Remote Rides - Odlins track to Waiotauru Hut - Wellington
It all begins with a desire to find more of these amazing remote adventure rides around New Zealand. You know, the ones you hear about, but struggle to find any information about. The ones that when you talk to the 4x4 club, the Hunters, or the Enduro guys on their lightweight dirt bikes, the answer is always - “You’ll never get through there on that heavy bike mate!”. These are the rides that put the biggest smile on my face and makes me feel like I am finally using the bike for what it’s truly made for - ADVENTURES!
So this week I thought I would give you a bit of a low down on the Odlins track just north of Wellington off Akatarawa Road. If you are dyslexic like myself and read at the speed of an 8 year old, you can always have a look at the video below. Don’t worry mate, I understand. On that note, please excuse any creative spelling while we’re at it!
The ride begins either in Waikanae or Upper Hutt on the Akatarawa Road. In my opinion this is probably the most dangerous part of the ride as it is an extremely narrow tar road leading through the hills with a few boy racers coming around the corners. Take it easy, the track has more than enough adrenaline to give you the fix you need. Whichever side you are coming from, you are aiming to get to the summit of Akatarawa Road where you will find an open gravel patch where most dirt bikers park their cars. Across the road there is an overgrown path heading straight up a slippery bank. Yes this is the gate to Narnia!
This slippery bank definitely looks worse than it is - just get some momentum and keep the throttle constant to the top. On a side note, if you struggle with getting up there it might be a good idea to have a few extra bucks in your wallet for beers later. Your mates are going to have to help you a ton and beers will definitely be on you later. The first section takes you through some more advanced 4x4 sections, with muddy ruts and steep sections to get up. Don’t make them harder than they are, if Old mate Jimmy with his ute from 1982 can get up there, you can too. You will also come across a few mud/water puddles that look deeper than your airbox. Just go slow, but they are all manageable without too much effort. The road will get progressively easier up to a point where it opens up a couple of times and gives you views over the valley that you normally only see in Jurassic park. The first time I rode this route, I was almost certain I’m going to end up like one of the car wrecks down these slips. FYI I didn’t.
After you have taken your photos and made your way along the ledge you will get to the summit. There will be a DoC sign pointing you in a bunch of different directions. The hint is in the Title, your heading towards Waiotauru Hut. It’s definitely worth a mention - If you are knackered and have already pulled a few muscles picking up your 1290 Adventure, this is a good spot to take the photos and turn around.
From here, you start dropping down into the valley. Generally the ride is fun and flowing but some of the bigger challenges are on this section of the route. The first one you will come across is more a mental thing than being too technical. You will come across a slip which gives you a few off-camber narrow parts to pass. Take it slow, keep your weight on the down hill peg, look where you want to go and you will be fine. Remember to smile, we do this for fun.
The next section to note is a fallen tree. There has been a few people adding rocks etc to make it easier. However the hard part is not necessarily getting over the tree. It’s more the consequences if your back wheel slides and decides to start heading down the ditch on the right. This will not be a great ditch to try and get a 200kg plus adventure bike out of. I built a small barrier with old branches and rocks to help stop this from happening, but I still do recommend this part as more of a teamwork section where you and your buddies help each other to pull the bikes over the tree on the skid plates. Don’t worry the tree is really slippery and the bikes tend to use it as a slippy slide.
From here you are on the home stretch, just one slip to get past and you’re half way. The last slip has a few big rocks to get past, but nothing you can’t handle by now. The only real tricky part is as you start heading out of the slip area you will be on a small ledge. This is generally not a problem, but you will have to make a slight left turn up a bank. This is tricky as the adventure bikes are generally a bit wider than the ledge allows. I have taken to the bank with a shovel and got a 1190 KTM with pannier racks through there, so before the swearing at the guy behind his keyboard starts, yes you can make it work. You might just want your buddies to stand ready to save your bike from dropping down the ledge when your foot peg decides to plant itself in the bank.
And that’s it ladies and gents you have made it to the Hut. The Hut has a great little river running past with clean water and a spot to wash your sweaty arm pits with a great fireplace inside. I would recommend you take your own mattress as the ones in the hut has seen better days and I would personally give them a skip. Other than that a perfect overnight trip.
Things to keep in mind:
You can’t get out the other side at the moment with the slip at Otaki Forks, anything you pass you need to be confident you can get back up it.
Take a few buddies, it’s easier as a team
A shovel and small saw might be handy. Chuck in a rope for good measure as well.
There is no signal so an Inreach would be a good idea.
This is a more experienced ride, however if you are intermediate make sure your buddies don’t mind helping you out.
I have taken my girlfriend @littlelegsadventures on week 7 of her learning to ride a bike to the Hut on her Himalayan. Yes I had to ride it through a couple hairy spots but we all had a good time. Don’t be intimidated, just be prepared.