Blue/Green Lake Loop

Where better to start than one of the semi-regular runs I love. With my first race after injury coming up on Sunday in Whakatane, I though I better give things a real test.

Click on pics for fullsize.

This run starts in behind the Waipa Mill...  go past the carpark where all the mountain-bikers park and where the MTB Rentals are and keep heading towards the Mill. When you can see the Mill barrier gate in front of you take the road left and keep following it to a big sweeping right hand corner with parking to the left. Park somewhere here.

Ok, off running.... take a drink on this one, you may need it!

Head down Hill Road and almost immediately take a right into Reservoir Road and then again immediately on your right you should see the sign for Yellow Brick Road. This is a MTB trail, however in five years of running the MTN trails I have had no problems, I always give way to the bikes and generally it's so quiet you can hear them a long way away. Follow Yellow Brick Road to the end, it is a nice single trail with a small easy climb and pleasant running. If you've run the Kingsgate Rotorua Trail Half you will have run it the other way - twice!

At the end of the YBR, turn left and run about 10 metres and you will see a connecting trail... follow that for a couple of hundred metres and cross the road to the road opposite. Follow this around looking to stay left and take the left fork when you see the Long Drive sign. Up this road pleasant bush enclosed forestry road. Next intersection veer right and at the next to the left, then just follow this road to the end where it turns into trail... nice climb here (steps, sorry about that), keep climbing up into the bush again and follow what is quite a good trail to the end. At the end, steer left and follow the road (Fern Road) to the end.

Once you reach the end of the road look diagonally left and you will see the sign for Green Lake Rd, head down there for less than a km and turn left into Branch Road... up Branch Road to the top where it joins Tikitapu Road... the road to the Blue Lake.

Then start climbing... for those familiar with the Xterra Rotorua off road half (part of the Xterra Rotorua festival), then you will know this road very well.

Watch out near the top for some great views down to Green Lake on your right(above). Once you hit the top it is downhill to the Blue Lake intersection... if you feel like adding and extra 2 or 3km, then head right and circumnavigate the lake... me, I went left, great running trails here. Mainly down with a few bumps thrown in.

 

You will start to see that you are getting close to the Blue Lake beaches, so start watching for a trail off to the left. If you come out of the trees you have gone too far and should backtrack in 20 - 40 metres.

Once you have found the trail you have found the best bit of running on the loop (for me anyway), native bush, tight single trail that zooms up and down a bit before dumping you out on the trail next to Tarawera Road.

Back on the Forestry Roads here - although used more by walkers and cyclists that vehicles. Follow the road and keep following it, you will pass by Hill Road (the other end of where we started), feel free if you want to take a shortcut here, but let me warn you 'it is a bloody big hill!!!'

Eventually after what seems an endless road you will come to an intersection with a large Park Map on the left. Take the middle of the 3 roads ahead of you... you should head down a reasonably steep road, so if you are going up or even level, you picked the wrong road.

Head on down and along this road watching out for a sign on the left pointing to Nice Road which heads off to the right.... nearly there... follow Nice Road as far as it goes and you will find yourself back at the start almost right on half marathon distance.

I find it a great loop with all sorts of running from semi-knarly forest running to open forestry roads. A steep up and a long steady one... finish this run and you will have enjoyed some great countryside and a few fabulous views to boot!

Below is my Garmin Link to the run.

Blue/Green Lake Loop by mike3950 at Garmin Connect - Details

...and Onto the Trails

I went home from Auckland pretty deflated. Yes, I had achieved a goal I had set some 20 years earlier to run a marathon, but the way my body broke down towards the end of the run was a real kick in the guts.

It was about 10 days after the marathon before I laced the shoes on for a 'loosen up' run in the Redwoods .... and realised that I still liked running... just not marathons.

Then a bit of luck, on one of my runs the Redwoods was alive with people setting up tents and cones and arrows and tape. "what's happening?" I asked one of the workers. "An nDuro Trail Run", was the answer.

As I was only about 1.5km into my run I stopped and asked a bit more... this was the first of the years series and they had 3 distances. The middle - between 10km and 15km - sounded pretty cool, so as I had time I quietly jogged back home for my wallet and started my trail-running competitive career.


The nduro runs were great for me... although I only ever ran the middle distance, staying away from the 18km - 24km category. I was happy in my comfort zone and anyway, all the good runners ran the longer distance allowing me to win most of the 10km events (most only had 3 - 5 entrants in my division - a couple only had 1!)


The rest, as they say, is history, in the last 4 years I have completed firstly 2 nDuro Series, then, when they were cancelled, I discovered Xterra Auckland and after missing the first event in 2010, I have run the last 11 straight with lots of early mornings to get to the back-blocks of Auckland in time for start. I have done two 19km Big-O runs at Okataina. 3 Xterra National Trail-Runs (1 at Rotorua and 2 at Waihi). The first Kinloch Off-Road Half in Taupo and the Brooks event this year at Mt Tauhara as well. Also this years Rotorua Off Road Half... and just recently the first Tauranga Trail Run in TECT Park over 28km... the list goes on.

The Xterra Series have been great, particular favourites for me are the Shakespear Regional Park run around the rocks and the Hunua event, which I missed the first year. The downside is that many times they conflict with other trail runs and so next year I will probably pick and choose, rather than enter the whole series.


Highlights this year have been the Fix Tussock Traverse... what an amazing race. 27km through some of the most amazing scenery in NZ... and to make it harder running into headwinds of up to 60km for the last 15km. 

Then I did something I said I would never do... I ran another marathon. Not just any Marathon, the T42 from National Park to Owhango, through the bush. Yes I was knackered at the finish - but you are supposed to be after a Marathon - 4 hours and 43 minutes... but I was still running at the finish and even 'put on a burst' at the end. 



So, that's a brief summary of how I got to here... my aim with this blog is to describe my runs... even the training ones, as some of the trails are quite cool. I try to find somewhere new to run (or climb if it's to steep to run) as I travel around this wonderful country and with the aid of my trusty Garmin Forerunner, I will share these runs with whoever wants them!