We left Bracken Ave in Rent-a-Dent van at 6pm on the Friday and arrived at Rotorua Baptist Church at around 9.30pm. We met Steve  there, having come down earlier from Tauranga. We left Rotorua at 7:30am and arrived at Whirinaki Forest Holidays Te Whaiti at around 9am. Gary Aldridge from WFH drove us down to the start of the track at the end of River Road. As this track has now been completely rebuilt to cycling standards we found the ascent of Mt Moerangi very easy. Not only had the gradient been improved but the surface of the track was of a very high standard. There is a couple of helicopter pads along the crest of Mt Moerangi. One of them had a large picnic table. Unfortunately we stopped at the first one for lunch and had to sit on the dry ground. The descent to Moerangi Hut was very pleasant and we crossed two bridges on the way. The hut was empty  and we had arrived very early so sat out in the sun all afternoon after having had a wash in the river. Steve was happy to massage those of us who were feeling our age. In the evening we lit a fire and had a very pleasant time under the stars. On Sunday we rose early and started off down to Roger's Hut. Again the track was of a very high standard. Situated some 50m above the river it kept to a fairly constant gradient. We were occasionally able to look down on the Moerangi River where the old track was. On one of these occasions we were able to see a pair of Whio. After three hours we arrived at the hut in time for lunch. Someone pointed out the damage that our club caused on our last visit here in 2004. I am pleased to say it was very superficial. After lunch we headed off to Skip's Hut where we will stay. Just about 200m north of Roger's Hut we crossed over the Moerangi River on a very substantial bridge constructed of wood and concrete. It was here that we met our first cyclists. Early afternoon we arrived at Skip's Hut to find it in tip top condition, having recently been refurbished by DOC in collaboration with the local Deer Stalkers Association. The only problem we had with this hut was the proliferation of ongaonga in the immediate vicinity. Many of our members suffered for days after having come in contact with it. One very pleasant aspect of this hut site was that a pair of Whio had set up home in the river just next to the hut. We spent much time observing and photographing this very rare native bird. During the night we were invaded by a group of three hunters. They came late and left early, without too much fuss, thankfully. We never even saw their faces in the dark. Again an early start so that we could get out by ten. Another pair of cyclists passed us. Our transport arrived by the time the last member emerged from the Whirinaki forest. We all had dry feet as every stream and river was bridged and it had been gloriously sunny the whole weekend. COST: Transport $71, Food $22, Accommodation $5/hut  $6/Rotorua Baptist Church, Levy $5