Our View: Finding a happy trail | Rotorua News | Local News in Rotorua

ROTORUA'S world-renowned forest mountainbiking trails have been the topic of much debate since the weekend.

Some locals are angry the 200-odd riders who took part in the weekend's NDuro series event, held in wet conditions, have mulched up the trails to the point where some are wrecked for good.

Track builders are unhappy all their hard work has been ruined and those angry about the situation say the event should have been cancelled given the appalling weather conditions.

The event's organisers say they closed parts of some tracks because of the conditions but when the event started, the rain had eased and nobody expected it to get as bad as it did as the day continued. Organisers say they'll only cancel if winds get so bad there's a risk of trees falling or the situation makes it risky for riders.

Opinions have been divided - some say the event should have been cancelled to preserve the trails, others have said they've ridden in worse.

A balance must be found between what's good for the trails and what's good for the industry - which is what mountainbiking has become.

Event organisers play a vital role in Rotorua's visitor industry, bringing thousands of people into the region every year for a wide range of unique forest events. Local mountainbikers also play a vital role. They spend hours, days, weeks building and maintaining an outstanding trail network which is free for all to use and which has made many of these events possible and attractive to competitors.

It could be argued that even if the NDuro event had been cancelled, many riders - although not as many as ended up riding - would have headed out on to the trails anyway, particularly, one might guess, those who had travelled from out of town. The Rotorua Mountain Bike Club discourages members from riding trails when they are wet and muddy to ensure they stay in good shape but plenty of locals as well as out-of-towners ride them nonetheless.

As the event organisers have pointed out on Facebook, where debate about whether the event should have been cancelled or not has raged, there is no easy answer.

The anger following last weekend's event has highlighted the fact that something needs to be put in place for the future. If a formal policy and cancellation process which all agree to are put in place and followed, nobody can complain.