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Craters MTB Park Harvesting and Track Update July 5 2012
All harvesting activity south of Craters Rd in Areas 1 (Squirt and Corkscrew) 2 (Tourist Trap) and 4 (Bumble Bee) has now been completed and cycling can resume in these areas.
As noted previously, over the next 2 – 3 months there will be occasional load-outs of eucalypt logs stored at the intersection of QLine and Powerline Roads. Our safety procedures are such that public and permitted access to that area can continue while load-outs are being conducted as long as users comply with instructions given by truck drivers.
Harvesting behind Helistar, Rapid Sensations, and on Loop Rd is completed also, so there are no longer any safety restrictions imposed by those activities in those areas. Note that this does not include areas of forest on Rapid Sensations land/ site.
Harvesting in the Tank Stand (area 3 on attached map) will commence in the week starting July 9. Please note the following:
a. Initial activity will see logs extracted to the skid site at the top of the hill on Craters rd ( marked on the attached map) ,
b. felling and skid site construction on Karapiti Rd along the boundary with the Golf Course will commence in the same week, this will mean that Karapiti Road will not b able to be used for access whist this is occurring.
c. The plan to manage traffic issues on Craters Rd is to fell parts of the roadside areas (stems within 2 tress lengths of the road edge) on a series of early mornings prior to the gate being unlocked to minimise disruption.
Accordingly, access for bikers/walkers and horses to the Tankstand area will be suspended from Sunday 8 July until further notice. Please note that this is done for safety reasons however it is our expectation that the harvest in that area will be completed in September.
So what does this mean for riders wanting to use Craters? Bike Taupo is in the process of rebuilding and improving tracks following harvesting, the following status report will be updated as the new tracks come online:
· Tourist Trap, Ferret, Inwards etc: These tracks are currently under construction and are anticipated to be finished in the coming weeks. But watch this space, the work done to date means that this will be a very cool track system with better lines and flow as well as some great berms and roll-overs.
· Kegresse: Open and riding well
· S.H Fun: Now open!
· Squirt: Scrag has been through with his digger and there is now a route through to powerline road. The track is not yet finished and It does not loop yet but is an ideal access to Outback, Buzzard, Mr etc
· Cork Screw: Still officially munted but we will rebuild
· Buddha: Still officially munted but we will rebuild
· Bumblebee: Still officially munted but the mad engineers from Contact are going to work their magic over the next few weeks to get this badboy back up and running to its former glory.
· Outback, Mr, Mrs, Better than P, Buzzard, Coles, Young Pines, Grinder, Incline and The Connection: All still open but access is via new squirt and up Q-Line road round the back. We will put signage up to direct you round.
We would like to pass on a huge thanks to you all for cooperating and not getting squished by logs or skidders when going where you should not have. Also, a huge thanks to Chas and the Team at New Zealand Forest Managers for managing their logging operations to result in the least disruptions to us riders.
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