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Wolfe & Doc in the Ferns - New Zealand Trip
A taxi, bus, three planes and a shuttle took Gerard “Wolfie” Wolfe & Ewan “Doc” Doherty to the big smoke of New Zealand. 38 hours from Dublin/Belfast, to Heathrow, a pit stop in Los Angeles to finally land in Auckland for the trip of a lifetime.It was long before the boys were searching for a camper van to begin the trip. Wolfie & Doc stumbling along a Ford Econvan, a mature vehicle at twenty years old, but showing little sign of age, except having a choke!
![photo]()
They set off from Auckland to Rotorua (MTB Worlds Venue 2006) in the hands of a trusty sat-nav. Not by choice, taking the scenic (long) route, which turned out to be a breath taking drive, arriving late at Doc’s relations in Rotorua. The van drove well, earning the name, White Destiny!
The following day, Tuesday, after a healthy New Zealand style breakfast, the bikes were built & a little wood work was adjusted in White Destiny by Doc, the carpenter. A quick tour of the city was in order before jet-lag set in and it was time for rest.
Wednesday was all about the riding. A shred at the local BMX track & a blast on the infamous trails of the Red Wood forest is enough for even the finest tuned athlete. Rotorua is renowned for its smell of mud pools and sulfur. The beautiful aroma of rotten eggs has a similar fragrance to sulfur!
After a great day on the bikes, the guys went North East to Tauranga for the first round of the New Zealand National Downhill Series. Doc rustled up a meal fit for kings before walking the course. Being greeted at the top of the track by the natives, “Hey boy, what are you doing here” & “You made the trip over, yeah boy”.
After the walk, it was established that the Kiwi’s are very fortunate guys. The course had it all; steep chutes, jumps and fast turns. The dirt was like a clayey/sand, which is the ingredient for blown out sections!
Saturday practice was busy, as close to two hundred keen racers were trying to find fast lines. The turns on the course were changing slightly every run, becoming more like flour & blown out at the ends. The weather man forecast for rain, which came on Saturday evening, but didn’t seem to affect the course.
A short practice on race day allowed racers make final line changes & smoothen out a few sections if needed. As the course got more blown out, Docs mud tires just kept hooking up better and better.
![photo]()
A northerly breeze picked up as seeding begun, making extra work of north face lips & creating problems with cross wind. Numerous racers crashed within seconds of the finish, as the jumps at the bottom became nearly impossible.
With seeding out of the way, the finals got into full swing. The wind was still blowing, but that wasn’t holding anyone back. Crowds gathered to see the main show, even though the David Hassle Hoff was lunching his new range of ice cream & a half Iron Man event was all happening at the same time in Tauranga.
![photo]()
The Pro Elite Men’s category was very competitive, with the presences of World Cup pinners. Wolfie & Doc stopped the clock on 2.07 & 2.09 respectively, shy of the winning time, 2.00 set by Lapierre's Sam Blenkinsop.
White destiny was delicately packed-up and driven into the sunset after a satisfying event. Sunday seen the guys relaxing on Waihi Beach, were they tried to surf killer waves! Next National is in Napier, south of Tauranga & Rotorua.
![photo]()
After a successful start to the New Zealand trip, Wolfe & Doc went exploring the North East coast for some killer surfing. The guys drove back to Tauranga on Monday morning, after a great day relaxing on Waihi Beach.
Being advised not to, Wolfe & Doc decided to climb Mont Maungaui for some sight seeing. Supposedly, the Mont is covered in tourists! A photo opportunity, turned into a conversation and later a date! Worse things have happened.
![photo]()
It wasn’t long before a surf, a cold shower and another concoction was eaten.
Tuesday seen Wolfe & Doc ride up to the Tauranga race venue for a blast on the cross country tack. The loop consisted of the old downhill track which was connected by a tough meandering climb. The deep dusty conditions made the steep and twisty trail heaps of fun.
A warm shower (nice change), before hitting the tiles of the Irish Bar, Mont Mellick. The tunes weren’t the best, but the Kiwi’s have made Wolfe & Doc feel at home.
Feeling great after the night before, Wolfe & Doc drove to Rotorua only to be greeted with a fine meal. The guys rode the Red Wood again, but this time with an additional loop.
Thursday was another drive, this time to Napier for course walk & factory pit set-up! Road work was in full swing on route to Napier, loose chippings platted the van. Sounding like it was going to blow-up, it survived. The Napier course was like two separate tracks. The top consisted of flowing jumps and berms, while the bottom was made up of steep powder like turns, which were difficult to slow down for.
![photo]()
Wolfe & Doc hit the course on practice day, to work out it and get comfortable. Doc was still running full spike tires while Wolfe was on the fast rolling Specialized Clucth tires. Practice saw its spills and some thrills, especially on the super cross section mid-way down. The guy’s opted for an early track walk, allowing time to organize for the big day.
Some issues arose on Saturday’s race day. Doc only got one practice due to a mechanical and Wolfe missing the opportunity of an open course in seeding also due to mechanical.
![photo]()
The finals had moments of greatness, but it’s top to bottom that counts. Doc had some sketchy moments in his run & an off course experience, finding out later he was the fastest out of all the Pro Elites down the bottom. I wonder did full spikes hooking up in the dust have anything do with it! Doc finished in 20th position.
Wolfe blew-out a turn, ripping a hole in his shorts, which consistently kept getting caught on his saddle. After a crash and a few near death experiences, Wolfe finished in 13th position, stopped the clock on a 2.55, ten seconds shy of winning time set by Evil's Brook McDonald.
![photo]()
Not overly stoked, amped or electrified on how the race went, the boys hit Napier town for another great night out on the tiles. The guys drove to Gisborne Sunday, for some more surfing and relaxing.
Next week, the guys will travel back to Rotorua, for another stab at what is supposed to be another great venue.
Stay Tuned
They set off from Auckland to Rotorua (MTB Worlds Venue 2006) in the hands of a trusty sat-nav. Not by choice, taking the scenic (long) route, which turned out to be a breath taking drive, arriving late at Doc’s relations in Rotorua. The van drove well, earning the name, White Destiny!
The following day, Tuesday, after a healthy New Zealand style breakfast, the bikes were built & a little wood work was adjusted in White Destiny by Doc, the carpenter. A quick tour of the city was in order before jet-lag set in and it was time for rest.
Wednesday was all about the riding. A shred at the local BMX track & a blast on the infamous trails of the Red Wood forest is enough for even the finest tuned athlete. Rotorua is renowned for its smell of mud pools and sulfur. The beautiful aroma of rotten eggs has a similar fragrance to sulfur!
After a great day on the bikes, the guys went North East to Tauranga for the first round of the New Zealand National Downhill Series. Doc rustled up a meal fit for kings before walking the course. Being greeted at the top of the track by the natives, “Hey boy, what are you doing here” & “You made the trip over, yeah boy”.
After the walk, it was established that the Kiwi’s are very fortunate guys. The course had it all; steep chutes, jumps and fast turns. The dirt was like a clayey/sand, which is the ingredient for blown out sections!
Saturday practice was busy, as close to two hundred keen racers were trying to find fast lines. The turns on the course were changing slightly every run, becoming more like flour & blown out at the ends. The weather man forecast for rain, which came on Saturday evening, but didn’t seem to affect the course.
A short practice on race day allowed racers make final line changes & smoothen out a few sections if needed. As the course got more blown out, Docs mud tires just kept hooking up better and better.
A northerly breeze picked up as seeding begun, making extra work of north face lips & creating problems with cross wind. Numerous racers crashed within seconds of the finish, as the jumps at the bottom became nearly impossible.
With seeding out of the way, the finals got into full swing. The wind was still blowing, but that wasn’t holding anyone back. Crowds gathered to see the main show, even though the David Hassle Hoff was lunching his new range of ice cream & a half Iron Man event was all happening at the same time in Tauranga.
The Pro Elite Men’s category was very competitive, with the presences of World Cup pinners. Wolfie & Doc stopped the clock on 2.07 & 2.09 respectively, shy of the winning time, 2.00 set by Lapierre's Sam Blenkinsop.
White destiny was delicately packed-up and driven into the sunset after a satisfying event. Sunday seen the guys relaxing on Waihi Beach, were they tried to surf killer waves! Next National is in Napier, south of Tauranga & Rotorua.
After a successful start to the New Zealand trip, Wolfe & Doc went exploring the North East coast for some killer surfing. The guys drove back to Tauranga on Monday morning, after a great day relaxing on Waihi Beach.
Being advised not to, Wolfe & Doc decided to climb Mont Maungaui for some sight seeing. Supposedly, the Mont is covered in tourists! A photo opportunity, turned into a conversation and later a date! Worse things have happened.
It wasn’t long before a surf, a cold shower and another concoction was eaten.
Tuesday seen Wolfe & Doc ride up to the Tauranga race venue for a blast on the cross country tack. The loop consisted of the old downhill track which was connected by a tough meandering climb. The deep dusty conditions made the steep and twisty trail heaps of fun.
A warm shower (nice change), before hitting the tiles of the Irish Bar, Mont Mellick. The tunes weren’t the best, but the Kiwi’s have made Wolfe & Doc feel at home.
Feeling great after the night before, Wolfe & Doc drove to Rotorua only to be greeted with a fine meal. The guys rode the Red Wood again, but this time with an additional loop.
Thursday was another drive, this time to Napier for course walk & factory pit set-up! Road work was in full swing on route to Napier, loose chippings platted the van. Sounding like it was going to blow-up, it survived. The Napier course was like two separate tracks. The top consisted of flowing jumps and berms, while the bottom was made up of steep powder like turns, which were difficult to slow down for.
Wolfe & Doc hit the course on practice day, to work out it and get comfortable. Doc was still running full spike tires while Wolfe was on the fast rolling Specialized Clucth tires. Practice saw its spills and some thrills, especially on the super cross section mid-way down. The guy’s opted for an early track walk, allowing time to organize for the big day.
Some issues arose on Saturday’s race day. Doc only got one practice due to a mechanical and Wolfe missing the opportunity of an open course in seeding also due to mechanical.
The finals had moments of greatness, but it’s top to bottom that counts. Doc had some sketchy moments in his run & an off course experience, finding out later he was the fastest out of all the Pro Elites down the bottom. I wonder did full spikes hooking up in the dust have anything do with it! Doc finished in 20th position.
Wolfe blew-out a turn, ripping a hole in his shorts, which consistently kept getting caught on his saddle. After a crash and a few near death experiences, Wolfe finished in 13th position, stopped the clock on a 2.55, ten seconds shy of winning time set by Evil's Brook McDonald.
Not overly stoked, amped or electrified on how the race went, the boys hit Napier town for another great night out on the tiles. The guys drove to Gisborne Sunday, for some more surfing and relaxing.
Next week, the guys will travel back to Rotorua, for another stab at what is supposed to be another great venue.
Stay Tuned
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Member since Mar 27, 2001
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1 Comment
- 1 0
rbreish
(Feb 12, 2011 at 11:37)
New Zealnd is so bitchin!! Been their a couple of times. That looks like the south Island right?
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