The shuttle bus rattles into life and begins the climb up Hill Road in Whakarewarewa Forest overlooking the city of Rotorua. Behind us a trailer laden with 40 mountain bikes bangs and clatters through the ferns. Beside me, shoehorned into the small bus seat, is a man in his early 50s, but he could be a teenager for the stupid grin on his face. Like me he's not so fussed on the climbing all the way to the top of these runs. It's the descents that excite him – that give him that escape away from the reality of his high-pressure job. Kevin Bowler is the Chief Executive of Tourism New Zealand.
He's also a surfer, trail runner, outdoorsman and, judging from a couple of laps in the forest with him, a really nice bloke as well, who knows how to handle a bike.
"I've lost 5kg every year I've had this job," he tells me as the bus climbs through the forest. That's not through stress. Kevin travels so much that he has learnt to carry a pair of running shoes with him on every trip. "I can't take a mountain bike with me, but I can take a pair of shoes," he laughs.
He rifles through his next few months of work and it's a dizzying round the world trip punctuated by high-level meetings. Then he looks outside at the tree ferns and undergrowth brushing past the windows. "I really like it here. I ride as much as I can," he smiles. For today at least, he's just a rider sharing a trail with a bunch of mates, determined to enjoy every second of it.
At the top we remove our bikes from the trailer and Kevin pulls up next to Rotorua Deputy Mayor Dave Donaldson. Dave is in his 60s and one of the fittest, friendliest and most committed mountain bikers you could ever hope to meet. They exchange a few words and then disappear into the forest like a couple of kids on new bikes. It's comforting to see that they still have time for a bit of nourishment for the soul.
Over on the west coast I chased a huge swell at Raglan. I think I saw my first 10 foot-plus set on the points – no takers, but lots of huge, wild waves ridden at Manu Bay. Check them out ...
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS Ultra-endurance runner Glenn Sutton is raising funds so he can compete in "the world's toughest footrace" the Badwater 135, which is held in Death Valley each July – yep, that's the height of summer and at 40°C plus it's also probably the only time you wouldn't want to go near the place. He's putting on an event at Bayfield Park, Dunedin on June 6. More details here.
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