Thames Mountain Bike Club

Finally some sun shine!
Our new upgraded St John trail and jumps line is OPEN again after a few days of sun shine to dry it out

Another new tool for the trail crew!

How awesome is this, another STIHL BR 800 Backpack Blower to add to our trail maintenance equipment!

This one has been made possible through the generosity of Trust Waikato and Business One Accountants.

A huge thank you to:
Trust Waikato for their $1,000 grant
Business One Accountants for their $500 donation

Together, these contributions have enabled us to purchase an additional STIHL BR 800, giving our volunteer trail crew even more capacity to keep the Thames MTB Club trail network in top condition.

These commercial-grade blowers are an invaluable tool for clearing leaves, loose gravel and debris from our trails, helping to keep them safer, more enjoyable, and ready to ride all year round.

We're incredibly grateful for the ongoing support from organisations and businesses that invest back into our community. Every contribution helps us improve and maintain the trails that so many people enjoy.

Thank you, Trust Waikato and Business One, for helping us continue building better trails for everyone!

Due to the rain overnight and today, the St John trail and Jump line is closed. It will take a few days of dry weather after the rain to dry out enough so we'll re-post when back open

MAJOR TRAIL UPDATE: St John Downhill is RE-OPENED & upgraded!

Huge news for the Thames mountain biking community! Over the last month, the St John downhill trail in our Moanataiari network has undergone a massive upgrade, and it is officially complete and ready to ride!

A massive THANKYOU to The Lion Foundation for providing the grant that made this project possible. Community funding like this keeps our local trails thriving, and we are incredibly grateful for their support.

We also want to give a huge shout-out to the crew at Trailpro for their phenomenal work on the ground. The craft and effort they put into this upgrade is next level—you guys are going to love it!

**A Quick Note for Trail Care**
Because the trail surface is brand new and super fresh, it’s currently very susceptible to damage if ridden in the wet. To protect the hard work that’s gone into it, the trail will be closed immediately after rain to allow it to dry out properly. Once we hit spring and summer, the dirt will pack right down and we’ll be able to keep it open much more consistently. Please respect the closures so we can keep it in prime condition!

**Love the new ride? Support the Club!**
While our trails are 100% free for everyone to enjoy, running the club isn't! If you enjoy the trails and want to see more projects like this happen, please consider joining as an official member. Your membership fees help us cover basic maintenance costs and prove strong community backing when we apply for future grants.

Click here to join the club and support local trails: https://join.hivepass.app/thamesmtb

Get out there, test your lines, and tag us in your videos!

This just in from the Environmental Defence Fund...

A whopping 75,000 public submissions have been made on the Conservation Amendment Bill so far. This extraordinary level of public engagement reflects just how strongly New Zealanders care about the future of our conservation estate. Following widespread concern, Minister Potaka has already advised the Environment Select Committee that the Government no longer supports the Bill's controversial land exchange and disposal provisions. Those clauses significantly lowered the threshold for exchange or disposal of public conservation land. Their removal is welcomed.

However, the Bill still needs serious amendment. The so-called ‘economic development’ provisions would fundamentally reshape how conservation land is managed. EDS has been working with the Minister and DOC to fix those clauses so that any use and development of the conservation estate is consistent with conservation imperatives. The visitor amenity area provisions, which give the Minister powers to override legislative protections and local planning in favour of large-scale development, also need amendment to bring conservation to the fore when planning for increased visitor demand. The deadline for submissions has been extended until 13 July.

Today we heard from the Waikato Regional Council that our grant application to extend our trapping programme was approved. The Small Scale Community Initiative Fund has supported us for a third year in a row. Thank you so much!

This allows us to keep the pressure on predators - rats, possums, and mustelids - that are killing our native birds, reptiles and invertebrates. Thanks to our dedicated volunteers - Toni, Coral, Justine, Wayne, Neil, and coordinator Ric - we are achieving a 3 times per month average trap checking record.

Good bit of trail maintenance this afternoon up in the Hotoritori trails putting our beasty mower to work. Happy days, Kims track and the climb up to Budgie vs Mullet all had a hair cut

What a night!!

Our Thames Mountain Bike Club fundraiser at the Big Bike Film Night on Friday evening went off! Huge thanks to everyone who came along, bought raffle tickets, and supported us by purchasing food and drinks — every bit contributed to our fundraising total and made the night a big success.

We’re incredibly grateful to our awesome local sponsors who donated prizes and made the raffle such a highlight. Please support these businesses that support our club:

• Wayne’s Automotive Services
• Read Brothers / Trade Zone
• Pare Hauraki
• Repco
• Pak'nSave
• Mitre 10
• Re-Store
• DOC
• Hauraki Resilient Communities Trust
• Dragonfly Pottery

We’re lucky to be part of such a supportive community — couldn’t do it without you all

Thanks again everyone!

Big Bike Film Night is TOMORROW!

We can’t wait to see you all there for a great night of cycling films and good vibes.

Bring your friends along and don’t forget some spare change for raffles, food, and drinks!

See you tomorrow