Terrain

Ian Olson, Operations Manager: email tauranga@adrenalin-forest.co.nz
YMCA
YMCA youngster Arneke
Gibbs with two German
volunteer students Louisa
Degener and Annika
Butzbach
kids enjoy
Park day out
A great day was had at the Park by 48
youngsters from Tauranga YMCA.
The kids, aged from 5 to-8 year olds from the
Mount and Memorial Park YMCA, spent almost a
full day at the Park in January as part of the YMCA
holiday programme.
They walked the Te Rerenga Tunnel Track and
through the historic tunnel led with their
supervisors and led by guide Sam McInnes
– son of Park Ranger Jarron McInnes.
Tunnel gloworms, a big weta and the giant
redwood tree along the tunnel track were among
the exciting sights seen by the children.
Leader Natalie said the kids were great on the
adventure and were great representatives for
YMCA. They all gave trail leader Sam McInnes a
thumbs up on return to base.
The kids had lunch and then a sausage sizzle
cooked on a fired barbeque under the trees next
to the Arrival Centre.
After lunch the children played several games
before returning (exhausted) to town.
Jean Caillabet shows
how it is done
Plenty of adrenalin
flowing in Park’s newest forest
The Park’s newest commercial venture –
Adrenalin Forest – is proving a winner with
people of all ages and levels of confidence.
The high wire challenge opened in November
2011 and, despite a watery start due to the
awful weather before and after Christmas,
the venture has attracted ever-increasing
participation.
The lovely weather in January has seen the
high wire course buzzing and Operations
Manager Ian Olson is delighted with the
positive feedback he is getting from
participants.
Anniversary Weekend and Waitangi Day
weekend saw up to 75 people through the
course each day.
The participant trend is even across the
board, says Ian – teenagers, families, groups
of guys and girls and older people testing
their confidence.
The highest
platform at the
Adrenalin Park
“The good thing with this course is that
everyone gets to their personal peak level
– there is no competition or pressure. We
have had a big mix of people up here –
families and a lot of repeat customers,
some of whom have brought their friends
to have a go.’’
Set in a grove of 25-year-old pine trees,
not far from the Park’s Arrival Centre,
Adrenalin Forest is a multi-level course
featuring aerial pathways between trees
The good thing with
this course is that
everyone gets to their
personal peak level –
there is no competition.
including
flying foxes,
swing bridges, nets and barrels.
With more than 90 challenges and 20 flying
foxes the course is used for fitness, adventure
activity, team-building exercises, a family day
out or, for some, a way to overcome their fear
for heights, says Ian.
Ian encourages people to give it a go.
Ian and Lukas
This Adrenalin Forest is the third to open in
New Zealand following Christchurch and
Wellington under the expert tutelage of
Adrenalin Forest Director Jean Caillabet.
Jean, a qualified canoe-kayak instructor,
ski alpine instructor, avalanche specialist,
alpine guide and rope access work specialist,
introduced Adrenalin Forest to New Zealand.
Jean is proud of his TECT Park staff. They have
worked tirelessly through summer – despite
the challenging weather. Even on the wettest
days some stalwart adventurers arrived at the
Park keen to try their high wire skills.
Full entry is open to those who are taller than
1.45m while the first two pathways are open to
persons over 1.3m. The course is mainly suited
to people over 10 or 11 years of age.
The cost of entry is $25 for a child and $38
for an adult.
Other prices apply for students and younger
children and there are special discounts for
school groups including free passes to local
school teachers who may want to come up and
check out the course before taking students to
the Park.
The
Adrenalin
Park team
Schools welcome at the Park
School bookings are starting to fill up the 2012 calendar at Adrenalin Park –
schools are planning camps at the Park to include a programme of walking the
historic tunnel track, flying the high wires at Adrenalin Forest and exploring the
mountain bike trails. If you would like to book your school group in, it may pay to
book your time early so as not to be disappointed. For more information contact:

Park Manager
leaves on high note
Unveiling the commemorative plaque
celebrating the TECT All Terrain Park as
New Zealand’s Most Outstanding Park was
the last official duty for departing Park
Manager Ric Balfour last month.
The occasion was Ric’s farewell party and
barbeque at the Park hub and the plaque
unveiling was seen as a fitting finale to Ric’s
four-year term as the first Park Manager during
which time the Park has been transformed
from a wilderness to one of New Zealand’s
finest recreational assets.
Council’s Reserves and Facilities Manager
Peter Watson spoke of the energy, vision,
principles and hard work that Ric had brought
to the Park.
“I appreciated Ric’s strength of character and
his commitment to sticking to his principles –
sometimes against the odds.
“Ric brought a strong planning rationale to
the Park and he is not afraid of hard work – he
gaves 100 percent every minute of the time.
He has been the right person to get this Park
up and running,’’ said Peter.
Ric spoke of the tremendous opportunity he
had grabbed when he took up the manager’s
job in 2007 and moved his family back to
his homeland New Zealand after 20 years’
working in the forestry, outdoor recreation
Horse riders at the Park will be grateful for
the shelters that Council has erected on the
equestrian hub.
Council has constructed a weather shelter
at the equestrian car park and yards site and
another picnic table is to be added to
the area.
Pikopiko Trails equestrian spokesman Aaron
Duggan says the shelter is a great asset to
the hub and he thanks the Council for its
generosity.
Council will be organising the staining of
the shelters in the near future.
New trail maps for mountain bikers, trampers
and horse riders are available at the Arrival
“Together we have
produced a Park that
is welcoming and
inclusive and it has
been an honour to be
a part of this project.’’
and environmental education industry in the
United States.
“I had a sense of being able to take all the
academic training and practical experience
I had in the States and find something in
New Zealand that I could get my teeth into,’’
said Ric.
That ‘something’ was the unopened TECT All
Terrain Park – at the time just a concept on
paper but with the land purchased and the
funding ready to start the first stage.
Under Ric’s guidance the Park has progressed
from a plantation forest combined with
gorse and rubbish to a Park recognised by
the recreation industry in 2011 with the
Outstanding Park of the Year Award given by
the NZ Parks and Recreation Association.
Ric said being part of the team that has taken
the Park to this stage has been a privilege.
Shelters add comfort
for horse riders
Centre information board
and weather shelter to help
everyone find their way around
the Park.
Horse riders are asked to please ensure you
keep to your trails and don’t be tempted onto
the mountain bike or walking tracks.
For everyone’s enjoyment of the Park it is critical
that we all respect each other’s terrain and keep
to our own tracks.
Pikopiko Equestrian is scoping out a new
trail to the south - if this pans out, it will
make a significantly longer trail loop. Fingers
crossed that this works out favourably for
horse riders.
“I commend the bravery of Western Bay
and Tauranga City councils to deliver such
a great recreational asset to the region. It is
an incredibly far sighted vision that I have
supported 100 percent.
“Together we have produced a Park that is
welcoming and inclusive and it has been an
honour to be a part of this project.’’
Ric leaves to take up the position of chief
executive officer of the Tauranga YMCA – a
decision he said was difficult but he felt the
Park was at a point where he felt content
about moving to his next career challenge.
He intends remaining in touch with the Park
through voluntary work and increasing the
YMCA holiday programmes and overnight
camps that have already been established
in the Park.
“Watch this space,’’ says Ric. “I may be gone
but I am certainly not out!’’
A new horse trail down
from the repeater to
complete a loop back
toward the road and
down to the old wooden
bridge is about to
be cleared.
Ric (middle) with
colleagues Jarron
McInnes (left) and Peter
Watson (right)
If you have any good horse riding photos in
the Park we welcome you to send them to us –
please email them to the Newsletter editor at
ruthwoodward@kinect.co.nz with a
brief caption.

Motorsport action
gathers speed at Park
More than 2,000 voluntary work hours
in the last 12 months have been devoted
to getting the Te Matai Motorsport hub
humming at the All Terrain Park.
As one of the cornerstone activities at
the Park, motorsport has been there from
the very beginning and the work put into
the planning and development of the
motorsport facility over the past eight
years is starting to pay dividends.
Te Matai Motorsport Incorporated (TMMI)
Chairman David Loughlin says 2011 was an
extremely positive year for the new facility
with dedicated club member input. The
venue, which is unique in New Zealand,
successfully hosted 15 different motorsport
events during the year.
About $70,000 was raised by the organisation
to fund roading development including
a rally sprint loop, upgrading and linking
internal roads and creating new roads to form
a roading network for multiple motor sport
events. Walking tracks have been formed for
spectators to get good safe posies to watch
rallying action.
There are six different gravel road event
options and more rally roads will be
completed in late summer.
In November 2011 two events were held
attracting about 200 spectators.
Motorsport Bay of Plenty ran an
inaugural gravel sprint on the newly
completed four-kilometre loop
that contains plenty of challenge and variety.
At the same time the Bay of Plenty Off Road
Club ran a sprint event at which they used
both their children’s class buggies and off
road racers and the Land Rover Club made the
most of the many off road trails.
TMMI embraces a diversity of motorsports
including Motorsports Bay of Plenty, Bay of
Plenty Off Road Club, Bay of Plenty Off Road
Remote Controlled Car Club, New Zealand
Drag Racing Association and the Bay of Plenty
Kart Club. The Land Rover Enthusiasts’ Club
has also expressed interest.
The most exciting step for 2012 will be the
finalising of a $30,000 feasibility study for the
location of the drag strip.
NZDRA have commissioned Opus
International Consultants to undertake
the study, the results of which will be
released in March.
The location of the drag strip is the key
to determining the way forward for the
motorsport hub as it will determine the
future development of other facilities and
infrastructure.
Funded by the New Zealand Drag Racing
Association, the drag strip will be one
kilometre in length and include a 1.5 hectare
concrete pit area and integrated burnout pad.
The project will cost an estimated $5m to
construct. Construction of the strip is planned
over a five-year timeframe and will entail
moving around 700,000 cubic metres of earth.
Feedback from users of the motorsport rally
roads has been great, says Dave.
“Everyone loves driving up there. It’s like a
big snowball. Now that events are happening
people are talking about the Park - not just
the motorsports – but the Adrenalin Forest,
mountain biking and other activities. That’s
what happens when you get a critical mass
rolling – it’s fantastic.’’
Security of the hub has been improved with
locked gates controlling access to the three
roads to the motorsport hub. The security
gates enable the various clubs to access their
own areas without the need to constantly
update other groups with their plans for
working bees and events.
The hub is only open for organised events –
not for general public access.
The next planned event is a two-stage
rally sprint event on Sunday 11 March
2012, using a stage in the Park and a public
road nearby.
For more information on Te Matai Motorsport
Incorporated contact Dave Loughlin,
phone 578 0479, 021 644 177 or
email: info@tmmi.org.nz

Welcome to 2012.
From the
Ranger’s
desk
As a family we have enjoyed a welcome
break at Mahia Peninsula which we luckily
timed when the sun was shining – not a day
below 25 degrees so swimming sunbathing,
fishing and crayfish for tea were the order of
most days.
Our youngest son Charlie landed his first
fish off the beach and our eldest Sam learnt
how to surf alongside his Uncle Dean.
As the Park heads into the year I must say it
is with sadness that Ric Balfour has finished
as Park Manager.
During his four years in the position it was
a privilege to work with Ric. Both of us had
done our early training with New Zealand
Forest Service so we were very close in our
working and personal relationships.
I wish Ric all the best in his new role as
chief executive of the Tauranga YMCA and
no doubt we will continue to see him up
here on his mountain bike and he certainly
will be keeping in touch through YMCA
activities here in the Park.
2012 has begun with a bang. It is great
to see the NZDA up and running on their
shooting range. After all that hard physical
work preparing their site they can now
enjoy the fruits of their labour.
Congratulations must go to Grant
Hammond, Dean Maisey and all your team
for a job well done.
On 22 January we also had Te Matai
Motorsports in the Park for a rally time trial
attended by many spectators.
As Park ranger it was very satisfying to see
the two major user groups finally enjoying
their respective sports (shooting and
motorsports).
The ranger’s job never ends and weekends
are my busiest time so be assured I will
always be patrolling over the weekend
periods. If I am not on duty there will always
be someone up here to assist user groups
or members of the public.
While wet weather at the start of the year
slowed activity in the Park, our roading and
trail network stood up pretty well under the
rain, only requiring a small amount of repair.
Jarron and son Charlie
The public is making the
most of the Park and the historic tunnel
trail has been exceptionally popular with
locals and visitors from elsewhere in New
Zealand and overseas.
Many self-contained motor home travellers
are enjoying overnight stays in the peace
of the Park and the Adrenalin Forest high
wire course is doing extremely well with
the carpark near to capacity most days –
even when it is raining.
Community Corrections work gangs are
back in the Park doing maintenance and
landscaping programmes.
We welcome Paul Lissette our Track and
Trail coordinator who is doing a fantastic
job and Paul Ashby who is doing forestry
work and surveying for our data base.
Please remember to keep your speed
down within the Park boundaries, we
have kids on bikes, horse riders, dogs on
leads and people just walking around
taking in the ambience of the Park, so the
last thing I need is someone screaming
around in motor vehicles or motorbikes.
There is a rake on the back of the Ranger’s
ute that has been compulsorily handled
by a number of young people whom I
have caught doing “wheelies”.
Believe me - it is rather humiliating and
very time consuming having to rake
every stone back into place under the
eagle eye of a fairly grumpy ranger!!
The Tauranga Model Aircraft Club has
started preparing their site so soon we
will have two airstrips in the Park – I wish
the club all the best for that project.
That’s it from the Ranger’s desk.
I am gearing up for a
full-on year and I wish
user groups all the best
for 2012.
Jarron McInnes
Park Ranger
At work on the range, from left: Grant
Hammond, Dave Bragg with Rocco
the Labrador and Keith Theobald.
Steady, aim, fire
– NZDA on target
to open
It’s been a long wait but the New Zealand
Deerstalkers’ Association Bay of Plenty
Branch has its sights set on mid-February to
officially open its new range in the southwest
corner of the All Terrain Park.
The 300m full bore rifle range has taken 18
months, 1200 voluntary man hours plus 200
hours of donated machinery time to construct –
at an estimated value of $100,000.
The resulting project is the pride and joy of the
club and is one of the most modern rifle ranges in
New Zealand, being only one of three built in the
last 10 years.
Club spokesman Grant Hammond says building
a range of such prestige would not have been
possible without the huge voluntary input by
club members and donations of machinery and
materials from local companies.
“We have managed to produce a range that is
worth $150,000 to $200,000 whereas when we
started 18 months ago we thought we would only
be able to spend $60,000.
“We are really proud of this range. We began with
a smaller plan but we have been able to extend it
through the voluntary help and grant money we
have received on top of our own club funding.’’
The club has succeeded in gaining charitable
funding of $25,000 from the Lion Foundation
and New Zealand Charitable Trust for firing line
materials, fencing and backstops, in addition to
$60,000 raised by the NZDA Bay of Plenty.
Donations of roading metal, building materials,
transport/cartage, plastic drums, culverts and
many other items or services have been donated
by local businesses and individuals. The club is
preparing a sponsors’ board in recognition of
these generous supporters to our project.
An estimated further $100,000 is needed to fully
complete all facilities on site including closing in
the shooting station and building a range office
and lunchroom.
However the work done to date is sufficient to
make the range operational, so from mid-February
it will be opened for club days and
public open days under supervision
of NZDA members.
For more information contact: Grant
Hammond, phone 021 1373831 or
email nzvarminter@gmail.com

New trail co-ordinator
has great track record
With 15 years’ outdoor trail building
experience under his belt, Paul Lissette
is hungry to get his teeth into helping
establish more tracks in the TECT All
Terrain Park.
Paul has been appointed as the Trail Coordinator
for a six-month term at the Park
from November 2011 to April 2012.
The 40-year-old outdoor enthusiast has been
working in the United States for the past 19
years as a carpenter, outdoor trail builder,
mountain bike tour guide and adventure
sports course director and event promoter.
Originally from Wellington, Paul left for his
OE to the States 19 years ago and remained
there until two months ago when he and
his wife Erika decided to take a two-year
sabbatical to New Zealand.
However Paul’s journey to the TECT All
Terrain Park began long ago.
As a kid in Wellington in the 1980s, Paul
was the mischievous youngster on the
motorcycle who got under the skin of the
new Park Ranger Ric Balfour who was doing
his internship at the Rimutaka Forest Park
in Wellington.
Years later in Oregon when Paul was
organising a mountain bike event, he again
met up with Ric Balfour who was working
as a Recreational Park Manager and public
use coordinator for the Oregon Department
of Forestry.
The two men kept in touch over the years
and Paul remained up-to-date with Ric’s
involvement with TECT All Terrain Park
through the Western Bay of Plenty District
Council website.
So when the position of Park Trail
Co-ordinator came up, Paul had just arrived
in New Zealand. He applied for the job and
his credentials ideally fitted the position.
“I encourage people to
come out and be involved
in the Park and take pride
and ownership in it. The
more users participate in
the Park the more I can
help them”
In the States Paul spent his summers in
British Columbia Canada, Washington,
Oregon and California combining his
construction and outdoor skills building
trails for hiking, mountain biking and
motorcycling in the recreational and
adventure sport industries.
The current Park trail system is in its infancy
and Paul is keen to take it to the next level.
Over the past three years the initial public
trail network has been formed within the
north-western corner for mountain bikers,
equestrians and hikers.
Paul’s main task is to progress that network
into a defined and well signed trail system
for public use so that mountain bikers,
equestrians, hikers and motorcyclists can
arrive at the Park, pick up a pocket map of
their respective trails and find their way
around without getting lost.
Paul is also keen to work with the user
groups to guide them in the placement
and making of new trails.
“The world is shaped by those who take
part in it – so I encourage people to come
out and be involved in the Park and take
pride and ownership in it. The more users
participate in the Park the more I can help
them,’’ says Paul.
“When I leave the Park at the end of April
I want to leave something for people to
enjoy – then in the years ahead as the Park
matures I can reflect on what I helped put
in place.’
Paul Asby (left) and Paul Lissette
Park forestry a
step for intern’s
new career
From graphic designing to forestry
management is the challenging career leap
taken by 32-year-old Paul Ashby of Papamoa.
The Waiariki Polytechnic forestry management
undergraduate has been selected for a threemonth
internship at TECT All Terrain Park.
Originally from Nottingham, England, Paul
immigrated to Mount Maunganui with his
wife Jo six years ago because they had fallen
in love with New Zealand on a previous
overseas holiday.
The English Literature graduate from Lancaster
University stepped quickly into graphic design
work in the Bay of Plenty.
After successfully running his own business for
a few years, the tedium of long hours in front
of a computer, combined with increasing back
and neck pain and headaches, forced Paul to
reassess his career options.
He enrolled in the two-year Forestry
Management Diploma at Waiariki last February
and has never looked back and says the
growth of the forestry industry in New Zealand
promises great career opportunities.
“I have enjoyed learning how forestry works.
It has been incredibly interesting and
enlightening.’’
Want more information?
If you’d like more information about the TECT All Terrain Park visit:
www.tectallterrainpark.co.nz
0212TP DEVCICH.CO.NZ
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