2008-09-23
2009-03-28
Experience some great downhill mountain biking without to much uphill. About an hour north of Wellington you enter the Rimutaka Forest Park, home to disused Rimutaka Rail Trail. Climb to the top of the hill with a 600m tunnel. From here it is all downhill for 8 kilometers. No roads, no people, no interruptions you will come away exhilarated!After a quick brief on the day's program and a check on the gear provided, you will head north. A 50 minute drive northbound following the Hutt River brings you to the start of the Rimutaka Incline. The ride is graded beginner to intermediate.
The ride focus is a little bit of uphill (to ensure you feel like you are doing something) to begin with, then a lot of downhill to finish. You can do this with the help of the support vehicle driving ahead to wait for you. Once you have conquered the climb you have an adrenaline pumping journey 8 kilometers downhill.
You will be met at the other side with a picnic lunch ready. Then there are a few options for the afternoon. You can walk up to the Punatangarua Pinnacles (as featured in Peter Jackson's the Lord of the Rings as The Paths of the Dead) Or you could enjoy wine-tasting at Martinborough's famed vineyards, drive out to the seal colony at Cape Palliser, visit a ciderbarn, the locomotive museum or just head back to Wellington with a downhill mountain bike from the Rimutaka summit to Kaitoke.
