What I did for my Easter holidays:

I went camping with my family at Otaki Forks, in the south-western corner of the Tararua forest park. We froze Friday night, had some good walks around the riverbanks, the kids played lots of Monotony and cards, my wife and I read a couple of books and on Sunday we headed up the valley a little way to see the Seed and O'Brien sawmill, abandoned in the 1920s. That easy walk was livened up a bit by a bloody huge slip that had wiped out the track, so we had to climb down to the river, through the mud and back up to the track - quite an adventure for our youngest boy, nearly 5 years old.

It was a thoroughly cool weekend, very chilled out.

Good camping choice! I've been there a couple of times. Great little swimming hole when the weather is good enough. Great big campsite or frisbee and frisbee golf too, using the wooden tables in your pic as 'holes'.

We went for a loop walk there a while ago and it too was covered in slips!

I never went camping there this summer. Next year.

Nice work Oliver.

Is an amazing part of the world in there, so well hidden.

That slip sucked big time after riding/carrying the Reikorangi loop and seeing that with not much further to the forks!

DaveAldred wrote:Great little swimming hole when the weather is good enough.

Yeah, we thought we might go back when it's warm next time and swim.

way_downsouth wrote:That slip sucked big time after riding/carrying the Reikorangi loop and seeing that with not much further to the forks!

It would suck indeed, when you were tired and with a bike to carry up and down the riverbank!

We'll be back, for more and longer adventures as the kids get bigger.

Is there any good easy-intermediate biking tracks around Otaki Forks?

http://tracks.org.nz/area/show/28 doesn't list anything in this area, and the DOC site doesn't mention anything for or against biking in the region.

http://doc.org.nz/parks-and-recreation/ ... rge-walks/

Tracks I can see are - http://www.doc.govt.nz/upload/documents ... s-2008.pdf

What's the suitability (and are they permitted) for biking?

The Waiotauru Valley is (or certainly used to be) approved for MTB. The Kennett Bible (versions 5 & 6) had a ride described from the Akatarawa Saddle to Otaki, though they said it required some bush bashing. You can read th 5th edition online at http://books.google.co.nz/books?id=oIi-ciB7B44C&pg=PA160&lpg=PA160&dq=mtb+otaki+forks&source=bl&ots=Oi0Cd3tydJ&sig=V1VnLeir4vBFLOuJcFSZVV__yTM&hl=en&ei=FT86TaPmA4WosQOx6_jfAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false

fatwombat wrote:The Waiotauru Valley is (or certainly used to be) approved for MTB. The Kennett Bible (versions 5 & 6) had a ride described from the Akatarawa Saddle to Otaki, though they said it required some bush bashing. You can read th 5th edition online at http://books.google.co.nz/books?id=oIi-ciB7B44C&pg=PA160&lpg=PA160&dq=mtb+otaki+forks&source=bl&ots=Oi0Cd3tydJ&sig=V1VnLeir4vBFLOuJcFSZVV__yTM&hl=en&ei=FT86TaPmA4WosQOx6_jfAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false

Just buy the book.

Shesh, all the hard work the Kennett's have put into NZ MTBing and you want to deny them a few $$?? I'd hate to calculate the hourly rate they have earned from their endeavours, but I suspect it would be so far below minimum wage that it borders on slavery.

Maing, authors/publishers have to allow Google to post their work to Google books... If the Kennett's or their publishers have allowed Google to put it up, then it's completely fair play to read it on Google books. Having said that, yeah, good book to buy, especially as it'd be way more convenient.

happybaboon wrote:Maing, authors/publishers have to allow Google to post their work to Google books... If the Kennett's or their publishers have allowed Google to put it up, then it's completely fair play to read it on Google books. Having said that, yeah, good book to buy, especially as it'd be way more convenient.

Didn't Google just declare they were going to do it?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/27681 ... -book-plan

fatwombat wrote:The Waiotauru Valley is (or certainly used to be) approved for MTB. The Kennett Bible (versions 5 & 6) had a ride described from the Akatarawa Saddle to Otaki, though they said it required some bush bashing. You can read th 5th edition online at http://books.google.co.nz/books?id=oIi-ciB7B44C&pg=PA160&lpg=PA160&dq=mtb+otaki+forks&source=bl&ots=Oi0Cd3tydJ&sig=V1VnLeir4vBFLOuJcFSZVV__yTM&hl=en&ei=FT86TaPmA4WosQOx6_jfAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false

Bush bashing is from 3:40 in this video

You would be travelling in the opposite direction from Otaki Forks so could do and out and back trip.

From that end it will get progressively more technical / less ridable.

Just go until you figure it has stopped being fun.

5 years ago this week-end reikorangi-loop-wellington-anniversary-t32341.html

Rode out there a couple of times on camping trips. Would not say intermediate tho. But great fun, very technical... Arcus (sp) Loop and Fencline Loop from memory. Both within 5mins of the camping ground

znomit wrote:

happybaboon wrote:Maing, authors/publishers have to allow Google to post their work to Google books... If the Kennett's or their publishers have allowed Google to put it up, then it's completely fair play to read it on Google books. Having said that, yeah, good book to buy, especially as it'd be way more convenient.

Didn't Google just declare they were going to do it?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/27681 ... -book-plan

Man, thats just awful!
Bad Google, BAD!