Alleged arson and vandalism in Whakarewarewa Forest. Photo / Supplied
A former Rotorua Lakes deputy mayor and avid mountain biker has taken aim at vandals and thieves who destroyed a Mountain Bike Rotorua pickup point and stole shade sails, chains, and an unusable cell-booster unit.
Despite the damage costing more than $10,000 to the business, the owner is still positive, saying there will always be “bad eggs”, but Rotorua was getting “better and better”.
Mountain Bike Rotorua co-owner Tak Mutu said he got a call from a member of the public on Sunday morning to say the shuttle pickup point, at the corner of Pipeline and Hill Rds in the forest off Waipa Mill Bypass Rd, had been destroyed.
A casual staff member, who was also police a police officer, went to assess the damage and cordon off the area, Mutu said.
A chainsaw was used to cut down the shelters, as well as an 8m pole with a cell-booster unit on top of it taken, which meant there would be no cellphone reception in the area.
Waterproof shade sails and chains were also stolen.
The offenders then set the signs, marquee, and retail sales box on fire before fleeing.
Former Rotorua Lakes councillor Dave Donaldson said the destruction and thefts were “pointless” and “something needs to be done”.
He said he believed new equipment around the forest, which had been put in place for the benefit of the public, had been targeted and the main motivation had been theft.
“It’s an ongoing problem to be dealt with.”
He said it was not ruining the sport but was “undermining the experience” for all visitors and users of the forest.
It was also “potentially dangerous” when signs, used to keep people safe and enhance their experience, were destroyed or removed.
He remembered a time when the only amenities around the forest were four portaloos at the Waipa Mountain Bike Park and two at the Redwoods Centre.
“As soon better amenities were provided, it immediately saw an upsurge in participation in outdoor recreation throughout the forest by family groups, and women and children,” he said.
“It’s extremely frustrating and disappointing ... and aggravating when [the amenities] are stolen and damaged.”
He urged everyone to be the eyes and ears of the forest and report anything out of place.
Mountain Bike Rotorua co-owner Tak Mutu said there were security cameras at the entrance to the forest, but nothing at this site in the middle of the forest as there was no power.
He did not believe they were targeted specifically, because there had been an increase in vandalism in and around the forest over the past year.
That included the UV filter treatment facilities for the water taps in the forest that had solar panels on, and which were all stolen.
Water tanks in the forest were put in because of the UV filter system thefts, and had been vandalised and taps stolen.
“Just a whole bunch of stuff like that has been going on,” he said.
Mutu said the damage would cost more than $10,000, which included the cost of replacing the damaged goods.
He said it was unlikely there would be a market for the stolen items and some would be completely useless, like the cell-booster unit, which was missing half of the pieces that are taken out each night.
“I wouldn’t have a clue who is taking this stuff.”
Once forensics were finished, the team set up a temporary lineup area and everything would keep running as usual, though “without all the comforts it had before”.
Mutu said he had a meeting with the forest managers and Rotorua Lakes Council today to talk about a more proactive response to the issues.
He also hoped to work with police.
“We won’t be starting a rebuild soon because we want to have some sort of plan so that we can hopefully mitigate these sorts of issues as much as possible in the future.”
Mutu said they were not angry.
“Things like this happen, there are bad eggs around,” he said.
“What we have noticed over the last 12 months is that Rotorua is getting better and better. I know to some people it doesn’t feel like that, but I think that’s more of a perception issue.
“This is just a blip as we rebuild our way out of Covid, and we actually have a really positive outlook.”
Mutu said staff noticed motorbike and quadbike tracks in the forest over the weekend, and there had been an increase in dirt and quadbikes coming into the forest, which was not allowed.
Issues with dirt bikes were not limited to the forest. Police launched Operation Themis earlier this year, targeting illegal dirt bike riders in Rotorua.