Akatarawa adventure

[Balrog]

I received a call from Pampa late Saturday night.
Rob8888 is taking us up into the Akatawara's for a bit of an adventure ride.
Bring some lunch and its an early start.

We met up at Caltex around 9:30 ( yes thats early )
and headed off up the valley for some great riding and fantastic scenery.

- Top of the Akatawara's
- A few K's in, just after the first steep bit
- First of the many gnarly bits, thats me nearly at the top
- Pampa starts the climb
- nearly there
- nice rocky road

[H00dz]

Wicked!!!

I'll stick to the road myself but it looked like wicked fun

[Balrog]

- Rob goes mountain climbing for a photo of the valley
- Gets a bit more challenging
- Lunch at the top
- The way down to Waiotauru hut
- In to the forest
- looks ok, how bad could it be?

[Balrog]

- Oh
- Yes thats the track
- Coming down was easy
- Just checking how to get back up
- This is going to be interesting
- Well I made it down, not that I had much choice once I hit that loose stuff

[Balrog]

- Pampa starts his descent, Rob ready to assist
- Made it
- Great fun, riding through this
- Waiotauru Hut
- Trying to cool off, getting ready for the return trip
- Rob on the way back up

[Balrog]

- A nice steep hill, dropping 90 degree's into a rocky stream, hill climb combination
- or not
- After picking the GS up a few times you stop getting fussy where you park.
Top marks to Pampa and Rob for helping with the odd push
Cheers guys

- Another great exercise in traction control
- Rob's turn. As usual he zoomed up like a pro
I was winning the crashing competition , with Pampa coming second.
Rob had yet to score

- I really stuffed this up the first time and ended up on my side in the rocks.
Rob and Pampa to the rescue, helped me drag the bike back toward the camera. Then a nice straight run at the bank.

[Balrog]

- Rob coming down the last big rut
- Resting in the shade.

A great day ( slightly terrifying at some points ) but over all fantastic.

Cheers for the great day guys

[Trudes]

How cool Jim!!! Those look like some wicked roads/tracks, must be tons of fun!

[magicfairy]

Did BusaJim mention that when he got home he barely had the energy to eat, wash, then crawled into bed at 9:30 complaining about being an old man.
Said he had a great day though.

[marks]

Surely this must rate as the extreme end of where a 'sane' person can take an 1150?

This was one of the first trails we did when we got the chinese trail bikes late last year. They never looked the same again and it took us a couple of days to recover - we were shattered.

I may be a big girls blouse but I wouldn't have enjoyed taking my 660 through there. mucho kudos to you all.

Sorry I could'nt be there. Am keen to go through on the 450 if you guys are ever silly enough to want another shot at it.

[tri boy]

Looks like a very challenging track for the errr heavier bikes. Great pix.

[Crisis management]

Great report and ride Jim, well done getting the GS thru there, shows what you can do with a bit of determination (and testosterone?)

Now, why don't we have any tracks up here like that!

[cooneyr]

Awesome work guys. Wish we had tracks like that! Will have to visit the Norf Island some time (it will happen one day).

Looks like you are getting plenty of tough technical section training in for the DB1k Jim

Cheers R

[young1]

The pics remind me of riding in there on my DRZ400 prior to moving to New Plymouth, dont think I would like to take the 990 in there though unless it had some decent nobs on the back!

[warewolf]

Top effort that man!