Hamilton has mountain bike tracks! Hidden behind industrial Pukete, not far from the huge new mall at Te Awa is Pukete Farm Park. James and I headed out after work today with expectations of finding a flat version of Auckland’s Totara Park. How wrong we were. A traverse of Hamiltonian Streets and a scooter track (?) later we rode through the gates of the park. The thick grass of the entrance area was cleanly sliced by a brown sliver of dirt – this was the singletrack we had been looking for.
It began with some lazy, wandering corners, gradually downhill and berm-less. Fun to ride, but not enough to hold attention for long. This gave way to some snaking singletrack through a stand of trees. Cresting a small climb I gained a view through some trees and saw the extent of the trails. Effectively a maze of brown ribbons in the grass. Tight and twisty, some in the open, others below a canopy of trees. We made our way onto the main track and began the looping route around the park.
James slaying singletrack at Pukete
By this point the vertical height change was probably still in single digits. Despite being vertically challenged, the trails are fun to ride. With the moderate amount of moisture on them from days of rain, 1 in 10 corners would surrender little grip, requiring commitment and quick reflexes to recover. We had been riding for about 15 minutes and were pretty content with the park when we discovered the real part of Pukete.
The vegetation changes from park like to derelict land. Gorse, broom and blackberry become the lining for the trail. The surface also changes, becoming much more gritty compared to the clay and dirt of where we had started. Bermed corners, small kickers and some tight little sections all combine to create a seriously smile inducing section of trail. Probably not worth a trip on its own from anywhere outside Hamilton, but enough to provide a singletrack fix. I was stoked to find so much fun at Pukete. I’ll be back, maybe with a stopwatch next time to set some benchmark times to improve on later in the year.
A big hill by Pukete standards
