THE HILLARY

Any juniors out there keen to come to a Juniors Trail Running camp? It's put on by organiers Lactic Turkey Events and the camp is based at Karekare which is on the course of THE HILLARY

You might want to sit down for this!! A post from The Hillary page 😲

Obviously we haven't had much to post about with much of the Hillary trail closed and therefore no event. BUT.....it's time to get a little excited!

Although the trail isn't finished yet - it's not too far away, hopefully the end of next year! But for now we're having a 50km "Half Hillary" event as part of the last event of our Bivouac Outdoor Wild Auckland Series of Trail Run/Walk events on 27th November 2022.

We traditionally have a 50km option as part of the last event in the series each year and this time with the Hillary Trails opening up, we're having that 50km ultra along the Hillary Trail from Huia to Piha and a bit extra at the end, around the Anawhata farm and beach - woohoo!

You can enter this ultra on the Bivouac Outdoor Wild Auckland Series website here http://wildauckland.co.nz/ and select the Piha event (27th November), then select the Ultra from the dropdown. It's a bargain at just $100.

We look forward to this!! Think of it as the first step to "Conquer your Everest"

Hi everyone! It's been a while since we've posted on this page because we've been waiting for some news to post! Unfortunately there's still no news on the opening of the Hillary trail and hence the event itself - we've heard whispers that they may have some of the trail open next year and the possibility of an April event, but it's still way too early to say I'm sorry. We'll keep you updated as we hear and be assured, we're pushing as much as we can and offering help!

However.... Lactic Turkey Events and Bivouac Outdoor have launched a new trail run series, between September and December, to offer people some trail running in areas of Auckland they may not have explored yet, especially with the Waitakere Ranges tracks closed, and more tracks closing all the time!

We're keen to spread the word about our new series, so its competition time!

Like our new event page Bivouac Outdoor Wild Auckland Series - and we'll give 5 lucky page followers a free entry to any one race of their choice - tag a friend on the page and we'll double your entry!! Share the page to your friends and we'll triple your entry!!!
We'll draw the prizes on Friday 24th August so Like and Share away!

The Bivouac Outdoor Wild Auckland Series is a series of trail run or walk events that are achievable, approachable, not overly—competitive (unless you want it to be), affordable and fun for all levels of fitness and experience.

From the Kids Dash (2-3km) to the Expedition (long course) 18-25km there is a distance option for everyone.

So put on your adventurer shoes and join us to explore new areas, to stretch the legs and to treat the eyes to sweet views and scenery!

Dates & Venues:
Sept 23 - Tapapakanga
Oct 21 - Tawharanui
Nov 11 - Te Rau Puriri
Dec 9 - Muriwai

Courses:
Kids dash 2-3km
Tour (short) 7-10 km
Discover (medium) 12-15km
Expedition (long) 18-25km

We'll have some great spot prizes provided by our event sponsor Bivouac Outdoor

http://wildauckland.co.nz

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The Gazuntite is a brand new trail run event created to replace THE HILLARY which has had to be cancelled for 2018 due to a rāhui placed on the Waitakere Ranges by local iwi Te Kawerau a Maki in order to prevent the continued spread of Kauri Dieback.

So we (Lactic Turkey Events) have put together this replacement event open to current Hillary entrants and anyone else keen to come along for an awesome weekend.

We are offering free camping at the event centre on the Friday night of the event and afterwards on the night of race day so why not make a weekend of it!

Choose from an 80km Ultra Run, 80km 2-3 person run relay, or a 34 or 16km run or walk.

Based at a new-ish Auckland Regional Park – Atiu Creek Farm was gifted to the Auckland Regional Council by Jackie and Pierre Chatelanat who wanted to ensure that all New Zealanders could enjoy access to the Kaipara Harbour, and that the cultural and heritage values of the area would be protected. And what a treat they left for all of us!

You’ll enjoy a mix of open farmland, gravel farm tracks, pine covered forestry trails, native bush, hills, some awesome views of the Kaipara Harbour and some hills!!

There is also a bus service to and from the event, from the city.

http://thegazuntite.co.nz/

As you will know from our many updates, The Hillary 2018 event has been at threat of being cancelled due to Kauri dieback disease. Kauri dieback disease is a fungus that eats into the roots of the tree, stripping the canopy and causing bark to waste away. Nearly all infected kauri die – there is currently no known resistance or treatment to the disease. The disease is easily spread through soil movements, for example, when soil is carried from one place to another on dirty footwear, animals, equipment and vehicles. A report released in August 2017 reported that the spread of kauri dieback has more than doubled in the past five years, with 19 percent of kauri now infected.

On 2nd December, a rāhui was placed over the Waitākere Ranges by iwi Te Kawerau a Maki. This cultural restriction by the mana whenua of the area urges people to stay away from the ranges to allow the forest to heal. The key message from iwi executive manager Edward Ashby is ‘our kauri forest is dying and could be lost within a generation unless we change our behaviours and do something now to save it. The core purpose of the rāhui is the conservation of kauri and the forest for the future. We each have a choice: do we want a forest for future generations, or not? We can save this forest together by acting individually to keep out of the forest, spreading the word about kauri dieback, volunteering in pest and w**d management organisations, and asking the Council and Government to support a program of research and remedial work to make the track network safe for kauri.’

We were waiting for a meeting of the Environment and Community Committee of Auckland Council where they would decide the Council position with respect to the rāhui. Following more than five hours of public and local board input and debate, the committee said they support the principles of the rāhui but would not go as far as closing the whole park due to implementation issues. Instead they chose to close a number of tracks, seek further funding through the council’s 10-year Budget and implement a further programme of high and medium risk track closures. Staff and rangers have been working hard to identify more tracks for closure and now a further 17 additional tracks identified since the committee meeting on 5 December are now closed.

So that left us with a big conflict. The council says the trails The Hillary event uses are open and have indicated they could still issue a consent, but the iwi have a rāhui in place over all of the Waitakere Ranges.

With further discussion with iwi in the last couple of days, it has become clear that the rāhui is unlikely to be raised anytime soon and certainly not in time for the event. So we have had to make the hard call to cancel The Hillary 2018 in support of the rāhui.

This decision has not been taken lightly and has issues for many, but the ethos of our company and in fact one of the aims of the Hillary Trail Run Charitable Trust, is promoting the care and stewardship of the Waitakere Ranges. We feel we need to respect the iwi’s request and support the rāhui until such a time that Council invests money into boosting the existing programme of education, hygiene station upgrades, track improvements and appropriate and scientific surveillance. We sincerely hope that this happens and the trails will start to be opened with the iwi’s blessing and we can enjoy the trails again knowing we’re not spreading this disease. The Hillary 2019 is looking promising!!

If we went against the rāhui we would be adding to the confusion that exists at present in that iwi, environmentalists, scientists are saying we should stay out until recommended track and footwash upgrades are complete but the Auckland Council have left some tracks open for public to use. Our cancellation of the event is driven by the ideal that all of us should abide by the rāhui.

Te Iwi o Te Kawerau a Maki are the mana whenua of the Waitakere Ranges. Mana whenua have a special cultural and spiritual relationship with the environment. This includes their relationship with their waahi tapu (sacred sites), taonga (treasures), water, and ancestral lands. These relationships are a matter of national importance under the Resource Management Act 1991. Kauri are considered taonga to the mana whenua and the Waitakere Ranges are their ancestral lands. It is for this deep national and local importance that we wish to respect the rāhui that the iwi have placed on the area.

In my discussion with iwi I have clarified some trails within the original map of the rāhui that can in fact still be used with the iwi’s blessing. This will come as relief for those of us that use the Waitakere Ranges as a training ground but were still keen to observe the rāhui. I have included the details of this below for the locals who use the trails regularly.

So now what? With regards those of you that have already entered and/or are stuck with travel and accommodation you can’t cancel? We are quickly organising an alternative event! Likely distances will be 17km, 42km and 70km on terrain that is not as steep or technical as The Hillary, but has amazing views and a variety of terrain. Your entry will automatically transfer to this new event as follows 16km converts to 17km, 34 to 42km and 80 to 70km. We promise we’ll put on an event you’ll remember (in normal Lactic Turkey Events style!!) and make it worth your support of this event.

We’d love for you to try this new venue/event for which you’ll still receive a great challenging run/walk and in an area of Auckland you’ll not likely have been to before. But for those that no longer want to be involved we will offer a partial refund.

Obviously, we have incurred costs to date with this event, but we have held off ordering merchandise etc until we knew what was happening. Per our refund policy on the entry page; “If the event is cancelled due to extreme weather or other factors outside of the event directors control, 50% of entry fees will be refunded. The remainder will go towards covering some administration costs and a portion of fixed event costs.”
We consider this a factor outside of our control so will offer a 50% refund on entries paid and 100% refund on any bus tickets/merchandise ordered.

If you are choose to not run in our alternative event then please email your request for a refund to [email protected] and if you used a bank account to pay your entry, please include this in your request. If you paid by credit card, refunds will be paid straight back onto your card. Sorry, this refund process may take some time due to the upcoming holiday period and the admin involved.

This is wrenching news for us as we've put so much into first getting permission to start the event and then each year to keep it running. We're disappointing we can't share this area with you in 2018 but will keep pushing and doing what we can to bring it back in 2019!

Shaun and The Hillary team!

CLARIFICATION OF THE RAHUI AREA

Te Kawerau a Maki executive manager Edward Ashby clarify by stating;

• The rāhui covers areas of kauri ecology only within the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area (WRHA)
• Best way to think about it is from a ecologists point of view in terms of a catchment – the tikanga was to the kauri and the forest. It is safest to assume anywhere within the forest itself is covered by the rāhui, and only those places where kauri are not in the catchment are excluded.
• Tracks that pass by kauri trees, or are within an ecological catchment that includes kauri trees, are within the rāhui. This means even those nature trails around Arataki that have kauri or are near kauri are within the rāhui and Kitekite Falls is definitely within the rahui.
• Gravel roads etc are not included. If there are no kauri or forest anywhere nearby, then chances are that you are not within the rāhui – so dam roads etc are not part of the rāhui
• If you are running along a coastal track next to the beach with nothing but Manuka scrub or grassland, then chances are that you are not within the rāhui.
• From a technical level, even open grassed paddocks within the Regional Parkland (for example the golf course at Cascades) are not within the rāhui - just don’t go after the golf ball if you hit it into the forest 😊
• Te Henga walkway is primarily not anywhere near kauri, so it is not included within the rāhui.
• Goldies Bush is not within the WRHA which is an arbitrary line used to define the approximate area we are talking about when we talk about the rāhui. However, it has kauri, is obviously part of Waitakere, so from a tikanga perspective the rāhui applies to Goldies Bush.

Today was the Auckland Council meeting of the Environmental Committee with agenda item one being the consideration for closure of the Waitakere Ranges. This was discussed and debated for most of the day and the result was:

* A network of further track closures will commence immediately (not the Hillary Trail).

* Officers will then report back to the committee in February 2018, when further options for track improvement and upgrades, public education, enforcement options and effectiveness, effectiveness monitoring, capital and operating costs for consideration in the 10-year Budget 2018-28 will be presented.

So where does this leave the event. Unfortunately we can't say yet. At present we have a big conflict. The council says the trail the event uses is open so potentially they may issue a consent, but the iwi have a rahui in place over all of the Waitakere Ranges. We don't really want to go against the rahui.

So we will be getting in touch with Council and finding out what the next step is. Hopefully that step is that council and iwi sit down and come to an arrangement about the scope of the rahui so it matches the track closures. But we're not sure that the iwi will do that before seeing the plan that the February report will detail.

Sorry we'd would love to provide some certainty to you all but just can't at this stage. We have too many unknowns. We may have to delay till iwi and council sort it out or cancel or change the course. If it doesn't go ahead - for those that have booked travel etc we are committing to work with council to come up with an alternative event on that day for you.

So we ask for your patience please - we'll keep pushing for you and keep you updated!

Auckland Council approves immediate closure of 13 tracks in Waitākeres in support of rahui Auckland councillors have voted to expand on track closures in the Waitakere Ranges.

A further update on the Closure of the Waiatkere Ranges. The iwi Rahui to close the Waitakere Ranges is in place from 2nd December. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1490798430955977&id=137314856304348

The environmental committee of council are meeting on 5th December to discuss and vote on their position to the Rahui. At the moment the Auckland Council don’t have one. We will make a call on the event after this meeting.

I’d suggest everyone get in touch with councillors on that committee to tell them it would be better spending money on dry footing tracks and installing better wash stations etc rather than on fences etc for a closure. Link to committee below.

In the meantime we ask runners to respect the Rahui rather than support the untrue theory the haters have that runners are the worst at non-compliance and spreading the disease and thus making it harder for us to get back onto the tracks sooner.

https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/about-auckland-council/how-auckland-council-works/governing-body-wards-committees/committees/committees-whole/Pages/environment-community-committee.aspx

Hi Hillary Peeps.

Some very bad news I'm afraid. It’s looking highly likely that The Hillary 2018 will not be happening. The local Maori iwi has committed to imposing a rāhui, or restriction in the area before Christmas to prevent the spread of kauri dieback. Therefore, for now, we have shut entries and wanted to communicate to you as soon as possible that the chances for getting the green light are looking small. We think you need to know this updated information so you don’t book travel or entries or accommodation until we can give you further details. For those already entered please bear with us until we know for sure and then we’ll work out what will happen to entries.

There is still a slim chance! We have had a promise from Auckland Council that they will let us know either way by 1 December 2017. Depending on their consultation with the iwi we may still be in luck.

This is gut wrenching news for us – we’ve been waiting patiently (or not so patiently) on council to give us the consent (which we filed in May) for a roll-over of our 3-year permit. The recently released report on Kauri dieback has created issues and a delay with this process.

Although Council have not yet agreed to a closure, the articles here https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/98854981/mori-to-ban-access-to-large-auckland-regional-park-to-save-the-kauri and here http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11944130 together with my talk today with the iwi spokesperson, makes me believe that we are not likely to get to run the event in 2018.

Te Kawerau ā Maki (the local Maori iwi) has committed to imposing a rāhui, or restriction in the area before Christmas to prevent the spread of kauri dieback.

They say Kauri in the Waitākere Ranges have historically been extensively logged, and now an incurable disease is killing what's left and the recent report suggests this is due mainly to it getting spread by human feet. The Auckland Council report claims the disease has spread throughout the park and latest council figures showed 19 per cent of the native trees were infected - up from 8 per cent five years ago.

Kauri were the life-force and spirit of the forest and their destruction is an existential threat to Te Kawerau ā Maki, its trust's executive manager Edward Ashby said in a letter to Auckland Council.

The iwi faced the loss of its heartland, and the rāhui - or prohibition on entering - on the entire Waitākere Ranges was necessary as its concern has not been taken seriously. "The time to act is now, and to act boldly."

Auckland Council confirmed it was considering the measure, but was weighing up its effect on people and the practicalities of such a ban.

But Te Kawerau ā Maki would not wait another decade "for deliberations or further trialing of methods", Ashby said. "Our forest will be dead by then.”

"Subsequently as kaitiaki of the area, we have no choice but to close down the entire forest, excluding roads and private property, to ensure its long-term protection and survival."
Ashby said a ceremony would be held to close all the tracks before the end of this year, but they would be opened one by one over time as it was deemed safe to do so.

In my conversation with Edward Ashby he regrets having to take this action but the iwi feel they have no choice. They have to think of the intergeneration view rather than the impact it has on the likes of the event or other recreational use.

He was hopeful that this is a short-term measure especially in regards to the Hillary Trail and that it will open again when works are undertaken that mean there is no risk on spreading the disease. This could include much better footwash stations and dry footing tracks around the Kauri on the Hillary Trail.
He very sincerely regrets the impact that this will have on the event, because he knows we are good operators and have superior measures in place during the race to prevent the spread of the disease, but they cannot really consider exceptions to a rāhui for recreational purposes.

So everyone please – fingers crossed that Auckland Council and the iwi can work it out.

Again, we are deeply passionate about The Hillary and will be as heartbroken as the rest of you if it doesn’t go ahead. We agree with the iwi that more urgent action needs to be taken to resolve the disease affecting these beautiful giants and so hope that their extreme measure of a rāhui achieves this and we’ll all be allowed back in the park very soon.

We can’t tell you anything more until 1st December, so please be patient till then.

Hi Hillary peeps. About time for an update aye?!

We've been working hard, pushing and asking and asking and pushing for Auckland Council to give us the consent for the next three years and hopefully from what I hear we are very close. It's an incredible slow process for some reason :(

The process was further slowed down/complicated by the release of a report on Kauri Dieback a couple of months ago, showing that the disease was spreading, a very low use of footwash stations and the subsequent calls by various groups to shut the whole Waitakere Ranges to humans! Some even suggesting it be manned by soldiers to keep people out :)

At this stage shutting the park would be an extremely hard thing to do so the best focus is on improving and making people use the footwash stations. As our event has proven, if people use the foot wash measures, the spread of the disease is greatly reduced - monitoring of the event showed zero spread of spores from the event due to the extra footwash stations and 100% manned compliance. So make sure when you are training out there, you are being a role model and using the stations!

Unfortunately this means no 100km event this year as there is too much noise on Kauri dieback and we'd need to commission the council to do a full review of the proposed extra loop and they do not have the resource to do it for 2018. Maybe 2019 as we have a great course planned for this!

On another note for those that are looking for qualification points for any overseas races we recently got ticked off by the International Trail Running Association as a qualification event for both the 80km and 34km.

That's all for now - will keep you posted!

Woohoo!! It's near the end of May and as promised, entries for the 5th running of The Hillary are now open! Are you going to set a goal for 24th February 2018 to conquer your Everest?!

The trail follows a variety of terrain and scenery – stunning views throughout the trail, rugged West coast beaches, magnificent native bush including the hundreds of year old native Kauri trees. Past large waterfalls and sand dunes, along cliff tops or through marshlands – there is something for everyone. Come along and Knock The Bu**er off!

We expect entries to sell fast given past years so have an earlybird rate till the end of July and also offer a payment plan for the 80km entrants to help spread the $ impact of entering a premium event like this.

So what are you waiting for - book your spot now!

http://thehillary.co.nz/

Images credit: Photos4Sale

We'll super excited to be able to share with you now... The Hillary 2017 - Into the Wild.

This years event video focuses on the jaw dropping beauty of the area that the event goes through. Marvel at how small an impact the runners have on this massive, majestical landscape.

As the sea beats against the cliffs that line large portions of The Hillary route,
Taking with it bits of land with every pounding wave,
Wee humans weave along the trails,
Themselves often getting beaten by the land,
But conquering their own Everest as they compete in The Hillary.

The raw emotion of the sea, land and sky is mirrored in the faces of competitors throughout the day right until the very last step!

Thanks to Smart As Productions and Silver Eye Films for an awesome record of The Hillary 2017 event!

See you 24th February 2018.

https://vimeo.com/209173624

HILLARY 2017 - INTO THE WILD This years event video focuses on the jaw dropping beauty of the area that the event goes through. Marvel at how small an impact the runners have on this massive,…

Exciting! We'll be posting the video for The Hillary 2017 at 8:30pm tonight. Thanks to Smart As Productions and Silver Eye Films for an awesome record of the event!

This years event video focuses on the jaw dropping beauty of the area that the event goes through. Marvel at how small an impact the runners have on this massive, majestical landscape.

As the sea beats against the cliffs that line large portions of The Hillary route,
Taking with it bits of land with every pounding wave,
Wee humans weave along the trails,
Themselves often getting beaten by the land,
But conquering their own Everest as they compete in The Hillary.

The raw emotion of the sea, land and sky is mirrored in the faces of competitors throughout the day right until the very last step!