Festival trails under forest canopies

Action from the Rotorua Bike Festival, returning next month. Photo / Alick Saunders

Well, it took a while, but summer is really, finally here. Hot enough for you? The trails are all good, but the more exposed ones are getting dry and dusty.

Fortunately, there are 150km of trails to choose from and most of them are still under the cover a diverse range of exotic and native timber. There's nowhere else in the world that has that unique blend of eucalyptus rubbing shoulders with redwoods, douglas fir and native ferns - until it's logged, anyway.

One of my favourites is one we ride most times we are out and is a Grade 1.

Puarenga runs from the water tank at the southern end of Nursery Rd (and the exit of Mad if you don't - and, really, you are) on both sides of the Puarenga Stream to the junction of Nice, Hill and Reservoir roads. This is a great link track in a picturesque part of our forest.

I posted photos of the trail on the Rotorua Bike Festival's Instagram and Facebook pages, before Christmas. The enthusiasm and the number of "likes" surprised me.

The name is an evocative one.

Puarenga - Flowers of Sulphur - refers to sulphur particles floating on the surface, sometimes joining together, resembling petals of flowers, hence the name.

From The History and Place Names of Rotorua by the late, great Don Stafford.

Apart from a couple of very short climbs, the trail is flat track. There are some very narrow sections - chicanes through ponga - that require a steady eye, especially if you have fashionably wide handlebars.

There's nothing technical, though - it's all just tranquil and relaxing.

There is also a cruisy, link track from the Duck Pond Rd and Larch Rd intersection down to Puarenga.

Red McHale and the Department of Corrections community service crews built the trail in June-July, 2010. Red has a long and distinguished history of involvement with the trails. He's been involved in building and maintaining them, since the pioneering days in the early 1990s.

Red Stag Timber generously sponsored all the bridges. They are another long-time supporter of mountain biking in Rotorua.

Puarenga features bench seats along the trail for time-out. A beautiful traditional Maori carving stands as a guardian over the trail about half way through.

You have to be careful, though: it is dual usage, two-way and you should expect to see runners and walkers (and families). It's a pleasant place to be, so no need for speed.

Puarenga is the perfect place to stop for a bite to eat or just sit and contemplate the peaceful rhythm of running water - especially on a hot summer's day.

Actually, ignore all the above - the fewer people who know about Puarenga, the better.

But don't ignore the Rotorua Bike Festival, which starts in just over a month.

The programme has evolved over the past few months, with some favourites from the past two festivals alongside brand new events on the calendar. It always takes some juggling - think herding cats - with 30 separate events and a wide range of individual organisers. But that is part of the joy and excitement of the festival. -The website has the full programme: www.rotoruabikefestival.com