Noticeboard
If you have a group ride, a new track or something else to share with other mountainbikers, send it to webmaster@nelsonmountainbikeclub.org.nz and we will put it on this page.
Notification of closure of Hira Forest and Public Easement Road
Nelson MTB Club Trail Advocacy
Harvesting and log cartage operations are recommencing as from Monday 21st January 2008 until further notice.
These operations are carried out 5 days a week (Maintenance traffic on Saturdays), 24 hours a day.
No entry during the day or evenings of the working week. Access only available during the weekends and public holidays. Applies to all Mountain Bikes, Motorcyclists, Walkers / Runners.
The Waahi Taakaro Block between Brook Street and Maitai Valley remains open to Mountain Biking and forest access for the meanwhile.
These operations are carried out 5 days a week (Maintenance traffic on Saturdays), 24 hours a day.
No entry during the day or evenings of the working week. Access only available during the weekends and public holidays. Applies to all Mountain Bikes, Motorcyclists, Walkers / Runners.
The Waahi Taakaro Block between Brook Street and Maitai Valley remains open to Mountain Biking and forest access for the meanwhile.
Nelson MTB Club Trail Advocacy
The Nelson MTB Club have two representatives meeting regularly with NCC staff on public land MTB trail development and issues. If members have any concerns we would encourage you to contact either Tim Tucker (027 2320280) or Chris Mildon (021 2309120) in the first instance for further information.
These regular meetings (and the work done in this area by past committee members) in no small part have helped with forward planning and securing NCC funding for trail development with several exciting projects on the go at the moment. The quickly formulating Regional Development Plan for MTB Trails to sit with the NCC is a natural addition to the established process already in place, and will only strengthen the club's involvement and ongoing relationship with the council.
The NCC, along with our key forestry company Hancock Forest Management are partners in the club's trail advocacy efforts. They work alongside us, recognise and appreciate our passion and committment to our sport and are not the 'opposition'. The established forum in place with club committee representatives and NCC staff is the best place to deal with any trail issues on public land.
An update on a current hot potato follows:
Peaking Ridge
This trail off Sunshine Ridge began it's life shortly after the 2003 Mammoth as a far more interesting route down to the Maitai Valley. It follows a ridge line which is heavily pig-rooted and the trail has to be considered to have minimal impact on the environment it is placed. However it is in the Maitai Dam water catchment area and is subject to tigher conditions than we normally are faced with. It did not have initial NCC approval, however the construction and legality of the trail was tabled with the NCC at the regular meetings Tim and Chris have with NCC staff. The current status of the Peaking Ridge trail is that the NCC is still working with the Club on formalising it's status, but certainly hasn't made a decision to close it.
More recently, an NCC contractor ran a scheduled possum bait line down Sunshine Ridge and has used the opportunity presented by the Peaking trail to also run the bait down that ridge as well - this is standard practice. Cyanide paste bait is often applied to various media - in this case the contractor has used squares of paper. This contractor has likely pulled a few branches over the trail but this does not reflect the NCC position at this stage.
Riding this trail will never appeal to large numbers of MTBers. It is often a four to five hour loop, and technically challenging not only to get to across the top of Fringed Hill but also to ride the trail on its own merits.
These regular meetings (and the work done in this area by past committee members) in no small part have helped with forward planning and securing NCC funding for trail development with several exciting projects on the go at the moment. The quickly formulating Regional Development Plan for MTB Trails to sit with the NCC is a natural addition to the established process already in place, and will only strengthen the club's involvement and ongoing relationship with the council.
The NCC, along with our key forestry company Hancock Forest Management are partners in the club's trail advocacy efforts. They work alongside us, recognise and appreciate our passion and committment to our sport and are not the 'opposition'. The established forum in place with club committee representatives and NCC staff is the best place to deal with any trail issues on public land.
An update on a current hot potato follows:
Peaking Ridge
This trail off Sunshine Ridge began it's life shortly after the 2003 Mammoth as a far more interesting route down to the Maitai Valley. It follows a ridge line which is heavily pig-rooted and the trail has to be considered to have minimal impact on the environment it is placed. However it is in the Maitai Dam water catchment area and is subject to tigher conditions than we normally are faced with. It did not have initial NCC approval, however the construction and legality of the trail was tabled with the NCC at the regular meetings Tim and Chris have with NCC staff. The current status of the Peaking Ridge trail is that the NCC is still working with the Club on formalising it's status, but certainly hasn't made a decision to close it.
More recently, an NCC contractor ran a scheduled possum bait line down Sunshine Ridge and has used the opportunity presented by the Peaking trail to also run the bait down that ridge as well - this is standard practice. Cyanide paste bait is often applied to various media - in this case the contractor has used squares of paper. This contractor has likely pulled a few branches over the trail but this does not reflect the NCC position at this stage.
Riding this trail will never appeal to large numbers of MTBers. It is often a four to five hour loop, and technically challenging not only to get to across the top of Fringed Hill but also to ride the trail on its own merits.
544 2441 for the Rural Fire Network for any fire related incidents in forests, or 111 if things are looking really bad.