I’d appreciate a bit of help identifying some tracks in the Maungakotukutuku Road area of the Akatarawa Forest.

Starting from the “Four x 4 Adventure” office on Maungakotukutuku Road, I went up Perhams Road to Titi Road – which is the northern section of the Karapoti Classic. Big Ring Boulevard (Whakatikei Road) is to the southwest and Devil’s Staircase is to the east.

There are 3 unidentified tracks marked on the map:
- Track A: starts on Titi Road, 2.8km east of the top of Perhams Road. I didn’t go down this track, but the top is shown in Photo A.
- Track B: starts on Titi Road, 0.4km north of Track A. The top is shown in Photo B. Edit: This is a deeply rutted track with lots of bike-deep mud pools and steep rock/clay slides.
- Track C: exits next to the start of Perhams Road (on the left, when looking up hill), having meet Track B at a T-intersection 0.8km south. Track C continues south, but I didn’t go that way.

I know that the tracks known as “Three sisters” and “Boobies” are in this area, but I don’t know which is which. Any pointers as to the proper names of these unidentified tracks would be much appreciated, so that I can correctly identify them in the Tracks database.

Thanks.

Track A, unsure, just some random 4wd track.


Track B, was it 4wd all the way down or did you take a diversion into the bush? The track known as 3 Sisters starts off of track B and ends near the 4wd centre.

and boobies goes off the other side of titi back down to Big ring.

Must be time to head over there one last time beofre the real winter weather arrives!

There are lots of random 4wd tracks around that area. I explored several of them, especially to the west (off the map above).

Track B was 4wd all the way down, consisting of a series of deep mud pools and a couple of extremely steep rock/clay chutes (overall the last 0.5km drops 135m in altitude). The track ends just past a glade that has a track crossing it, then there is a dry creek, before meeting what I've called Track C (an easy and smooth path).

About 0.6km along Track B there is a singletrack that heads up a short hill to the right (northeast), before Track B degenerates into a mud bath - is that the start of 3 Sisters?

There are several tracks that diverge off Titi on the Big Ring Boulevard side. How far along Titi, from the top of Perhams, is Boobies? Is it west or east of the start of Track B?

3 sisters is off to the left of Track B about 200? metres from the main junction.


Boobies goes off to the right of Titi (looking from Perhams to Devils) down to the bottom of Big ring, it starts about 300 metres further on from the Track B intersectionmaybe more. Looking at your map it could be around the Track A point, was this photo taken looking back towards Perhams road and was there a tiny clearing off to the behind left of you?

Jim wrote:3 sisters is off to the left of Track B about 200? metres from the main junction.

About 150m north of the point where Track B left Titi there was a narrow rocky singletrack that went up to the left - would that be 3 Sisters? Where does it end - would it join on to the western side of what I've called Track C?

Jim wrote:Boobies goes off to the right of Titi (looking from Perhams to Devils) down to the bottom of Big ring, it starts about 300 metres further on from the Track B intersectionmaybe more. Looking at your map it could be around the Track A point, was this photo taken looking back towards Perhams road and was there a tiny clearing off to the behind left of you?

The photo of Track A was taken facing towards Devil's Staircase, so Track A goes the wrong way to be Boobies. However, 100m further along (450m from Track B) towards Devil's Staircase there was a pair of tracks that both join Titi at the same point on the Big Ring side of Titi - a 4wd track to the right and a singletrack to the left. I'm guessing that the singletrack at that point is Boobies.

Yes that sounds like Boobies.

Three Sisters is a series of 3 pieces of single track each connected my 4wd. The first enters the bush up your track B flattens out, just before it starts decending. My photo DSC00077 is the traditional mtb entrance.

Three Siters were hidden and efforts were made to keep them so with branches etc across were they met the 4wd roads. For the past couple of years more use and less care has opened up the entrances so that motorcyclists have found and started riding them. Generally uphill and with lots of revs that have removed dirt around roots, left ruts and pretty much ruined what used to be some of my fav trails.

iodi wrote:About 0.6km along Track B there is a singletrack that heads up a short hill to the right (northeast), before Track B degenerates into a mud bath - is that the start of 3 Sisters?

Right or left? Before getting to the mtb entrance, there is a singletrack that comes down a rocky bank on the left. This is where the motorbikes that have come up the top sister exit. This Sister at the mtb entrance has logs across the trail that used to make the track less appealling to motorbikes.

There are several tracks that diverge off Titi on the Big Ring Boulevard side. How far along Titi, from the top of Perhams, is Boobies? Is it west or east of the start of Track B?

I'm crap at estimating distances, but I would guess nearly a kilometre further past your trail B is the entrance to Boobies. There is a clearing raised on the right hand side of Big Ring. My photo DSC00074 is the entrance to Boobies. Motorbikes use this trail too, but it's more rocky nature means the trail is less ravaged than Three Sisters.

I could be convinced to go in there at Easter...

Cheers, thanks for all the help. I think I now know where to find Boobies.
More exploring is in order - especially around the 3 Sisters area and other tracks in the vicinity. However, Easter probably isn't a starter for me.

From memory of a few 4wd trips I did in that area (7-8 yrs ago) there was 3 main tracks other than Perhams rd

1- started just up from the gate on Perhams and when of the left up a steep rock face from there zig zag across perhams road to about 3/4 they way up, I dont remember the name of that track

2- if you when across the stream by the quad place and took the small road to left of perhams then the next right it was a trail known as "24hr Track" wich runs all the way up to Titi rd with an opt out at about the 1/2- 3/4 mark which I think also comes out on Titi possibly your C track

3 if you continued on the small road you then came to the "Rollercoaster" which also went to Titi rd which sounds like your B track

Yeah. I had a phone call from someone wandering a round in the bush not too sure what they were seeing/looking for a couple of weeks back.

That someone has been through there maybe a dozen times in the past.

i like hickies idea of an easter ride up there.

i have never been in there and am keen as, but hear you really should ride there with someone who has knowledge of the area. sounds like exactly my type of riding. anyone keen on heading up there around easter?