Congratulations Whakatane MTB club, Great to see your website also. I was the foundation member of the first MTB club here in 1992 called The Eastern Bay Of Plenty Mountainbike Club. Through my work contacts (Police) I established access to The Mokoroa Forest and spent countless hours constructing tracks there also. We held several club events including time trials. Unfortunatly access to pine forests change as harvesting begins.
Many changes have occurred in Mountain biking since those days and I guess some of you might not even have been born yet. the most significant other than full suspension and disc brakes is the recognition by DOC of mountainbiking as a bona fide out door pursuit. Back then MTBs were classed as vehicles only and banned in all DOC land. Many a DOC ranger chased me around in those days for my MTB Mountaineering pursuits, I carried mountainbikes to the summits of several mountains just to say I had done it.
Now with MTB aged sons of my own I have pulled the trustee bike out again and am again enjoying the sport.
last weekend I had an opportunity to lead about 8 boys and several fathers through the Whirinaki Forest track, Good on you DOC.
My business Diveworks Charters, Whale Island tours, 86 The Strand.(07) 308 5896 has 12 Mountainbikes for hire (Supplied locally) and will be conducting tours in the Eastern Bay.
If you have friends come to stay and not enough bikes then give us a call.
I look forward to joining your club.
regards to you all

I can remember that club back when i first got into MTBing mid 90's with the weekly races over burma road and sneaking up to the mokoroa forest in study breaks then having to use the birdwalk as the owners didn't want us using the driveway but we were still allowed in the forest.

Hey there,

Is the club still going? their website has not been updated in over a year, and one seldom hears anything about it anymore. Would be keen to know if there are any younger members who ride out there? 12yr or thereabouts age group. A youngster I know recently got a new speshy hardrock and would love to take it over some trails. I'm a roadie, but will happily hire a bike to join in for a day.

Thanks in advance
G

whats happining at the whakatane track havint heard much,im comeing back from aussie soon and want to go riding as i will be staying at thornton,want to ride the new tracks but the web site is old as has no info,any one knows anythink post me cheers

Is this the website you were looking at? http://whakatane.mtbclub.org.nz/

Fair call, it hasn't been updated in a while but all the track descriptions are there and so are details for temp permits.

i is andy wrote:Is this the website you were looking at? http://whakatane.mtbclub.org.nz/

Fair call, it hasn't been updated in a while but all the track descriptions are there and so are details for temp permits.

thanks bro il check it out,