Outdoors: Saved by serendipity

By COLIN MOORE

Northland farmers Sylvia and Peter Guy went canoeing down the Whanganui River and paddled slap bang into serendipity.

The couple, who had been farming north of Dargaville, were looking for a bigger property but returned from their trip not with another farm but with a tourist lodge in National Park.

If it was a moment of madness that made the Guys switch from farming sheep and cattle to farming people, it is not one they regret, even if it does mean longer hours.

When rail stopped being the main delivery vehicle for skiers and trampers to Tongariro National Park and the sawmills closed, the prospects for the settlement at the foot of Mt Ruapehu looked about as bleak as its weather can get. You could say Ohakune and Turangi ruled.

But, in what is surely a sign that National Park has not only survived the doldrums but is slowly bouncing back to its pre-eminent self as the people-centre of Tongariro National Park, the township has been getting its first tart-up for years with the district council cleaning and planting street berms.

And for that you can likely thank the fortitude of business people like the Guys who have refused to allow National Park to wither to a clutch of holiday homes for a few hardy ski types.

The saving grace has been the rediscovery of year-round outdoor recreation at the town's front and back doors. And National Park, slap bang in the middle of the island, halfway between Auckland and Wellington, is poised to take advantage of it.

To get some idea of the potential you need only look to the Guy family of four children who were reluctant to leave their Northland farm and its nearby beaches. Now they are immersed in central North Island outdoor pursuits such as skiing and mountain biking.

Out the front door of National Park is the mountain trio and the Tongariro Crossing, a trek that draws thousands of visitors, many from overseas, to stay in the town's lodges.

Yet it is possibly the Tongariro Forest, at the back of National Park, and the popularity of mountain biking, that are having the most impact on the town.

Peter Guy would sometimes ride a mountain bike around his farm when he was checking on stock. When he bought Howard's Lodge he had one of the country's best mountain-bike rides, the 42 Traverse, at his doorstep.

Mountain bikes are prohibited in national parks, so the 44km ride on old logging tracks through the native bush of Tongariro Forest is one of the few of its kind available.

The ride starts 18km north of National Park on Highway 47, and ends at Owhango on State Highway. There are some steep uphills and superb downhills.

Between are several Department of Conservation campsites for riders who want to soak up the ambience of the forest on a more leisurely journey.

The forest, officially gazetted as State Forest 42, was heavily logged until a couple of decades ago and supported several sawmills.

In the 1980s a vigorous campaign by conservationists managed to thwart a plan to clear-fell the forest and re-plant it in pine. It was transferred to DoC in 1987 to be managed for conservation and recreation.

Native-forest regeneration has been as vigorous as the campaign to save it. As well as mountain bikes, two- and four-wheel motorbikes are allowed on the labyrinth of old logging roads but 4WD vehicles are no longer permitted because of their environmental impact and conflict with other users. There are some excellent tramping routes and good wilderness trout fishing in the headwaters of the Whakapapa and Whanganui rivers.

There are several mountain-bike rides in the forest other than the 42 Traverse. The Taurewa Quarry is a 27km, two- to three-hour trip for beginner riders. The Owhango Loop is a 33km, three- to five-hour ride for intermediates. The 42 Traverse is also considered suitable for intermediates.

Experienced and fit riders can tackle the Tongariro Forest Loop and the John McDonald Loop.

The Guys have a fleet of modern bikes to hire and run a shuttle service for Tongariro Forest riders as well as guided mountain bike trips. They also have their own special forest ride, a two-and-a-half-hour, fast 17km downhill just out of town.

If you still have any energy, National Park Backpackers boasts a modern and challenging indoor climbing hall.

* Howard's Lodge, National Park, ph (07) 892 2827, email howards.nat.park@xtra.co.nz

* Tongariro Crossing shuttle, $16 return; 42 Traverse shuttle, $12 to $20 depending on party size.

* Budget accommodation from $18 a person summer, $20 winter, to deluxe rooms of $100 a double. Mountain bike hire $10 an hour.

* National Park Backpackers, ph (07) 892 2870; email nat.park.backpackers@xtra.co.nz

* Further information: Classic New Zealand Mountain Bike Rides, Paul, Simon and Jonathan Kennet; Tongariro Forest Adventure Map, Kennett Bros and Gurney Carlyon Associates.

* Department of Conservation, ph (07) 892 3729; email ruapehuao@doc.govt.nz

Howard's Lodge

Ruapehu NZ

* colinmoore@xtra.co.nz