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Wellington MTB Trails


ps's picture

By ps - Posted on 08 September 2013

I have done one race now in Wellington and it was a very tight track with a course that went straight up, then straight back down. I have also been for a walk around Mt Wellington and its got some steep bits and a few fairly technical sections which is why they have used that track for world cup races. I know there is one other MTB park in Wellington itself and at least one 15k up the road in Lower Hut.
This weekend was time for an explore so after a bit of google and strava searching I decided to head up the Tip Track and then along Red Rocks track before heading back through the hills again. Seemed like a simple plan, the weather forecast was good and it hadn't rained for almost 3 days (at the moment it seems like 3 days is almost a drought).
I left my flat about 7am Saturday morning and 5 km later got to the start of the Tip Track. By the 9km mark I had already climbed 600m and while I was at the top of that hill there did seem to be a few more in the way. By this stage the forecast 40 knot winds had arrived and I was getting blown about a lot on the double-track descent down to the coast. Mavic SLR spokes and 40+ knot gusts don't mix well. I went past a sign that showed the start of a single-track option to get to the coast. The sign rated it advanced and suggested some people would be more comfortable walking some sections. I hesitated a while and then though it would be more protected. I can confirm that the rating was accurate and on one narrow traverse when I was getting buffeted by the wind I hoped that not telling someone where I was going was my worst decision for the day.
After getting to the bottom with an average speed under 10 km/h I thought things would improve a bit along the coastal 4wd track. Turns out the beach track was about equal mix hardpacked dirt, sand and stones of varying sizes so I actually went slower along the flat bit as a lot of it wasn't rideable. After a while I got to a small group of houses and took the dirt track that headed back up the hill. This lead me to a headland with some cleared farmland and I was able to cut though a few paddocks and eventually got to a dirt road. This road had an average grade of 12% and seemed to be lined up perfectly with the prevailing wind. The surface was OK but the swirling gusts had me dabbing a lot. I eventually got past the steep bit and was now amongst the wind farm for the next 5k. By this stage the weather had closed in and it felt quite eerie drifting in and out of the mist. Near the top of the wind farm I saw a team working on the high tension wires with a crane.
Bucket loads of respect for anyone game enough to get in the work platform in a gusting 40 knot breeze and get lifted up by a large crane to work on high tension wires.
After that it was mainly a dirt road descent with tar on the steep bits and then another hill before I got back to Wellington in time to vote. All up it took me over 6 hours to go 60k.

Lach's picture

... if you hadn't stopped to take all those great photos! Smiling
Some wonderful vistas there. Makes LCNP look like a weedy ditch.

garyinoz's picture

Sounds like a fun day out, some beautiful parts to explore....if you don't mind all the climbing!

ps's picture

I was looking for reasons to stop. The views just helped.

Its pretty amazing what you can do with a phone these days. Those images are from an iphone 4 so its not even the latest technology. I was pretty lucky with the clear skies, it doesn't happen here that often.

Fatboy's picture

Great pic's Paul. Sounds like hard work though. I'd be more inclined to kick back and enjoy the NZ green lipped mussels and some Central Otago Pinot...

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