The second Saturday in October saw the Cross Country Vehicle Club (Wellington) (CCVC) host the local round of the National Trials. This round is traditionally known as the Deadwood Safari, a name owned by CCVC and originating from the club’s very early competitions held with hazards set up along the Deadwood Ridge in the Akatarawa Forest. As a side note, although no longer a suitable venue for the competition, Deadwood Ridge is still used for shiny trips, and also as an access route to some much harder tracks. This year the event was held on a farm property in Whiteman’s Valley above Upper Hutt. Concerns about the amount of parking available, and too much traffic inconveniencing the locals, meant that the organisers did not promote the event widely, relying on club supporters as the main source of spectators. After a rather wet week, Saturday dawned as one of the best days weather-wise since winter, and a surprisingly large number of people turned up to watch the action. In a break from the approach I have often seen before, where the hazards were spread out across a large area, with half being done in the morning and the other half in the afternoon, the organisers had set up the morning hazards in one area and the afternoon hazards on another part of the property. This meant that spectators did not have to spend too long walking between hazards – more time to enjoy the action. As I mentioned, the weather was amazingly good, and for me it was a fantastic day just wandering between the hazards, watching the action and enjoying the fresh air while taking photos. Not being a competition enthusiast I was almost never sure who I was watching, and the amount of mud meant that after a few hazards it was impossible to even see the numbers on most of the trucks. None of which stopped me enjoying it profusely.