No stopping Red in Redwood Forest

Genesis is the name of the first mountain bike track built by Rotorua’s Community Work Supervisor Malcolm McHale (called Red or Whero in Maori by all who know him) and his teams of offenders.

And a beginning it was. Over 20 years Redwood Whakarewarewa Forest has developed into one of the most extensive mountain bike networks in the country and is well known worldwide.

“We greatly appreciate Red’s work in the forest,” says Dave Donaldson of Rotorua District Council.

“Of all the projects he could be doing in the community, we are grateful that he focuses all his energy on the Redwood Whakarewarewa Forest as it is of great recreational importance to us.

“The forest attracts a lot of visitors, as many as 225,000 per year according to a 2007 survey. These visitors spend about $10 million in Rotorua. So it’s awesome for Red to help us maintain and further improve the mountain bike tracks. And not only that, they also got rid of the invasion of weeds, such as honeysuckle, from the edge of the forest at Tarawera Road so now passers-by have an unblocked view of the magnificent Douglas firs.”

The Redwood Whakarewarewa Forest is 5,500ha and Red supervises work parties here four days a week. He knows the forest like the back of his hand and has gained a great knowledge of mountain biking and mountain bike tracks. “In the early days I didn’t have much direction,” Red says.

“We learnt through trial and error. Now mountain biking is the international rage and I get invited to workshops quite a lot as a local expert.”

On www.redwoods.co.nz you can find the following information: “These master crafted trails are an unbeatable blend of riding surfaces, topography and scenery. With around 90km of continually evolving trails, there is something to cater for all levels of rider, from beginner and family groups through to experts looking for extreme action.”

At the moment the community work team is working on a new track – a steep track of about 800m. Red says, “But because we are making lots of bends in the track, it is a grade 3. Otherwise it would certainly have qualified for the most difficult grade, that’s grade 5. We are also building a jump at the bottom of the track called Te Ara Puna or The Duck Pond. The carvings one offender made on some logs at the pond certainly add to the special atmosphere of the place.”

Councillor Dave Donaldson is also very pleased with the work the offenders have done to the pond that is halfway down Larch Road. “The pond was totally overgrown. Not only has Red’s team cleared all the blackberries that covered the area but they have also put down some benches.”