{"id":11994,"date":"2024-05-09T18:13:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-09T06:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myblogary.com\/?p=11994"},"modified":"2024-05-14T15:50:16","modified_gmt":"2024-05-14T03:50:16","slug":"happiness-is-riding-your-mountain-bike-without-breaking-any-bones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myblogary.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/09\/happiness-is-riding-your-mountain-bike-without-breaking-any-bones\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cHappiness is riding your mountain bike without breaking any bones.”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

May 9<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How many showers does it take to stop smelling like a rotten egg? I\u2019m on my third and the smell from the thermal bath yesterday is just beginning to fade. It\u2019s the gift that keeps on giving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the beautiful sunny day, today was really windy. We wanted to do the forest loop trail in the Whakarewarewa Forest<\/a>, but we were weren\u2019t sure it would be warm enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We headed over to Mountain Bike Rotorua<\/a> and talked to the experts at the bike store. Being warm suddenly wasn\u2019t our concern anymore. It shifted to, \u201cWhat the heck are we thinking of doing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We started second guessing our choice of activity when they described the trail as easy to moderate and a bit challenging in sections. They said the loop is designed to be accessible for people of almost all ages, abilities and fitness levels. You don\u2019t need to be a professional downhiller; as long as you\u2019re a confident rider, you\u2019ll find the variety of uphill, downhill and flat sections interesting, fun and fairly easy to navigate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUh-hem, give us a few minutes,\u201d we said. \u201cWe need to discuss.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ride elevation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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We hesitated and deliberated. We considered alternative things to do as we walked over to the Rotorua I-Site Information Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The 20 mile one-way mountain bike forest loop trail is graded 2s and 3s, meaning moderate difficulty at times with undulating paths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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During our deliberations, we were in the information center talking with a city ambassador who, despite never doing the trail herself, said it was easy on an e-bike and we shouldn\u2019t have any problems. She convinced us (\u201cpensioners do it!\u201d) and eased any of my concerns about a difficult forest mountain bike trail, so after 20 minutes of hemming and hawing, we layered up to keep warm and decided to go for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Off we go<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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On our electronic mountain bikes, with freezing hands, we meandered through the redwood forest, going uphill, downhill and making many switchback turns. We pretty much had the forest to ourselves, which was a good thing, because I wasn\u2019t going very fast, despite the high gear and added power boost from the e-bike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first quarter of the ride took us clockwise across the Tokorangi<\/a> <\/a>Face, which offered a panoramic view of the city. We stopped for a break and some photos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Boiling mud in the middle of the forest<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Tokorangi Face<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Rotorua Overlook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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According to what the lady in the information center told us, we had just completed the toughest part of the track. It was all uphill and a bit nerve racking to be honest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We haven\u2019t ever mountain biked on forest trails like this before. It was quite the bumpy ride at times. Since the trail was a one-way system, there was no turning back, yikes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1\/4 of the way there<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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We finally arrived at Te P\u016btake o Tawa<\/a> car park, the halfway point. It took us longer than we expected and wondered if we\u2019d even make it back before sunset. The ride was exhilarating and slightly terrifying all at the same time. Suffice it to say, I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll qualify for the BMX trials any time soon. Unfortunately for me, I had a lot more practice ahead in the next couple of hours. To distract me from the challenge, it was time to put in my AirPods and blast some music!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We took a short break and tried to read the map to determine what the trail was like up ahead. We pressed on and came to Blue Lake Beach. That seemed easy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trail used to run along Green Lake (Rotok\u0101kahi). However, in 2019, mountain bike trails near the lake were closed to protect the lake’s sacred status. Green Lake is privately owned by local tribes and is considered sacred, so swimming, fishing, and boating are not allowed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We continued on the trail as it narrowed and got steeper. The turns were sharper with high banks for better riders than myself. Where is the easy section? I wondered. I realized taking advice from an information ambassador who has never ridden the trail probably wasn\u2019t the wisest move. Despite that, it was still a pretty cool trail, ride and experience (or so I kept telling myself.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Blue Lake Beach<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Continue here if you dare<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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I came down out of the forest where Mitch was waiting at the map at Jeff\u2019s Link junction. We finally figured out the legend. Ignorance is bliss. Maybe not knowing the difficulty was a good thing. Apparently, we were three-quarters of the way through the ride and we had truly finally arrived at the easy part of the journey. It was still sunny and only 3pm, so it seemed we wouldn\u2019t be stuck in the dark after all, assuming we read the map correctly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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