A Touch of Spicer

A shorter, more sheltered option for those not wanting to hit Colonial Knob summit, with lots of beautiful flowing single-track (if you can excuse the brief smelly bit by the landfill!)

Starting at the car park, follow the signs for Te Ara Tai Tonga which will take you across the road and up a winding trail, bringing you out close to Trash Palace after 1.6k. Keep heading up the trail, past the colourful wizard, and through a short section of single-track, and after the Spicer Forest sign on your right, you'll pop out on the sealed road that leads up from the landfill. You might have to hold your nose for this bit...

Head up the road, which soon becomes gravel, and continue bearing left at the top (signposted Ohariu Valley Road). This is about 2.9k in. Follow the gravel road down a further 600m until you see a narrow track heading down to the right. Great berry-picking here! Take this down for 0.5k through the forest to the gate at the bottom. Once through the gate, turn right and follow the Te Araroa trail up through Spicer Forest.

This section of the TA is very pretty with lots of bridges and easy to navigate with the yellow dots. Just watch out for mountain bikes as this is a 2-way trail. At around 5.4k, you'll come to a fork where you stay left to continue up through the forest. At 6.3k, you'll come to the highest point of the run and a set of steps over the fence to your left pointing to Colonial Knob. Don't take these but instead continue straight ahead down the grassy hill and the large green DoC Colonial Knob Scenic Reserve sign.

You're now on Seven Pines Track which takes you steeply back down to Spicer Botanical Park. At the bottom, keep left (you could alternatively head back to the car park from here if you wanted to cut things short) and follow the Doctor track past the reservoir, up the zig-zags and keeping left when it joins Boundary Road. Don't go down Tumeke (bikes only) but continue up Boundary Road then turn right at the top when it joins Farm Road (4wd track) and follow this down to the bottom of the hill. Turn right at the bottom and follow Spicer Link (marked with green dots) the last couple of km back to the car park. Look out for the famous fairy houses and Smurf Corner as you go!