Lane 8 Our final lane of the day was the famous Fremmington Edge, NZ040002. Driving from north to south was easy on wide open gravel track which appeared to have had some work done on it recently, I’m guessing to fill in some of the holes. By the time we reached the next gate which signals the steep descent, the weather had cleared up and gave us a spectacular view across the valley for which the lane is famous for. Heading down, 4x4s without much ground clearance, such as me, need to be vigilant as there’s some more large rocks and tall water run-off sections which can make the going tough. Again, if I was in Deux Smurf I wouldn’t be even mentioning it. Not far down there’s quite a number sharp jagged rocks protruding from the lane which need to be taken seriously as I think it’s where I damaged both near-side wheels and tyres on the Renegade, which I only noticed the following morning. I got out a few times to move the odd boulder to the side so I could continue driving, ok, large rocks, but boulders sound more dramatic.
As the lane turned to tarmac it signalled the end of a fantastic days green-laning, and the only other drama was along the very narrow lane heading down towards Reeth, Andy in the heavily modified JK Wrangler succumbed to a side-wall puncture. As part of the off-roading weekend offered by Ardent off-Road, we stayed the night in the lovely Black Swan hotel in the centre of Helmsley, though at extra cost. After a great nights sleep and a hearty breakfast, the plan was to leave at 9.00am and continue green-laning until around 4.00pm, or when the planned route is completed. 74
THE MUD LIFE MAGAZINE
