Sunday, April 23

Kaiteriteri Weekender 2017 Results

Attached are links to the results from the 2017 Kaiteriteri Weekender

2017 Kaiteriteri 6 Hour Presented by Port Nelson Ltd - Results
2017 Jaws Enduro Overall Results

2017 Jaws Enduro by Category

Thanks to all who entered, and all event supporters, proceeds of the weekender will be usd to further develop the park.

Wednesday, March 1

Kaiteriteri Weekender 2017


It's coming up! The Mountain Bike Park's biggest event of the year - and it just keeps getting bigger!


As before, we kick things off on the Saturday with the 6Hr Bike Relay, presented by Port Nelson. With new tracks added to the Park's network, you can expect a new course - one that will enable mountain biking newbies to get safely round while allowing more experienced riders to let rip!

There'll be the usual range of categories to compete for: mens, womens and mixed teams of 2-4, schools (Intermediate & College) and, for the masochists, solo.
And, as usual, the best prizes will go to those that demonstrate the most creativity in their costumes!

Then, on Sunday morning, the action will get underway with our Jaws Enduro.

The champion's title was fiercely competed last year, with Ben Karalus narrowly clinching the win from Tasman de Leeuw on the final stage. Again, there'll be some new tracks involved this year so repeat results aren't guaranteed.
With numbers for this event limited, priority will be given to those also entered in the 6Hr Bike Relay.

Also on Sunday morning is the MTB Rogaine, run by the Nelson Orienteering Club. Charging around the Park's tracks & Kaiteriteri environs, hunting down checkpoints before racing back to base, is a great way to involve the family, where reading a map and interpreting clues are just as important skills as knowing how to ride a bike.



Around midday, we'll roll to the Big Airs Whip Off . This will follow a similar format to that held at the opening of Big Airs, where points and prizes will be awarded for the most air-time style.

There was some amazing talent on show at the Opening and we expect lots of the locals have had time to work on their whips since then.

Morgan Walker of Mot Bike Co. will once again be the adjudicator and we won't envy him the task of deciding who walks off with the title of Kaiteriteri Whipmaster for 2017!




With the Weekender's event hub located at the rear of the Kaiteriteri Beach Motor Camp, it's the perfect place to bring the family along to, with the beach and playground just a short walk away.

Plus, we have lots of great deals on offer this year, courtesy of the Motor Camp, to encourage you to stay over for the weekend...
-  20% discount on camping sites;
-  20% discount on cabin & apartment accommodation (subject to availability);
-  a $20 pizza and pint deal from the Shoreline Cafe.

They'll also be providing a coffee cart and a sausage bbq for the Port Nelson Bike Relay so your energy levels don't drop during the day. And for those that are sticking round after the 6Hr, you'll be welcome to join the organisers for a bit of post-event liquid refreshment...

We'll be providing regular updates on our Facebook page, where you can also message us with any queries. You can also contact us at info@kaiteriterimtbpark.org.nz.

So get cracking - start rounding up some team-mates, get creative with a costume theme, book your accommodation (just mention the Kaiteriteri Weekender when booking) and get your entry in!



Saturday, April 16

2016 Kaiteriteri Weekender Results

What a fantastic weekend!

Perfect weather, dry tracks and great riders. Hope you all enjoyed it.

Here's the business end of the weekend, the results!


Kaiteriteri Mountainbike Park 6 Hour - presented by Port Nelson Ltd


It's a Jungle Out There

It’s a Jungle Out There (Michelle Walker, Jacqui Douglas, Debbie Townrow and Rachel Tobin) - best dressed

Henry Jaine – Solo Men, Fastest men’s lap
Suzy Wood – Solo Woman, fastest woman’s lap
Fortrin Coaching (Kiel Boynton, Joshua Foster, Aaron Bleakley) – Men’s Team

Wildside Girls Day Out (Claire Sykes, Andrea Livingston, Kay Goodall, Julie Turner) – Women’s Team


Tineli Schlappschwaenze (Tim Vincent, Tom Haltmeier, Mike Rutledge, Rachel Butcher) – Mixed Team
Team JM (Cameron Jones, Finn Mitchell, Ben Harris) – College Team
The force wielding pelicans (Finn Griffith, Matthew Dunlea, Charlie Smith, Jacob Neal) – Intermediate Team

Full results - click here!


Jaws Enduro


Tasman de Leeuw


Sunday's racing saw a great bunch of riders enjoying the inaugural 3-stage Jaws Enduro. Stage 1 took in the final part of Skullduggery, stage 2 through Remedy and Shady LAdy and Stage 3 of course Jaws, with the bottom section of Big Airs thrown in.

 Some very close results, with Ben Karalus edging out stage 1 & 2 winner Tasman de Leeuw by 10.7 seconds overall. Sandy Vincent took out each stage for the women.




Mountainbike Rogaine

Sunday afternoon saw the second rogaine event held at the park. Hot on the heels of being part of the successful Godzone team 'Team Motueka', Brent Steinmetz was joined by Greg Buckett and took out the event with 990 points.

This was a great family event, combining map work, route planning and of course mountainbiking. Thanks to Linsday Smith with his organization of the event, and also work on creating the permanent orienteering course in Kaiteriteri.

Greg and Brent 990 points
Craig Hellyer 830
Graham 750
Annette Vercoe 740
Zak and Jai Hayward 660
Karen Clarke 610
Michelle, Sam, Toby Walker 550
Rebecca and Maree 500
Jess and Nikki 460
Team S and T 460
Bella and Rhys 440
Robby Warrender 440
Sara Woodfield 420
Vercoe Family 420




Big thanks to our event sponsors, Port Nelson Ltd, plus Kaiteriteri Beach Camp for providing the facilities.

We’d also like to thank CJ Industries (cones, signs etc), Motueka Rotary Club (marshalling), Alan Eskrick & Dennis Bartlett (timekeeping), Oliver Weber Photography plus our prize donors (Reliance Betta Electrical, Motueka Bike Shed, Wildside Travel, Wheel Woman, Tineli, Whitwells, Trail Journeys, Hi Tec, Physio 4 Health, Ginger Dynamite, Hop Federation, Abel Tasman Sea Shuttle)



The funds raised from the weekend go back into developing the park. Right now we have a jump line being crafted from the Big Airs/Skullduggery hub (stage 1 open now), and plans for a return track from the end of Revelation back to Swampmonster.

Thanks for entering, see you next April School Holidays (April 22 & 23 2017).

Thursday, March 10

Kaiteriteri Weekender 2016



Entries Open - Click Here

The Kaiteriteri Weekender returns for 2016, bigger and better! What better way to start the April school holidays than a biking weekend in Kaiteriteri?




The Kaiteriteri 6 Hour, presented by Port Nelson Ltd, kicks things off on Saturday 16th April. Based at the Kaiteriteri Beach Motor Camp there’s a rolling start along the beach front before the serious action starts in the Kaiteriteri Mountainbike Park proper. The course utilises many of the easier tracks, so is suitable for all riders with some basic mountainbike experience.
Categories are men's, women's and mixed teams (2-4 riders per team), schools (secondary and intermediate) and for those who just don't know when to relax and have fun there's solo as well.
It’s a fun event, with plenty of people getting in the spirit of things and coming in costume. Bring the family, those not riding can enjoy the beach, mini golf and everything else Kaiteriteri has to offer.

Plenty of prizes on offer, including a retro women's Malvern Star Wisp Lite bike from Motueka Bike Shed and a 32 inch Panasonic TV from Reliance Betta Electrical, and spot prizes throughout the day.
This is our major fundraiser for the year, with proceeds going into park development.

Sunday sees the introduction of the Jaws Enduro. This will run on intermediate to advanced tracks in the park over three timed predominantly downhill stages. No prizes for guessing that the final stage will incorporate the full length of Jaws… Numbers for the Enduro will be limited, initially offered to those registering for the 6 Hour.

If downhill speed isn’t your thing, the Nelson Orienteering Club is holding a Mountainbike Rogaine on Sunday also. This was a popular addition to the weekend last year, and sees teams try to accumulate as many points as possible from checkpoints in the area within the allotted time.

 Accommodation:
The Kaiteriteri Beach Motor Camp has been instrumental in the formation of the mountainbike park, and is the perfect place to stay during the weekend. Bring your tent or caravan, or book a cabin (subject to availability). For the weekend they are offering 20% off accommodation for entrants – just mention that you’re part of the Kaiteriteri Weekender at the time of booking.

 So time to get your team organised and get ready to enter!

Entry Information:

Entries Open - Click Here

(note the entry page has changed, all entries from the previous site have been updated)
Kaiteriteri 6 Hour presented by Port Nelson Ltd
  • Adult $30 per person
  • Working Bee (5+) volunteers $25 per person
  • School $15 per person
Jaws Enduro – Entries open 17th March for those participating in the 6 Hour
  • $15 for 6 hour participants (first in first served)
  • $30 standalone entries (subject to availability)
Rogaine – Entries on the day

Follow us on Facebook for updates on the event.



Tuesday, November 3

JAWS wide open!

Two years after construction started, we are both rapt and relieved to finally announce the Official Opening of our biggest undertaking - Jaws!

The date is set for Saturday, November 7 at 12.00pm at the track entrance (allow 30-40mins if cycling from the bottom of Ziggy).

We will be offering liquid refreshments at the Ziggy carpark during the afternoon so you can rehydrate before you head up for another lap :)

This intermediate-grade, digger-benched track descends from near the top of Corkscrew, to emerge 4kms later at the Ziggy/Corkscrew hub. The Jaws extension continues on in a similar vein to the 1km 'first stage', opened in March 2014 and exiting onto Velocity, albeit as if Jaws had been fed some steroids.
If you already whoop 'n' holler on 'Jaws1', you'll be frightening the birds on what follows!
It's still suitable for intermediate-level riders but those with more advanced skills will be able to enjoy the extra gravity the descent allows.

Four kilometres is a lot of track so, like Jaws1, you'll experience a few pedally sections where we've taken you deep into steep-sided gullies clad in native bush. Not only do these give you a chance to regroup with your riding buddies and catch your breath, they reveal some of the Park's hidden treasures. Ancient rimu, majestic beech trees, towering tree ferns and verdant broadleaf understory - all providing a home for the Park's outstanding birdlife.
Much as you'll enjoy racing to the bottom, at least once you may want to pause in a couple of the gullies, especially on a hot day, and take in some of the beauty that surrounds you...

With the track's completion, I thought it timely to reflect on some of the challenges we encountered in the course of its construction.

By far the biggest obstacle was the surface granite bedrock, always disguised by a thin layer of vegetation on extremely steep slopes.

This was a feature of several gullies that have been deeply eroded over millennia.

The tell-tale scrape of metal on rock was a sound we came to dread.


Andrew Smith, of Independent Blasting and Abseil Access, first came to our aid on Jaws1. Unfortunately, the trouble with Separation Point Granite is that its often too hard to 'dig' and too soft to effectively blast, as it absorbs most of the charge rather than shattering the rock.

Still, it was necessary to dislodge some very large surface boulders that were hanging topside of the track and Andrew, harnessed up to whatever secure tree he could find, did great work in bringing them down, even if the resounding booms made some Kaiteriteri locals a little nervous!

Karl Thompson and Sam Knowles were the digger operators on Jaws, though it seemed to be mostly Sam's lot to battle in and out of the gullies.



It wasn't financially-sustainable to blast our way through every section of bedrock so we took up the offer of a portable rock-breaker from CJ Industries.

This was slow, hard work, especially over the summer months.

Often, at the end of the day, we'd only have 2-3 metres progress to show for it but I'd still go home exhausted!



On one occasion we exposed a spring which, over time, had turned the subsoil and rock to a grey, silty, unstable mess.

It seemed that the more we excavated, the more would then slump. A freshly installed culvert (and a brand-new shovel) disappeared overnight in one slump.

Each morning we'd reinstate the track and move on, only to find the following morning that we'd have to backtrack and do it all again.


Still, perseverance prevailed and occasionally we'd get the opportunity to do something creative - like install a shark tooth :)

Jaws offers some spectacular views towards both Kaiteriteri and Nelson but sometimes you've got to stop to notice them.

Then again, take your eyes off the track at the wrong time and Jaws can bite!

It's probably claimed more victims than any other Park track, 'though not through its technical difficulty. There's something about the flow it allows that can suddenly get away from people.

Still, what's a bit of granite-rash...?


As we moved onto the second stage of Jaws, switching away from the exit onto Velocity to cut back at a lower elevation, we made the mistake of thinking that the worst was over.

An initial traverse, benched from clay, had us confidently predicting an early completion - until we rounded a spur and headed back into our first major gully.

Rather than finding the going easier, we now found ourselves in deeply-eroded ravines.


This time, the Motueka DOC office came to our rescue, loaning the services of their explosives expert, Stu Houston.

Again, the booms echoed round the Kaiteriteri hills - again, small lumps of bedrock were dislodged or pulverised.

Progress was back to a crawl.


My back had told me that manhandling a rock-breaker at shoulder height wasn't sustainable, either, so this time we turned to Andrew Spittal of Ching Contracting.

Andrew, a foundation member, has been an asset to the Park since its inception and didn't hesitate to offer us Ching's digger-operated, hydraulic rock breaker.

This was the breakthrough (literally) we needed.


Suddenly I was the one standing idly by, watching the digger operator and rock-breaker do all of the work!

Progress was still slow but we now had the confidence that nothing would prevent us from eventually attaining our goal.

Most of the past two winters were spent in gullies like these, where we'd see the sun for a few hours a day.

Biking up Velocity and into the work-site swathed in several layers of clothes was always a good warm-up.

Hard as it is to remove the rock, the crushed granite packs down to make a smooth surface, allowing speed to be carried even on slight uphills.



As we extended the track further and further from its Velocity entrance, our quad bike became indispensable, regularly ferrying fuel and chainsaws to site.

It was probably most valuable when we had breakdowns, both to Mouse and the hydraulic rock breaker. It's hard to imagine any harder work to which these items of machinery could be subjected.

At one point, Mouse suffered an engine seizure, requiring a complete replacement. Nathan Johns, of N S Rogers, ably assisted by Sam, did a fantastic job of removing and then reinstalling an engine on-site.
Our track budget had already haemorrhaged and these necessary repairs put further pressure on our available funds - but that's what they're there for!


An attempt to bench a temporary connection to Corkscrew was abandoned when more bedrock was struck entering yet another large gully. A second switchback sent us back on another lower traverse, one on which we knew we'd encounter the same seams as above.

More of the same followed: another winter spent in freezing ravines, more repairs - yet getting closer all of the time.

Motivating us throughout these times was the awareness that we were creating something special for the Park - perhaps its 'signature' track.
Sometimes the steepness of the terrain or the subterranean rock dictated the nature of the track. At other times, we had opportunity to build in some fun & flow - those were good days!


For Karl Thompson and myself, the opening of Jaws will mark a closure to our partnership of track building. We have worked together to build Swish, Ziggy, Corkscrew, Cruise Control and the upgrade of Easy Rider, not to mention remedial works to other tracks. Karl also built our Pump Track and subsequently enhanced it. He now takes his consummate skills back to Golden Bay where the local MTB Club are waiting for him to start work on the Kill Devil upgrade.

And, after 7 years of what's felt at times like total immersion, I'm stepping down as the Park's project manager. I can do this assured in the knowledge we have a fantastic committee, some of whom responded to my first appeal for "interested locals" and helped set up Kaiteriteri Mountain Bike Park Inc. in December 2008. We all shared a vision for the Park and it's been wonderful to see that realised over the years. And, as you'd expect, there's more to come!

See you at the Opening...
Guy Trainor


Tuesday, April 14

Friday, March 13

Kaiteriteri Weekender!


The Kaiteri 6Hr just got a whole lot bigger!

Firstly, responding to feedback, we've moved it to Saturday, April 11, the mid-weekend of the school holidays.

This means you can bring the family (or your mates) and camp at our new event hub, the Kaiteriteri Beach Motor Camp.
And it means that, while you're blasting your way round our new course, your family will be able to hang out at the beach, mini-golf, playground or cafe.

Plus, on the Sunday morning, the Nelson Orienteering Club are running a 2hr MTB Rogaine.
This involves your team navigating its way through the Park's trail network, visiting checkpoints to accumulate a maximum score within a 2hr time period.
This is a new event for the Park, with a dedicated map and trail marker system, and one we're sure is going to be pretty popular.

Then, on the Sunday afternoon, Steve Newport of HeliBike Nelson is going to be running shuttles to the top ridge so all of those with tired legs can have runs down Corkscrew, Jaws, Velocity, Flamin' Nora or Rockface.

Pretty cool, eh..?!

This year we also welcome PORT NELSON as the Bike Relay event sponsor. They already sponsor our Glade Runner track so this extra support is especially appreciated.
The format for the Bike Relay will be the same as in previous '6Hrs', when held mid-winter (which the Nelson MTB Club will continue to run at Rabbit Island).
However, the new date, event hub and course, together with an emphasis on making this a weekend extravaganza of fun, marks a fresh beginning for the region's most popular MTB event.

Some things we hope will remain the same, especially the way so many people have entered into the spirit of 'dress-up'!

The inventiveness of some individuals and teams never fails to surprise, although you'll have to be extra creative to snatch the Best Fancy Dress prize away from two-time winner, Brian Grant.

In 2013 he went extra-terrestrial with his guitar-toting Major Tom, while his team of biking vikings took out the award in 2014.

But the event isn't just about prizes. Bragging rights between mates, workplace colleagues, schools or even that team on the adjacent tent site seem to provide ample motivation for most people.

Add in the challenge of 'stepping outside of yourself', be it in participating in a multi-lap race or wearing something outrageous and you're bound to end the day with a huge smile on your face.

So how do you enter..?  Click on this link: Enter Online

And it gets better! For those keen to base themselves at Kaiteriteri for the weekend, the Beach Camp is offering a 20% discount on accommodation (cabins, tent or powered sites). Just quote "Bike Relay" when you make your booking: Kaiteriteri Accommodation

What could be better than chilling with a few well-earned beers after the Bike Relay, dining out at the Shoreline or Beached Whale in the evening, doing a few laps of the Park on the Sunday and reviewing an action-packed weekend over a post-event BBQ in the afternoon..? 

Depending upon how many people are staying over, we're even considering putting on a Saturday evening of some exceptional mtb videos...

Follow us on Facebook for updates on the event, including what sneaky variation we have planned for the race circuit!