On Sun 3 Jan, a busy holiday, we enjoyed our first mtb ride of the year which included making our way to the Blue Lake and beyond. Going past Forest Hub 2 at 2pm there were 19 cars so 381 carparks spare, however there were too many cars parked on the grass at the Blue Lake to count (I’m guessing over 100). A significant number had bike carriers, with plenty of bikers milling about. The lure of a picnic and dip (even in biking kit!) in the lake appeals as a fitting finale to a fun ride, surely surpassing anything a FH2 offers.
Waipa is, and always will be, the mtb base with tracks of all levels close by. Perfect for families. Tracks adjacent to FH2 are not young family friendly.
Apart from wanting to provide parking for the private business looking to base a gondola on site, did Council conduct a business case study before funding what seems to be another expensive lemon afterall, FH2 is only approximately 1k from the Blue Lake along the grade 2 Forest Loop. Given many multi-sport and mtb events base at the Blue Lake, wouldn’t an upgrade there have been more appropriate?
Paddi Hodgkiss