Akatarawa Attack Detailed Information

Akatarawa Attack 2006
Detailed Information

Version Date: 16 Jan 06

Status: First-available version. There may be additions and changes prior to the event. Any changes will be referred to at briefing.

This page contains information useful for competing in the Akatarawa Attack. There are some "rules of the game", one or two details that weren't final when the entry form was completed, and some general advice. We've put the most important stuff in the first two sections.

The Area

The area is very roughly the southern part of the Akatarawa Forest, between Battle Hill and the Akatarawa Valley, and from the Pram Track south to Cannons Point. The public roads surrounding the area are out of bounds, but of course may be used in an emergency.
The start is at the end of Bulls Run Rd. It will be signposted "orienteering" from SH58 at Moonshine Rd, where the Building Research Association campus is located (BRANZ). The base is 9km from here but both Moonshine Rd and Bulls Run Rd are narrow and winding, take it easy and allow 15min driving.
Bulls Run Rd itself may be used on the event; anyone arriving after 4pm eg to pick up participants should take special care.

Safety

Now you are there, we want you to have a fun day. However parts of the area are rugged and remote, so please note:

WE DO NOT HAVE EXCLUSIVE USE OF THE AREA. It is also used extensively by trailbikers and 4WDers. Expect a vehicle round every corner. Expect other teams around every corner. The most likely problem may be self-inflicted - two organisers have taken tumbles. Ride conservatively, external help will be a while coming...
The area includes one public road (the one you came in on). It is narrow and windy. It is obviously open to traffic and road rules apply.
Note the compulsory equipment in the entry form. So blindingly obvious that we forgot to mention is a cycle helmet which must be worn throughout.
The underlying safety measure is the team. The team must stick together except to obtain help in an emergency. Each emergency will be different but we would expect an undamaged team member to get back to base or get a message back to base with another team.
In case you get stranded out there we're going to get you to give us an intended route on a black/white copy of the map. We'll all be out of cellphone range, but it would be worth carrying one in case you decide to bail out of the area onto Paekak Hill Rd, Akatarawa Rd or Upper Hutt. We'll put a contact phone number on the map, and in the case of a non-return we'll check it for messages. Don't just go home, failure to check in will initiate a search.

Rules of the Game

Your objective is to maximise your score. The control points have different values, being the first digit of the control number multiplied by 10. That is, control 15 is worth 10 points, control 99 is worth 90. Control points will range from 10 to 90 points. There is a severe penalty for returning late: 10 points per minute or part thereof. Highest score wins, in the event of a tie the earliest to finish wins.
At each control point there's a white and orange orienteering "flag", sample on display at the start. It will on the track and clearly visible. You prove your visit to each control point by clipping your card with a clipper which will be tied onto each flag. Your cards must be named and handed in at the finish.
Except in the case of emergency, team members must stay together, that means in unaided verbal contact, especially when visiting control points. All members must clip at each control (with their bikes), to ensure this we'll cable-tie a card to each bike. If a team member has to drop out for any reason during the event you must bring them back to base; and from that time you are a new team starting with a score of zero.
Electronic navigation aids are prohibited, such as GPS's and altimeters. This is a mapreading adventure! However cycle computers are fine.

The detailed timetable is as follows:

8:00am maps available for 8hr event, you can start planning your route
8:50am briefing, hand in "flight plan".
9:00am 8hr event starts
11:30am maps available for 4hr event, you can start planning your route
12:20pm briefing, hand in "flight plan".
12:30pm 4hr event starts
4:30pm 4hr event finishes, barbeque starts
5:00pm 8hr event finishes
5:30pm prizegiving

We are pleased to thank Dwights Great Outdoor Centre who have provided 8 pairs of Icebreaker sox and 9 Icebreaker beanies. We'll also have cycle goodies, and most will be dispensed as spot prizes.

The Map

The map for the Akatarawa Attack is intermediate in detail between the topo map and an orienteering map. To help those who are used to one or the other, here are some of the characteristics.

There are two A3 sheets per rider, provided back-to-back in a plastic minigrip bag. One map is at a scale of 35,000 and covers the whole area. This is fine for the northern bits where the tracks are a long way apart. The other map is at a scale of 25,000 and covers the southern area where the start is and there are places where tracks are very close together. 4hr teams might spend all their time on this map. We're also giving you a "blow-up" of "The Maze" where things are even more detailed.
The contours are 20m as on the topo map. On the other hand you will find much more information and accuracy about the road and track network. (Although we don't claim to be complete, for example loggers and trailbikers are changing things all the time!) To enable you to assess alternative routes, these are shown as follows:
Roads where two cars could pass easily are shown as two black lines with brown between. There are hardly any of these. The rest are black lines as you would expect.
Thick black lines are wide enough for a vehicle, thin black lines are single-track (or sometimes old 4WD tracks where the vegetation has closed in).
Solid black lines have a maintained surface, long dashes are unmaintained and likely to be slower, and short dashes are unridable. Of course these are averages and you will get some variation. They were also assessed by different people. Note that we look at a track as if it was FLAT, we do not presume to guess how well you can ride uphill, you have to use the contours for that:-))
Junctions where the black lines don't quite join are INDISTINCT. Watch out for these even if you're only counting junctions off, you can quite easily ride past.
You are restricted to ride the tracks, but we have marked a few "allowable routes" where there is no visible track. These are green lines, with dashes according to ridability above. For example there are a couple of riverbeds which provide useful links.
At the other end of the spectrum, we have marked obstacles that will cause you to dismount with a purple bar across the track. These could be gates or fallen trees, or they could be used to show that unridable tracks are even worse - requiring a real struggle.
We may choose to show some tracks that are off-limits. These will have purple crosses on them. For example there is logging going on during the week and we may find that some tracks have become impassable.
Apart from roads and tracks, the land is shown with three colours. Green is forest, some of it may be light green but that is only used for foot events. Yellow is open land (green dots on yellow means somewhere in-between such as young pine trees). Finally grey is unknown or unmapped or private land not available to us.
Other things on the map we hope are self-explanatory. There is a legend. Don't expect to find road names:-))
Magnetic north is shown so there's no adding or subtracting 23 degrees. Line up the map with your compass needle.

General Advice

Ideally a rogaine is designed so the top team nearly gets all the control points. We don't have a good feel for how much you'll cover and suspect there might be more than enough territory, given the steepness of the hills. Plan a route which has optional bits you can cut out if necessary. There are plenty of controls close to the finish for example.
Quite often early progress leads to a sense of optimism, and rogainers add in extra controls to their plan. This usually leads into hot water - falling behind schedule later on and having to cut out controls to get back in time.
If you are not an experienced navigator, stop at each junction, turn the map to match the terrain, and make a consensus decision which way to go. Don't go down a steep hill unless you are VERY sure you're on the right route.
The clippers have 3-digit code numbers on them. We're not using them in this event. The only number that's important is the one on the map which corresponds to a box on your card.
Many people drink from the streams, but no-one will guarantee that the natural water is safe to drink. We recommend that you carry water from home to at least minimise the risk. We'll have tap water at the finish.
The area is remote. If you damage yourself or your bike, help may be a long time coming. Ride conservatively.

Page written by Ph 04 566 2645. Feel free to ask about anything. See you Saturday.