Mid Makara Magic

This is a gentle beginners loop in Makara MTB park that's pretty sheltered when it's a howling northerly or raining. Very runnable with a little taste of technical towards the end.

Start heading up the 4WD track (Snake Charmer) for 100m until you hit the green Rimu trail (204) on your right. Follow this as it winds up then turn left at the intersection with Miro (207) (at about 0.6km). Keep left and follow Miro until it rejoins the 4WD.

Head up to the right and very shortly you'll see more trails off to your left. Take the green one Big Toms Wheelie (205) for 0.2k to the next 4WD intersection. From here, take the 4WD left and you'll shortly see the next green trail Magic Carpet (202) which will be right in front of you as the 4WD forks. Enjoy the undulating single track of Magic Carpet for 1.2k. You'll cross over another 4WD track about halfway along it, and towards the end you'll come to an intersection for the Skills Park.

Keep right here (marked easy route). You'll eventually pop back out on the 4WD track opposite where you exited Big Toms Wheelie earlier. Turn left and head up Snake Charmer (701) for around 0.9k. There are a few other 4WD tracks off to the left and right but keep heading up the main one following signs for the Summit if you're unsure.

At about the 3.4k mark, you'll come to a right turn where you'll see a red bike exit sign off to your left. Turn sharp right and you'll see the entrance to the blue trail Three Brothers (318) which you take to start the descent. After 0.5k, Three Brothers will spit you out onto a 4WD intersection. Head straight over and continue on Three Brothers (which heads up left, don't take the right Starfish fork).

At the next 4WD intersection, turn right and take the dark blue Pohatu (413) trail which leads off to the right of the 4WD (at the time of writing it's also marked with a red road cone). This ones great fun but is a bit more technical so take your time if you haven't run this one before. When this spits you out after 0.4k, you should recognise that you're back where you were earlier when you joined Big Toms Wheelie. Turn left on the 4WD track and go left back up green Miro (207), keeping right when it splits onto Rimu (204) then left when you hit the 4WD track for the last 100m to where you started.