Otairi View 2009 - Hunterville
Photos below article
Well nearly dustless this time. Perfect conditions having had rain the week before, it was a cool overcast day, with light wind and mostly grass tracks to ride on. One problem, where were all the riders?? A lot of effort was put in by a lot of people (not me this time) and by the farmers to get only 85 riders turning up. Yes there were two other rides on in the area that day also. Why, after our ride was advertised on a certain date, do other rides get organised on the same day in the same general area? – seems stupid to me, it means no event gets a decent turn out.
Still enough of the gripes – the ride.
With a 50km loop in the morning incorporating ‘The Creek’ and another boulder creek as well made it a great ride. Not rough, not dusty. It was fast with plenty of grass with fast grassed tracks. On days like this, Hunterville must rate as one of the more enjoyable rides we do with some fantastic country featuring awesome views. The afternoon loop of about 35km long with the long loose uphill climb a couple of minutes into the ride, then the rolling hill country for a couple of km’s – grassed not slippery, just fun.
For many of you that consider Hunterville the end of the earth to get to and all it is, is a ride of rough ground and dust, think again. The ride you have just missed was one of the better rides Tracey and I have been on in a long time. Yes it sounds like I’m a fan of Hunterville, well I am. It’s a great place to ride, with great people (the locals) and this time, great tracks, great weather and enough small obstacles to make it interesting. Take ‘the creek’ – a flat shallow (in most places) papa creek to cross – harder than it sounds. Remember papa is like glass with a layer of grease on top and to add to that it had allot of algae on it, just to make it interesting. This creek is okay if you know the right line – but be warned, don’t take the short cut, it swallows bikes, literally! You have to ride it way downstream following the gentle ridge over to the other side with no throttle, just idle and clutch your way over with no sudden direction changes or you are on the deck very quickly. This is a great place to sit - with a camera.
The other creek with the rocks was worse. It was very hard to get a line then to get out the other side especially after the quads had been through and dragged water up the bank. (Just a comment, no disrespect to those with trainer-wheels, but they can be hard to follow.)
Brickbats to all those that didn’t come to the ride – and to the guy on the RM125 on his first trail ride. He had heaps of trouble even staying on his bike let alone crossing the boulder creek. He may have figured out by now that motocross bikes aren’t the best on rides like Hunterville – but give him his dues, he kept on trying and got there in the end. Well done!
Bouquets to all those that helped on and before the day – great! Also to the women on the TTR125 who figured out what the clutch was all about, not just to be dropped and changed across the creeks and small dips in the track. She got the hang of it quick.
Cheers - Alan – Him On The Green Bike
Well nearly dustless this time. Perfect conditions having had rain the week before, it was a cool overcast day, with light wind and mostly grass tracks to ride on. One problem, where were all the riders?? A lot of effort was put in by a lot of people (not me this time) and by the farmers to get only 85 riders turning up. Yes there were two other rides on in the area that day also. Why, after our ride was advertised on a certain date, do other rides get organised on the same day in the same general area? – seems stupid to me, it means no event gets a decent turn out.
Still enough of the gripes – the ride.
With a 50km loop in the morning incorporating ‘The Creek’ and another boulder creek as well made it a great ride. Not rough, not dusty. It was fast with plenty of grass with fast grassed tracks. On days like this, Hunterville must rate as one of the more enjoyable rides we do with some fantastic country featuring awesome views. The afternoon loop of about 35km long with the long loose uphill climb a couple of minutes into the ride, then the rolling hill country for a couple of km’s – grassed not slippery, just fun.
For many of you that consider Hunterville the end of the earth to get to and all it is, is a ride of rough ground and dust, think again. The ride you have just missed was one of the better rides Tracey and I have been on in a long time. Yes it sounds like I’m a fan of Hunterville, well I am. It’s a great place to ride, with great people (the locals) and this time, great tracks, great weather and enough small obstacles to make it interesting. Take ‘the creek’ – a flat shallow (in most places) papa creek to cross – harder than it sounds. Remember papa is like glass with a layer of grease on top and to add to that it had allot of algae on it, just to make it interesting. This creek is okay if you know the right line – but be warned, don’t take the short cut, it swallows bikes, literally! You have to ride it way downstream following the gentle ridge over to the other side with no throttle, just idle and clutch your way over with no sudden direction changes or you are on the deck very quickly. This is a great place to sit - with a camera.
The other creek with the rocks was worse. It was very hard to get a line then to get out the other side especially after the quads had been through and dragged water up the bank. (Just a comment, no disrespect to those with trainer-wheels, but they can be hard to follow.)
Brickbats to all those that didn’t come to the ride – and to the guy on the RM125 on his first trail ride. He had heaps of trouble even staying on his bike let alone crossing the boulder creek. He may have figured out by now that motocross bikes aren’t the best on rides like Hunterville – but give him his dues, he kept on trying and got there in the end. Well done!
Bouquets to all those that helped on and before the day – great! Also to the women on the TTR125 who figured out what the clutch was all about, not just to be dropped and changed across the creeks and small dips in the track. She got the hang of it quick.
Cheers - Alan – Him On The Green Bike
