Waaraki Mountain Bike Trail

Trail Description: Take in the stunning views of the Bay of Islands as you huss down this 2.4km trail littered with perfect cupping berms and rollers that have you floating and popping all the way down. It is one of the longest downhill runs in the park and you can reach speeds of up to 40 kmph. Built by Ryan Lovet and Martin Connell for Andrew Younger Contracting Feb 2017.Trail name origin: Waaraki (Waah – rah – kee )Whakapapa is of primary importance to Maori. It represents a layer of generations upon another layer. Reciting your genealogy or whakapapa is a way of acknowledging your ancestral lineage, blood lines and kinship ties to close family relatives. For example, in the early 1800’s a chief named Waaraki once resided upon these lands where the trees stand within the Waitangi Endowment Forest. Waaraki’s ancestry connected him to many famous Bay of Island tribes or hapu such as Ngai Tahuhu, Ngati Awa, Ngati Tautahi, Ngai Tawake, Ngati Pou, Ngati Hineira, Ngati Rangi and many others. However, despite his close affiliations to all these strong and noble tribes, Waaraki secured his seniority in Waitangi via the status of his grandfather Kauteawha who was a well known Waitangi chief of the Ngati Rahiri tribe.