마나와투-왕가누이 최고의 그래블 라이딩 코스

easy after work training ride

Delightful town to stop and refresh at

Open 1pm - 5pm for those not staying in the lodge. You can buy pizzas and soft drinks and it can be a place to warm up, Clean drinking water tap and bike wash behind the the lodge.

Building a nation with local timber. The trail here follows forestry tracks that were constructed from 1948 onwards. From here, timber was transported to factories in Hamilton that made boards, plywood and doors; and to Auckland to meet the huge increase in demand for building materials after World War II.

The Maramataha Bridge is one of the longest (141 m) and highest (53 m) suspension bridges in New Zealand and can be visited on foot or by bike.

A jigger is a small vehicle adapted to run on rails. Early jiggers were powered by humans using hand levers or pedals. Jiggers came in all shapes and sizes, from converted motorcycles to cars and trucks. Jiggers provided a quick and inexpensive way to transport bush teams, their families and visitors up and down the track. They would ferry staff to Ongarue in emergencies and for regular weekend trips, shopping trips or cinema visits. Turntables were used to change the direction of travel.

OK, you've cut down a forest giant. Now how do you haul the huge log out of the forest? Steam-powered log winches were the answer until 1945, when they were replaced by mobile bulldozers. Winches were placed at strategic locations along railroad lines. They were moved to a new work area when an area was cleared. The steam winch crew was typically five men. Long ropes were run to the fallen logs by men called "ropeys." The ropey and steam winch operator communicated using whistle signals. See below. Winches could only pull logs in straight lines unless a pulley system was installed anchored around the base of still-standing trees. The "breaker-out" was the man who set up the pulley system to get the logs to the haul line. "Skiddies" were the men who moved the logs once they were on the skid. Sometimes an additional winch was used to get the logs over the skid and onto the rail. Winch drivers also had to operate the fire for the boiler. Larger crews had a two-man "firewood team". "Ropeys" were also called "whistleboys". They pulled on a light "straw line" to operate the tractor whistle. Whistle speak 1 whistle = stop! 2 whistles = pull on! 3 whistles = give me rope! 4 whistles = emergency stop!

The cross-cutters were crucial men on the front lines of the logging operations. They were the ones who actually felled the trees. It was skilled and demanding work, reserved for only the fittest and strongest men.