Rotorua Redwoods

Notes:

Billy T is one of the more popular gravity trails in  the Redwoods and as a result gets  quite technical due to ruts, deep grooves, exposed roots, dips and braking  divots.

Billy T starts from Tawa Rd a short and steep ride from the shuttle drop off through  the gate and up the hill.  It’s far too  steep for me to ride.  The trail ends on Moerangi Rd just off Hill Rd and a 20m or so from the start  of G Rock.

Billy T has two trails merge onto it.  Underbilly which runs in from the shuttle drop off and Te Tihi-O-Tawa which insects further down after descending from the  top of the mountain.

The section  from the start of Billy T to Underbilly is arguably the most  technical of the trail.  It contains some  of the steepest sections of the trail and a number of challenging rooted  sections, one of which caught the better of me as shown on the video.

From the  intersection of Underbilly to Te Tihi-O-Tawa the trail is less steep but still  has some challenging sections, especially the deep rutted chicanes that drop  steeply through the forest.

From the  intersection of Te Tihi-O-Tawa the  trail flows around the mountain with some tricky rooted corners that require  quick reactions before splitting as the trail brushes Hill Rd.  On the video I head  to the left and run down through a narrow rutted section, however there is a  very large drop/roller to the right that leads to a massive gap jump – well  beyond my skillset but gets a lot of traffic.

From the  gap jump the trail narrows to a very technical section with plenty of roots  that funnel into a drop and deep rut.  I  highly recommend riding cautiously on your first run to check your line.

The final  section is largely flat but assisted with a small gap jump, flowy and pumpy  section that may see some riders get to the end without pedaling.

Billy T is a great intermediate to advanced ride that  requires good braking and cornering skill, quick reactions and confidence at  speed.  

A highly  recommended trail if you like descending trails with some degree of technical skill.  Not as challenging as Hot X Buns but tougher than Eagle vs Shark and G Rock.

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