The Odyssey!

Project Rameka - Feb 11, 2013October 1, 2015

Reveal The Trail

On Easter Sunday 31 March 2013, we’re running the first ever track building competition. Teams of 3 to 4 will be assigned 20-metre sections of The Odyssey we can team you up with someone if you would like). Once you have built one section, the Umpire (Paul Kennett) will check it and blow a horn, announcing to all other teams that the section is complete. Then you wolf down some Easter eggs/buns and leap frog the teams in front of you to take the next
20-metre section.

The track building in this area is very easy, and we are hoping for a natural type of trail (ie,
working around and over rocks, roots and trees). The trail corridor will have
been cleared (minimally), so the building will be fast.

Prizes will be awarded to the winners (and everyone else) for style, creativity and quantity.
See below for the technical guff.

Location:

Historic Rameka Track down to Rameka Creek (Project Rameka, 10 km from Takaka,
Golden Bay).

Distance:

2 km

Grade:
4 (Advanced) down/5 (Expert) up

Width:
300mm – 600mm

Gradient: Just
follow the markers

Structures: Bonus points (2
per metre) given for structures. Pre order materials now, or bring your own.

Creativity: Super bonus
points (20-30) given for any artistic features relating to Greek Mythology.

Sections: After
the first 300 metres (which follows the historic Rameka Track) teams can choose
up to 3 sections in a row (ie, up to 60 metres in length if they wish).

Tribute:
The names of each team (including team members) will be acknowledged on a sign
at the top of the trail, along with the sponsors.

The Umpire: Paul Kennett is
an ex-trials champion. He will attempt anything you build, and must be able to
ride it both ways (uphill bus-stops allowed).

Dates:
30th March = reconnaissance day (optional)

31st March = Reveal the Trail

1st April = Ride the Trail (or this is a bad weather backup day)

The Outcome: The Odyssey will create a 6 km loop for mountain bikers, walkers and runners. It will also provide access for pest control and tree planting.

Food:
Easter eggs, hot cross buns, sports drink, and burgers will be supplied.

Tools:
Bring some gloves and tools if you like, otherwise, there will be some available.

The Story: The Odyssey is a Greek myth of epic proportions, that has led to many other stories, including most recently a movie called O’Brother Where Art Thou. Find out more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odyssey

Teams from Wellington, Nelson and Takaka are already entered. For more information contact info [at]kennett.co.nz

Pre-Xmas Tidy-up

Project Rameka - Dec 13, 2012October 1, 2015

26 November 2012

It’s hard to sit at an office desk in Wellington and receive regular email reminders of Wedneday night workparties at Project Rameka. Very hard. All the images of sun and long grass and the purr of knobbly tyres down a dusty track come flooding in and can leave you hankering to get down there and join the fun. The last week of November; things were a little quieter in the city, and the lure proved too hard to resist.

This trip followed a familiar and enjoyable format:
Spring is an important time for plant growth – and that includes the weeds. The first two days on the Project saw all hands on deck releasing the natives from long grass, biddy-bid and other choking weeds.

Just to remind us all how important releasing is, and how much the trees can achieve when they have the space to grow, Jonathan took the following photo of Bronnie heading past some wineberry and lemonwood that were planted by Corrina and Patrick Ward in 2009. Three years old, and these natives have really added to the experience of riding Great Expectations. No wonder Bronnie is smiling!

And because Great Expectations is riding so nicely, it seemed appropriate to add in a bit of spring cleaning maintenance work to the track. Bronnie swept loose rock away from the switchbacks, while Ricky and Frank built up the edges into a fine rock wall.

Tim Galloway joined in, helping tidy the short Kaikomako Walk near the hut, named for the kaikomako (Pennantia corymbosa) trees that abound in the area.

This time, we also treated ourselves to an outing, joining in the celebrations for opening the initial stage of the Takaka Walking and Cycling Track along the Takaka River edge from Paines Ford. And an elegant piece of track it surely is! Hats off to all involved in designing and constructing such a fine trail.

Winter Workout

Project Rameka - Dec 13, 2012October 1, 2015

18 August 2012

A trip to Rameka in the winter months is always an interesting experience. Will the weather play ball? Will the sun hold out long enough for some track to be dug and plants to get in the ground or will wind, rain and hail confine us all to the shelter of the wee Lorax Lair?
The balance swung more in our favour when Andrew McLellan decided to make a mid-winter cycle trip across from Wellington. With this dogged powerhouse involved, we were fairly confident that all 600 seedlings would get in the ground regardless of the weather, and Andew lived up to our expectations.
Martin Langley, Matt Nalder and Tim from Christchurch had already
festooned the slip area with flaxes donated by Tim Prebble just after the
Christmas disaster.

Now, on the Saturday, together with Jonathan Kennett, Bronnie Wall, Fill and Albie Burgers, Paul Kilgour and a select group from the Golden Bay Tramping Club ensured that 250 trees and flax were snuggly in place. And the sun shone the whole time.

But the good weather would not last. On the Sunday, the team were joined by Murray Drake, Ginny Wood, and their friends Bill, Gill and son Louie, from Nelson, and a further 250 trees and flaxes found their way into new homes in the ground around the slip areas and the Lorax Lair. All this planting was completed under grey skies that soon turned to drizzle and then steady rain.

The only solace was that there was no wind. The sodden planters returned to the Lorax Lair for a late lunch and decided to leave the remaining 100 plants for another day. And fair enough.
Come Monday, the skies cleared once more, and Andrew led the charge!

With the plants safely in the ground, it was time to turn the attentions to other matters. Now that Great Expectations had met … well, all expectations, people were keen to see the more advanced track The Odyssey develop. Jonathan and Andrew headed out to continue sketching out the design Brent Hartshorne had initiated the year before.

The Odyssey would not only provide some serious fun for advanced mountain bikers, but more importantly, it would open up an area of the Project that had not yet been explored and allow Matt Shoult easier access for pest control. Fun and conservation together … a winning combination!

And while we might have suggested that Great Expectations was done and dusted, who can resist a little tidy-up every now and again? Jonathan and Bronnie spent a few quiet hours “massaging” a couple of the harder switchbacks to make them smoother and easier to cycle round.

Knuckling down

Project Rameka - Dec 13, 2012October 1, 2015

28 April 2012
Anzac Day had been and gone, and it was time to spruce up Great Expectations in preparation for some good autumn mountain biking.

The main focus was on track maintanence and upgrading sections that had deteriorated with time and use. This translated to a fair amount of track widening and clearing off-putting loose rocks from the track.
It wasn’t long before people’s attentions focussed in on one particular corner. The section where stage 1 of Great Expectations had jumped out on to the road, at the slip point was now more or less redundant. The slip had confirmed that, but more to the point, Great Expectations now continued in wide swoops right down to the valley. In future, the short-cut out to the road would be reinstated, but for now, the focus was on inproving the flow of the main track – Great Expectations.

Over two hours, four to six eager workers built up a sweet sweeping berm that would have cyclists spinning down and onwards without a pause.

At the same time, Paul Kilgour led a hardy group in planting out 50 totara around the sunny ridged area of the berm. This would lead the corner to be nicknamed Totara Berm, a name that would stick.

Once the dust settles

Project Rameka - Dec 13, 2012October 1, 2015

23 April 2012
Four months since the big slips, and it’s time to check out exactly how we’re placed. Jonathan went to assess the head of the slip site with committee member Matt Shoult.

Ok, so they were able to get to the top, but things didn’t look pleasant up there.

There seemed to be a chunk of land cut away at the top that was just waiting to slide further down.
The slip covered about 1 hectare in area, and we had lost 200-300 seedlings and several short sections of track. The track could be rebuilt, and new plants could be put in the ground, but the possibility of another slip occurring loomed large.

We realised we needed help. Jonathan phoned the Tasman District Council and sought advice from the experts. Resource scientist Andrew Burton was brilliant. He came out and gave the site a thorough assessment:

“Tree species are required to control the gully and slip erosion processes. Council has available suitable poplar planting material. I would be happy to provide that material free of charge for the purpose of slip planting. … 400-500 plants may be required for the complete area. The planting material we provide is unrooted 1m cuttings that can be put in with a light crowbar so they are easy and quick to plant. Not all of the slip face can be planted because there is nothing to plant into (its rock) and some planting will be required adjacent to the slip area as well”

Poplars weren’t quite what we were hoping for a revegetation project, but the practicalities of controlling a dangerous slip site won out. And besides, poplars would do very nicely in carbon sequestration, and we worked out that once they were established and had stabilised the ground enough, we could come through, thin them, and set in some natives to take over.

On a brighter note, plants in the unaffected areas were beginning to take off.

That lemonwood had been planted three years ago on the edge of the road. It didn’t seem to mind the harsh condititons of roadside life!

And there was even time to tidy up around the Lorax Lair, with Bronnie smartening up the inside of the toilet with a lick of paint in a smart cream colour, making it a salubrious spot to hang out.