Questions...? You have Questions!
Where is the park?
The main entrance is on South Karori Road, at the southern end of Karori, Wellington, New Zealand.
How do I get to the Park?
From the Beehive (at the northern end
of Lambton Quay) in downtown Wellington, head up Bowen Street and
follow the overhead trolley bus wires all the way through Karori till
they end at South Karori Road. The Makara Peak car park is 1km down
South Karori Road on the right.
Who owns the park?
The land is owned by Wellington City Council (WCC).
How big is the park?
About 200 hectares - three times the size of Mt Victoria.
Who manages the park?
The Makara Peak Mountain Bike Park Supporters (Inc) in partnership with the Wellington City Council.
Who / what is the Makara Peak Mountain Bike Park Supporters (Inc)?
The Supporters are a group of
volunteers who wish to ensure the park reaches its full potential, with
a mission to create a world class mountain bike park, with dual use
tracks for all levels of rider, in a restored native forest. The
Supporters provide most of the labour, much of the funding (e.g. tools
and food) and oversight for all track development and maintenance.
The
Supporters also manage conservation in the park, applying for grants
and then using those funds to buy native plants, pay for supervision of
corporate and other mid-week volunteer groups, resources for pest and
weed control. You
can contact the Supporters by writing to PO Box 17-095, Wellington, via
this website or via email at supporters [at] makarapeak.org.nz.
Does it cost anything to ride there?
Donation Only (Donation box located near the map board at the South Karori Road car park).
The vast majority of
the labour to build and maintain the tracks is volunteer labour
organised by the Makara Peak Supporters. Any actual costs of building
and maintaining the park are met by the Makara Peak Supporters (e.g.
tools, food for volunteers, some contract labour etc.) and by the
Wellington City Council (e.g. gravel, track design work, some contract
labour, certain structures etc.). We receive generous support from local businesses and the bike industry however your membership is important to us as it not only helps us meet our funding requirements it also gives us the mandate to continue to advocate for Makara Peak and its users as appropriate.
Makara Peak only exists because
people like YOU volunteer your time and donate money. You can help by coming along to a work party (which are lots of fun and a great way to meet other park users), by making a donation online
or by putting some coins in the donation box next to the map board / information
kiosk at the main car park on South Karori Road.
Donations from that box go to the
Makara Peak Supporters, and are used for funding work party lunches,
buying and replacing tools, etc.. You can feed a track worker for the
cost of a Latte!
Who built all the cool single tracks?
The 25+ kilometres of
single track in the park has been build mostly by volunteers (mainly
mountain bikers) with help from a few paid contractors. All but one has
been hand built. There are plans for more and we are also helping develop the beginner / kids tracks at the back of Karori Park.
Who is allowed in the park?
The park is open to cyclists and
pedestrians. As this is primarily a mountain bike park however,
pedestrians must give way to cyclists but please don't assume they will. Be on your guard and be
friendly. Remember, today a walker in the park, tomorrow a submitter
to the Wellington City Council.
Why isn't it a cyclist only park?
The WCC and Makara Peak Supporters chose to follow an
inclusive philosophy for the park to help maintain the good will of a
wide range of Wellington rate payers. The Makara Peak Supporters advocate for dual-use to be the policy on all suitable tracks in the Wellington City, it's unreasonable to expect access to other areas if we exclude other users from Makara Peak.
Are dogs allowed?
Yes, when on a leash (as is required by the Wellington City Council).
What's with all the tree planting?
Several reasons:
Fire risk - currently
the park is covered in mostly gorse and young Mahoe. Gorse is a very
high fire risk. Native trees have a much lower fire risk. The fire risk
is highest along urban boundaries. Tree planting efforts have been
focused on these areas.
Shelter - at the
top/northern end of the park, where Varleys track meets the top of
Maraka Hill Road the hillside is very exposed and often windy. Tree
planting here will provide shelter in 5-10 years.
Aesthetics - it's much nicer riding in native bush than in gorse.
Why not plant pines and have a future income?
The Makara Peak block is predominantly steep hillside, which makes harvesting pines
uneconomical. Besides, they have a tendency to blow over in the wind as they get older and that is part of the reason that they are being removed by the Wellington City Council from the town belt and reserves.
Why not just let the native forest regenerate on it's own?
The block has been so thoroughly
cleaned of previous native trees that if left on its own it will become
a Mahoe only forest. The WCC and Makara Peak Supporters believe a
diverse native forest will provide the best recreational experience for the community in
years to come.
What's mountain biking got to do with conservation?
Most members of the Makara Peak Supporters are interested in mountain
biking and conservation. This has influenced the direction of the
park's development. It also broadens the support base for the park and
improves the chances for further funding from WCC and other agencies.
Currently approximately 25% of the budget goes to pest control and tree planting
efforts.
What can I do to help?
Come along - You can help by turning up to a track work party; tools and a
light lunch provided. These are usually held every second Sunday at 10am from the South
Karori car park. For exact dates and meeting locations pick up a flier from any Wellington
bike shop, from the box next to the map board at the South Karori car park or online.
Make a donation - there's a donation box next to the info kiosk at the South Karori car park or via this website.
Join the Supporters - you can do that here and now.
I have some comments about the park - who should I talk you?
Post a message on the Makara Peak discussion forum - you'll need to register on this website or join the Makara Peak Supporters before you can post your question (we do this to avoid SPAM).
How hard are the tracks?
- The Koru - Easy.
- Lazy Fern - Easy.
- Magic Carpet - Easy.
- Sally Alley - Average.
- Missing Link - Average.
- Aratihi - Average.
- Zac's Track - Average.
- Varley's Track - Average.
- Leaping Lizard - Average.
- SWIGG/Starfish - Average/difficult.
- Nikau - Average/difficult.
- Livewires - Average/difficult.
- Ridgeline - Difficult.
- Vertigo - Very Difficult.
- Trickle Falls - Even worse / better.
Want more information? Check the track descriptions and download the tracks map.
What should I ride first?
From the car park start with The Koru. You might want to read the First Timers Guide too.
What sort of bike can I ride there?
A mountain bike. We're assuming you have a fat tyred bike with some
low gears for the hills. Suspension is optional but recommended. At present the only track optimised
for big-suspension single-chainring downhill bikes is Trickle Falls.
If you have a cheap old bike with no suspension you can still have a fun time
on most of the easy/average tracks. In fact more and more people are riding most or all of the tracks at Makara Peak on single speed hard tail bikes and even a few fully rigid 29ers have been spotted recently.
Is there a map of the park?
You can download a copy of the map from here and you can check out the maps for Makara Peak and other areas at Tracks.org.nz.
Why does the Vertigo have those nasty ramps?
Vertigo is the track for advanced riders who like that sort of thing.
Can I organise a shuttle day at Makara Peak?
Maybe. The Wellington City Council controls access to the
transmitter access road. In the first instance talk to us if you'd like to run a Shuttle. The Makara Peak Supporters have recently run shuttles with the support of Mud Cycles in Karori (thanks Mike!). At this stage we plan to make this an irregular activity and only mid-week during the school holidays, but they are for kids of all ages.
Why isn’t there a 100% downhill track from the top of Makara Hill Road?
In order to copy with the terrain at Makara Peak and avoid ending up in people's back yards tracks from the top of Makara Hill tend to either have to sidle
along the hillside or in some cases have to climb (e.g. Upper Ridgeline) even though they are 'downhill' tracks.
Who decides what tracks get built?
A number of factors are involved in what tracks get built:
Two Year Track Priorities - The Makara Peak Supporters and the Wellington City Council work within a two-year forward looking list of track proprities. The plan continues to look for opportunities to build as much single track as can be sustainably maintained while also looking for opportunities to upgrade existing tracks to make them easier to maintain, more challenging (or easier depending on the grade) or just more flowy and fun. The plan also calls for a range of tracks to
suit a wide range of riders. Interested? Download a draft of the plan.
Terrain - any track
ideas need to fit the terrain (which is mostly hilly). A lot of the
park is patchy rock which rules out the use of a digger.
Resource Management Act - must be followed
Cost - there is a limited budget
Ultimately the WCC must approve all track construction.
Can I build a track on my own?
Maybe. All tracks must be approved by the Wellington City Council and the Makara Peak Supporters seeks permission on behalf of our users and supporters to build new tracks or to add new structures and / or obstacles to existing tracks.
Construction must comply with the Resource Management Act
and applicable Council by-laws and fit with the goal of catering for a range of users within the Park. We also have to maintain everything we build so we take that into account as we advocate for new tracks. The good news is we are getting better at building tracks that last a long time and are relatively easy to maintain.
The Makara Peak Supporters group includes
people who can help with the messy details including funding, labour and permission. Often what we are missing is a single dedicated individual for a particular project (we have a lot on already!) willing to do the coordination and project management.
How long will the tracks be there?
Unlike a pine plantation forest Makara
Peak will not be wiped clean every 20 years or so. The tracks we build
now will stay there as long as there are people around to advocate and care for them.
I have a question which isn't answered here - who can I ask?
Post your question on the discussion forum or email us at supporters [at] makarapeak.org.nz.