New Zealand Trials News

Masayuki and Nick

Written by Masayuki Yoshikawa

I met Nick and Peter Oliver at the 2008 Idemitsu Ihatove Trial and promised them I would go to New Zealand. After deciding on a trip to Auckland at the end of last year, I quickly looked up the Olivers' contact details on their website and got in touch with them by e-mail and phone to get their go-ahead. Since I was almost a total stranger to them, I really appreciated the warm welcome they gave me, with Nick and his father Stephen coming to meet me at the airport. After taking me back to their place for a spell, we set off with the bikes in the trailer.

Have you ever looked at a beautiful landscape and thought, "it would be fun to ride there"? I'll bet you have. New Zealand is that kind of ideal spot for riding motorbikes. Paddocks spread out in front of you with beautiful streams flowing through them, big trees provide shade here and there, and sheep munch the grass. High hills stretch out beyond, and the valleys offer a huge variety of terrain, from big rocks to mud. It really is a riders' paradise, and a moderate climate means it can be enjoyed all year round. Don't miss the chance to go to New Zealand!

The Goldpine Team Extreme played to the crowds all weekend

The Goldpine NonStop Xtreme Display Team was in action again prior to Christmas at the local A&P Show held at the Richmond Show Grounds. This was a great crowd pleaser and many spectators watched the riding skills of Andy, Nick & Peter over the two days enjoying the friendly camaraderie of the brothers. Despite being on a trials push-bike Andy was not to be outdone by his brothers on their trials motorbikes and put on a great display of riding loved by the younger members of the audience.
Butch (Goldpine branch manager) was very impressed with the exposure Goldpine received by supporting the Xtreme Display team and are keen to continue their association.
With many friends visiting the site over the two days the boys were inspired to put on an extra good show, pulling out all the stops. A final lolly scramble was enthusiastically

Warming up gets underway

Although rain was imminent, we were treated to a fine morning and good start to the day. Karel & Lester had a contingency of 5 keen souls - John (JB), John, David, Thomas & Ash.

After initial training to match riders and bikes and with basic riding skills tested on a marked out course we headed off on one of the Ihatove Adventure trails.

Upon returning we then headed up to a more advanced training course which everyone handled well. The smiles showed the appreciation of skills acquired.

We headed back for a late BBQ lunch cooked by Karel while entertainment was provided by Steve & Peter, showing some of the more advanced riding techniques riders could aspire to.

The rain finally arrived but didn't hamper the spirits of the riders as they headed home.

"To much snow" Winter riding conditions in Japan

The NZ Ihatove Adventure Trial is all set to welcome five entrants from Japan, and with just over a month left Ihatove chairman Yasuo Manzawa tells us they can't wait to ride the green hills of the Tasman district.

No wonder, considering the current winter riding conditions in Iwate (see photo). Our good friend Ishi jokes that he is getting fit for the event by shovelling snow!

The clock is ticking and the count down has started, we at NonStop have a busy calendar for 2010 and with two of the five remaining weekends booked for other activities there is not a lot of time left so the pressure is on.

Ben getting his leg over

Another recent visitor from Christchurch, whilst working in Nelson on a big boiler project for Enza, Ben took the opportunity to try out some of what NonStop have on offer. Although he has ridden TL200 and TY175 in a previous life, he has spent most of his recent riding years doing motocross and cross country. Ben particularly enjoys cross country as it has the added challenge of negotiating a variety of terrain. He currently rides the Italian TM bike which he speaks very highly of. He was fortunate (or not) to spend the day with Andy, Nick & Pete who joined the fun with their usual brotherly rivalry on show to impress Ben.
Ben is a competent rider himself on a trials bike and showed good skills. However, riding a borrowed bike Stephen appreciated his moderation.
We look forward to seeing more of Ben in the future.

A Classic line up

A team of riders from the Nelson Classic Motorcycle Club have been invited by Stephen to assist with the NZ Ihatove Adventure Trial as observers. They will receive training prior to the event and it is hoped that this relationship will continue events in the future. This small group of members visited the park to see first hand what will be required, and spirits weren't dampened despite the atypical downpour on the day. Their treasured classic machines had a good run out to the farm. Club Secretary, John Blick and some of his members have already observed at the Oceania Championship in 2009 and are keen to muster up a few more of their members for this year's Ihatove.

Trail blazing markers are easy to navagate

After 12 straight days of trail blazing, Stephen has been grooming and marking sections on the three Ihatove trail loops. Liz and Johnny Clark joined Stephen for the day along with Chris Ward, on holiday from Auckland, giving a hand to put finishing touches to loop 1 at the front of the Parkes property.
After some extensive gully clearing we now have an interesting and flowing course which is easily navigated thanks to the brightly coloured course markers (as seen in the accompanying photos). The white markers with red, yellow and blue clearly show the three classes of Pro, Sport & Recreational with white arrows on coloured backgrounds easily directing the flow of the section. Some extra tracks have been cut for easy entry and exit points for the many recreational riders this event has attracted.

Andy and a NonStop day out

Andy recently purchased a GasGas 300 and before getting married he visited Nelson for a weekend of training with Stephen.
We took the opportunity of setting the bike up to be rider friendly and although Andy had some off-road experience he was keen to pick up some trial techniques to add to his skills.
Andy's feedback says it all - 'Thanks again for a great few days of learning & hospitality. I'm keen to put into practise all that stuff I learned, all in good time though I suppose. Also the maintenance is key for me to get into'.
We look forward to catching up with Andy again in the near future - 'wife willing'.

Christening the new Bridge

: Sneak Preview by David Atwool

The other day I headed to 88 Valley for a sneak preview of the course for Day One of the NZ Ihatove Adventure Trial to be held on February 20-21. Although the sections themselves had not been put in at that stage, I got to ride the three big loops that will make up the overall course.

Checking out the spectacular scenery

The thing that struck me most was the huge scale - the distance covered will make the NZ Ihatove quite different from other events on the trials calendar.

Well-formed trails whisk riders from the base area to the hilltops in no time and the sweeping views give a bird's eye perspective on the surrounding countryside, which stretches right out to the mountains and sea.

The massive area available offers almost endless scope for challenging and enjoyable trials sections to suit entrants in the "Pro" and "Sport" categories as well as those opting for a more leisurely ride in the "Recreational" class.

The course spans two properties, which have been linked by an impressive bridge. The construction team of Bruce Corkill from Wellington, Stephen and Nick Oliver completed this bridge over a couple of days - a major mission given the need to haul all the materials up into the clouds.

Offering spectacular scenery, long-distance trails and flowing terrain ideally suited to non-stop rules, the NZ Ihatove Adventure Trial is shaping up to be an event like no other. Don't miss it!

Delivering the materials for Bridge construction

While everyone was enjoying their Christmas/New Year break Stephen has been hard at work preparing the adventure trails for the inaugural Ihatove event in February.

With a willing hand from Wellingtonian Bruce Corkill, and his engineering skills, Nick & Stephen were able to complete an engineering feat to be proud of in the middle of nowhere spanning the great Parkes/Hunt farm boundary, in order for the Ihatove trial to take in all the wonderful scenery and trail opportunities on offer at 88 Valley.

Stephen was fortunate that Ian & Sue Parkes generously provided their 4-wheeler and trailer to enable the materials and equipment to be transported to the top of the farm.

Due to the limited towing capacity and the huge expanse of bridge required for Deborah to be able to negotiate the bridge safely, multiple round trips of approx 1.5hours each were required to deliver all the materials up the steep track to their final resting place.