to see a singletrack linking from round where, umm, upper fenceline starts (I think its called upper fenceline, the one that crosses back over the fence below the A frame at vic park, just above the start of tits) around to join old bowenvale. That'd be neat.
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danose
Mangled
Joined: May 27, 2004
Posts: 10,986
Location: Nose City
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| Posted: Tue 23/Sep/08 12:16pm Post subject: |
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| Trail wrote: |
Trouble is, that will always be the wet side of the hill and norpe to slips...
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true - and this was the wettest winter in a kazillion years...
I also often eye the other side of that hill (the valley between Huntsbury and Vernon Farm track) and muse over how easy it'd be to convert to a nice xc track - there's a vague walking track (leading to a funky shelter hardly anyone knows about - similar to the one on the rapaki valley track) and then even vaguer track leading up to near huntsbury (where it peters out)
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swtchbckr
Worn
Joined: Mar 22, 2005
Posts: 576
Location: Chacha
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| Posted: Tue 23/Sep/08 1:05pm Post subject: |
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yeah, that shelter is weird. i rode up the valley track to it once, there's definitely scope in there. Dry Bush valley its called i think. ended up walking straight up the hill back onto farm track from it. ugh.
and yep, with you all the way on extending the oldskool bowenvale up, bypass the 4wd zigzag section... and armour the puppy up a bunch, and keep the, as you say, lazy DHers off...
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danose
Mangled
Joined: May 27, 2004
Posts: 10,986
Location: Nose City
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| Posted: Tue 23/Sep/08 1:10pm Post subject: |
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| swtchbckr wrote: | | Dry Bush valley its called i think |
knew it had an odd name - didn't seem very dry up the top (where the bush remnant is) to me, both me and the cattle were sinking in nicely (I was running - if you carry on past the bush on sheep tracks you can link to the top of Huntsbury)
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tricky
Dusty
Joined: Oct 26, 2005
Posts: 58
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| Posted: Tue 23/Sep/08 1:46pm Post subject: |
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What's the status of the land in between east end of the Witch Hill track and Castle Rock? Strikes me as one of the biggest missing links in the Port Hills network.
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danose
Mangled
Joined: May 27, 2004
Posts: 10,986
Location: Nose City
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| Posted: Tue 23/Sep/08 1:50pm Post subject: |
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| tricky wrote: | | What's the status of the land in between east end of the Witch Hill track and Castle Rock? Strikes me as one of the biggest missing links in the Port Hills network. |
used to be private - but I think it's included in the montgomery spur reseve block
or are you talking about the southern side (where the walking track is) - which would be bad for a mtb track anyway (mega wet)
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