Todays Trip Report

Steve Docherty in his Jeep on the hillclimb at the Pyes Pa Farm

[Todays report written by Margaret from the 'J' team.]
Another early start after the long day yesterday. Departed Plummers Point at 8:30 sharp to meet at a farm at Pyes Pa Road for a few obstacle courses and tights roads with U bends and hill climbs. All hazards were graded. Barry Gray from B.F. Goodrich on his first major 4 wheel drive expedition (and hopefully not his last) did extremely well (2nd overall) along with team mate Carl Furniss, both from 'J' Team.

From there we went on to rather long dusty forestry roads where we were surrounded by some excellent native scenery - stopped at Lake Rotoma to take photos of the exquisite view and a massive washout. There ensued much discussion on the merits of climbing said washout.

Then on to the Matahina dam which has just been rebuilt after major damage in an earthquake 10 years ago. The dam rebuild was completed within budget and is not only very beautiful but also very impressive. Much fun is had by the 'J' team with their water pistols, usually at everybody else's expense :-).

The Matahina Forrest proved challenging in places with some very steep inclines and declines - one incline proved rather more challenging with only Carl Furniss from 'J' Team making it.

Then on to camp at Awakeri Hot Springs for the night.

A big word of thanks to the clubs who have put in overtime to organise our days, and to the Challenge organisers. We're looking forward to our remaining 7 days.

Distance covered: 199Km

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Route Map

The map below shows the route followed the Challenge vehicles today.

 
Hutt Valley Nissan - Williams and Adams - Pudney and Lee Wormalds
Johnson, Lawrence & Elder

The North Island Four Wheel Drive Challenge has been put together by a small dedicated group of 4WD enthusiasts (all experienced club members) on a non-profit cost-recovery basis.

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