Chair’s report

The work on building a world class mountain biking park in a regenerating native forest has continued unabated, with another massive year in the park. The following annual report showcases the highlights from the year, but it only really scratches the surface. So to all the people who have contributed in any way, large or small, thank you!

There has been a bit of a theme of change in 2020-21. Earlier in 2021 the management committee agreed to transition away from a paid membership model for the Mākara Peak Supporters. We really appreciate all the people who saw value in becoming a paid Supporter over the years. We worked really hard to put your membership fee to good use in the park, with plenty of new track built, natives planted and pests eradicated.

As part of this change we entered into a partnership with Trails Wellington alongside Wellington Mountain Biking Club, Brooklyn Trail Builders, WORD and Revolve. This new model has been designed to centralise the fundraising and representation of Wellington trail builders and users under one banner.

It’s been very exciting to see the community embrace the new approach, with over 1500 people becoming paid members of Trails Wellington over the last six months or so. This dwarfs the 250-odd members we were able to attract by ourselves.

The Supporters have representation on the Trails Wellington Board to help guide decision making and shape the future direction of trail development and maintenance across Wellington. The TW team are doing great things, leaving us with more bandwidth to do what we’re good at - building trails, trapping pests and planting trees.

The driving force behind the collaboration with Trails Wellington has been a very generous donation from the Drury family, which we are extremely grateful. This donation has enabled us to make a step change in the way we invest in trails at Mākara Peak and across Wellington City. Our initial focus has been reinvigorating existing trail corridors such as Peak Flow, North Face and Rimu (as well as Jail Brake, Serendipity and Hippies across the wider network). We’ll continue to breath new life into some classic trails, many of which haven’t seen anything more than irregular maintenance since they were hand built by volunteers a decade ago. Most excitingly we’re also in the final stages of planning an extension of Pōhatu, which will complete the summit to carpark advanced grade descent.

So if you’d like to see more new epic trails and more work done to existing trails, join Trails Wellington! It’s super easy. Their app is available to download from your app store (search Trails Wellington) or head over to their website at www.trailswellington.co.nz.

The other major change has been the creation of a dedicated Park Ranger role by Wellington City Council. This has been on our radar for quite some time, with a lot of people lobbying for this over the years. It was also highlighted in the master plan as being a key role for realising the full potential of the park. We’re stoked that Mark Kent, the Mākara Peak tracks team lead, has been appointed to the role.

Over the last 20 years Mark has made such a massive contribution as a volunteer that it boggles the mind! In addition to turning up most weekends to dig trail on Sunday afternoon, he’s played a part in pretty much every major project in the park. A couple of recent highlights include Starfish, Pōhatu and the interpretation panels at the summit. He’s super passionate about the park and will do great things in the role of Park Ranger. Sadly this does mean we won’t be seeing as much of Ranger Adam Groenewegen who has worked tirelessly around the park while balancing out the demands of a huge range of stakeholders in the wider Western Hills. Thanks for your mahi Adam.

We continue to have a great partnership with Wellington City Council, thanks in particular to Ranger Adam Groenewegen, Tim Harkness, Illona Keenan, Anita Benbrook, and David Halliday for their passion, commitment and willingness to work in partnership with us. Thanks also to our contractors who continue to deliver great work on our behalf - TGL Construction, Southstar Trails, Jon Rosemergy, and Kaitiaki.

Finally I’d like to thank the management committee and sub committee members who without their hard work, dedication and sweat equity, Mākara Peak would not be the place it is today. Thank you for everything you’ve done in the last 12 months, and I look forward to the next 12 months and more with a huge amount of enthusiasm and optimism.

Ngā mihi nui

Simon O’Brien
Chair, Makara Peak Supporters 

2019/20 Management Committee: Clint Brandon, Andrew Cooper (Secretary), Stewart Glynn (Treasurer), Simon Kennett, Mark Kent (Tracks Lead), Peter Leman (Conservation Lead), Evan McCarney, Simon O’Brien (Chair), Kerei Thompson.

Tracks sub-committee: Mark Kent (Lead), Clint Brandon, Andrew Cooper, Iain Feist, Simon Kennett, Scott Newman, Simon O’Brien, Ricky Pincott, Kerei Thompson.

Conservation sub-committee: Peter Leman (Lead), Simon Kennett, Evan McCarney, Andrew McLellan, Shannon Wilson

Trapping team: Norm Thornley, Anne Thornley, Susan Hutchinson, Janet and Martin Toland, Evan Mccarney, Andrew McLellan, Euan Galloway, Sarah Bramwell, Andy Foster, Kirsten Haupt, Simon Greenway, Anna Grant, Nick Kalasih, Dave Nendick, Peter Leman, Clare Odell, Kim Tottenham, Gareth Alley, Jon Lyall, Gillian McIlraith, Matt Dwyer, Sam Eccles, Sharleen Price, Liz Hooks, Ligs Hoffman, Karen Evans, Andrew Wade, Anton Marsden, Clint Brandon, Chris Lowrie, Phil Kendon, John Cleveland, Craig Hercus, Damion Ranger, Jenny Gould, Matt Rowe, Florence Liger.

Financial statements

Income

Changes to our funding model for 2020/21 led to a significant change in our income levels. We backed the move to centralise the mountain biking community around Trails Wellington, and in doing so ended our paid membership scheme. Direct funding from the Drury Family was also redirected to Trails Wellington during the year.

In addition, ongoing uncertainty in a COVID-19 world meant income from events and grants also dropped. The net effect of these changes meant our income dropped from over $154k in 2019/20 to around $47k in 2020/21.

Grants from the NZ Community Trust, the Ministry for Primary Industries, and the 1 Billion Trees Fund brought in almost $27k – over 50% of our income this year. The other major funding received was the $10k sponsorship from Wellington International Airport Ltd for the Wild at Heart suspension bridge.

Expenditure

Despite the drop in funding, our substantial reserves enabled us to continue to invest heavily in the park. We even managed to increase our spending from $103k in 2019/20 to $113k! $70k was spent on track building and maintenance ($31k for Peak Flow, $19k for Zacs, $16k for Rimu, and $4k on Starfish).

The next biggest area of expenditure was $25.5k on the Kohanga project. The remaining expenditure was relatively minor, but includes $3k for the lizard survey, $2.3k depreciation, and $2k for minor assets around the park.

Overall

The combined effects of the reduction in income and increase in spending meant that we made a net loss of over $66k during the year. This decreased our bank balance from $100k in 2019/20 to $44k. We retain $40k on term deposit. With fixed assets of around $4k (shed, signage, and tools / machinery), our total asset position is almost $89k.

The change in funding model means we expect similar levels of direct income and expenditure in future years. However, thanks to the partnership with Trails Wellington, we expect to be able to continue and even increase recent investment levels to maintain and upgrade our facilities.

Stewart Glynn
Supporters Treasurer

Planting

The main goal for forest restoration in 2021 has been infill planting of uncommon species in areas previously planted over the last 20 years. That involved planting in over thirty different areas around the park, taking time to hunt for the best spots and match new seedlings with the same species of old saplings to create self-sustaining populations. There was also some planting associated with new track builds. In total, we planted 1,600 seedlings across 35 different species.

Thanks to WCC's Berhampore Nursery, the Forest & Bird nursery, Leacroft Nursery and Norfolk Road nursery for supplying the seedlings, and Ranger Adam for distributing them all around the park.

And thanks as ever to all the volunteers who came out planting - mountain bikers and local residents, Conservation Volunteers Wellington, and MBIE.

Next up, we need to release the seedlings from weedy competition over spring. Thanks to Marsden College for sending 55 girls to kick-start that work, in late September.   

Weed control

We've used Kaitiaki o Ngahere to tackle some intensive weed control this year in areas all across the Park.  We're targeting the usual suspects - blackberry, tradescantia, cherry trees, holly, English and German ivy, Himalayan balsam, Japanese honeysuckle and African Club Moss. They've done great work.

Thanks to WCC who have increased their weed control activity in the Park substantially and also to Bark and Kerei Thompson for recently taking out a large cherry near Trickle Falls. 

Anyone keen to help last year's planting along should join the spring releasing which is about to get under way.  Details on the Makara Peak Facebook page and we're planning a reward trip for attendees as usual.

Trapping

The Katch-22 group continues to do great work in keeping pest numbers down, managed as usual by Andrew McLellan. In terms of raw numbers this year:

• Stoats & weasels 33

• Hedgehogs 41

• Possums 49  (most are controlled with bait stations managed by GWC)

• Rats 484

Thanks to this committed group for their work.

Birds!

Later in the year, we will be running the three-yearly bird count.  We'll let you know of any significant changes that reveals.  Since the Park got started we've had new populations of kākā, kākāriki, karearea, kereru and, most recently, robins. We're encouraging kākā with a nesting box.

There have been several sightings of Robins around Mākara Peak in 2021 which is exciting! These birds are very susceptible to predation and are usually only found on islands and in predator free areas. Robin populations recover once pests are controlled, and this is happening in the park thanks to the dozens of volunteers who check traps each month. Your mahi is a big part of what makes Mākara Peak such a special place to ride, run or walk. Thank you!

Blackberry removal

Anyone who has ridden or walked along Possum Baitline recently will have seen areas where old blackberry patches have been cut down. The plan is to fence off the biggest area and then plant them all with species to attract native birds and provide a new seed source for this end of the Park.  We're seeking funding from Council and the Zoo for the ground preparation and fencing costs.

Visiting the Karapoti Rata in the Akatarawa Conservation Forest

Looking after the seedlings planted in the park (with releasing and watering) isn't the most glamorous of work on the Peak, but it is vital to their success...and our vision of a world class MTB park in a restored native forest. So we offer volunteers a bribe each season - a trip to an inspirational patch of forest in the Wellington region. Previous trips have been to the Wainuiomata water catchment, Silver Stream reserve, and Matiu-Somes Island.

This year we visited the Karapoti Rata in the Akatarawa Conservation Forest. This behemoth is the largest in the world, and well over a thousand years old. Getting there involves a gnarly, off-track hike - unfortunately not something that can be ridden to.

Large rata were a common sight at Makara Peak up to 150 years ago. Fire and then possums killed off all but three survivors near Koru. With ongoing planting and pest control, we aim to have Northern rata brighten up Makara Peak once again.

Kia ora,

The past year has seen the Mākara Peak trail network grow even further with the continued delivery of the Master Plan by Wellington City Council, and a number of additional refurbishment projects undertaken thanks to funding from the Drury Family via Trails Wellington. It’s really exciting to see all the trail work taking place across the park.

It has been great to see the Wellington City Council and Trails Wellington helping to fund the refurbishment of some of the older trails including North Face, Rimu Trail and Sally Alley. This is just as important as expanding the trails network, looking after and caring for the existing network is all part of the vision to keep Makara Peak as a world class mountain bike park.

Mākara Peak continues to have amazing community support with the Mākara Peak Supporters working in partnership Wellington City Council and Trails Wellington. The partnerships continue to provide funding and grants to enable the trail network to continue grow.

Mākara Peak just keeps getting better and the past year has seen some great wins on the trail front. The park seems busier and busier and is really humming. Some of these success stories over the last 12 months have seen the completion of the Pōhatu carried out by some very dedicated volunteers and committee members. Dig days saw some of the largest turn outs of volunteers in a long time.

The end result speaks for itself. Pōhatu is considered as one of the best sections of grade 4 track in the park. It is probably one of the longest sections of volunteers builds time wise for a 400 metre section of trail in the history of Makara Peak, of course not helped by COVID lockdowns.

The style and flow of Pōhatu will now form the blueprint for the planned upper and middle sections of Pōhatu. The build for these sections is scheduled to start over Summer 2021. Pōhatu will flow from the summit, crossing North Face and continue down the valley to rejoin near the end of North Face. This will create a true grade 4 run from the summit to the main entrance, utilising Starfish for the final descent.

Other wins over the past year have included the addition of another grade 4 trail. Whā Out is a spicy grade 4 technical trail, it has something for everyone with rocks, jumps and techy corners. And it’s only going to get rougher and more challenging over the coming seasons as the dirt disappears and the rocky icebergs make themselves known. Built by our go-to contractor TGL, with digger wizardry by Ricky, Whā Out has created another loop off the summit that can be enjoyed without descending to the base of the Peak. Generously funded by the Wellington City Council in partnership with the Makara Peak Supports and funding assistance form Trails Wellington for the design phase.

Trail upgrades and refurbishments

Aratihi

In late Winter 2021 the upper section of Aratihi was resurfaced to deal with the ruts and excessively rocky surface that had degraded over the years. One particularly rough and rocky section was well out of grade - that is it didn’t meet the requirements for a grade 3 climbing trail and was causing riders difficulties particularly in wet conditions. It’s made a huge difference in bringing this scenic climb to the summit back into grade.

North Face

The revamp of North Face has certainly been a huge hit amongst the park’s users. Bringing the surface back to grade 3 was no easy feat for the talented crew of TGL. The Supporters Tracks Team developed a 52 point plan that guided the major overhaul. To make up for the loss of the techy sections the Supporters and TGL found solutions that created some incredible fixes and additions to the trail to give it an amazing feel. The end result speaks for itself with jumps, berms and speed making for the perfect combination to create an awesome descent.

The work on North Face was made possible with the generous funding form our partner Trails Wellington to the tune of $70,000 and the support of WCC.

For the full run down of the North Face project check out https://makarapeak.bike/news-blog/2021/5/19/north-face-refurbishment.

Sally Alley

WCC also reinstated and upgraded the descending section of Sally Alley after a large section of the trail disappeared into the valley below during a massive deluge during the 2020 lockdown. The trail was stabilised and re-benched using the team from TGL and contractor Podge.

Rimu Trail refurbishment

Rimu Trail received some long overdue attention from TGL Contracting Limited in October 2020. The surface and drainage were fixed and a couple of the steeper switchbacks made more grade 2 appropriate.

Rimu Trail is an underused trail that’s quite a good alternative entry if you’re sick of Koru, and also good for beginners and kids with it’s generally gentle climb and cross slope.

We’re trialled a new crushed concrete surfacing material, which when mixed with the natural dirt, will minimise maintenance. Expect it to progressively brown up over time and with a bit of riding.

Vertigo

Scotty Newman and Dan Taylor led a committed team who re-routed the top of Vertigo to bypass that rut which just kept getting deeper and deeper. They built a series of drops into catch berms which transformed the top of the trail. They also tidied up a couple of other sections as well doing an enormous amount of work maintaining Yeah Gnar and Trickle Falls. Massive thanks!

Sunday digs

Mākara Peak volunteers have continued their weekend mahi ritual of trail building throughout the year. It’s been great to see steady numbers to the Sunday afternoon digs with work focussing on refurbishing the lower section of Starfish.

They have proved to be a real social occasion, complemented by the famous beer from Parrotdog, Fortune Favours, Waitoa Social Club and the tasty Gipps Street Butchery sausages cooked up by Clint at the end of a three hours dig. Starfish. A big thanks to these guys for committing their time to the park (photos below thanks to Lisa Ng)

Bark maintenance team

Each year winter takes its toll on Makara Peak trails. A good soaking of the trails leaves water pooling on the trails and foliage growing over the trails. The excellent team of Geoff and Fran from Bark have been spending one day a week in the park funded by the Supporters to take care of these issues. It’s great to have this dedicated team helping with this important work. Regular maintenance like this makes a huge difference, and you can really notice the difference between the trails that have been worked on and those that haven’t.

Iwi partnership

To mark the 21 years of Makara Peak, Wellington City Council working with Iwi and the Supporters unveiled the korero panels at the summit of Makara Peak, with a blessing form Iwi repetitive from Ngāti Toa Rangatira. The Korero panels give an insight into Iwi connection to the land and reflect on events that have shaped the land and the park up to the present day. The park has come a long way in the past 21 years and the panels are testament to the hard work that volunteers have put into the park over years. I’m sure you will learn a thing or two when you get the chance to see these at the summit.

Next year

Over the next 12 months and beyond It’s great to see the 10 year plan getting closer to completion thanks to all of this hard work and funding that we receive from the Wellington City Council. These new trails and future trails are really going to open up the myriad of options for a day of riding on Makara Peak.

Over the next 12 months the trail network will have some exciting additions:

• With the upgrade of North Face, the top section from the summit to the road will receive an upgrade, bringing it inline to a more grade 3 decent.

• Pōhatu middle and top section will begin in mid November with Trails Wellington partnering with the Supporters to deliver a truly epic grade 4 descent.

• Wellington City Council contractors will be starting work on the T4 grade 3 climb, from Makara Hill Road summit water tower to connect into the existing T4 trail. This is really going to open up the north west end of the park giving riders another alternative entrance.

• Makara Peak Supporters will start a makeover and build a new section of Live Wires

On that note it’s now time for me to step aside from the Committee and as tracks lead, after a long 20 year relationship as a volunteer with the park. I’m taking up a more active role as Mākara Peak Park Ranger. It’s a real privilege to have been offered this position to help care for one of Te Whanganui a Tara most important Taonga. Mākara Peak has a lot to offer and I am looking forward to helping to deliver the best visitor experience that the park can offer and supporting conservation and trail building efforts of the supporters and wider community.

Look forward to seeing you out there on the trails.

Nga mihi

Mark Kent

Trails Lead Makara Peak Supporters

Random happenings

Blooming lovely

November 2020 was wet! In fact, Wellington had 244mm of rain, compared with an average of 95mm. It was the wettest month we'd had in over two years! It was tough on the trails, but great for spring growth. It wasn’t just the gorse and barberry flowering - some of the less conspicuous native species put on a show, too.

The Supporters learn how to drive

November was also the month when Andrew, Clint, Kerei, Mark & Simon O from the tracks team were taught how to safely drive their 4WD/AWD vehicles in the park by Car NZ Training. With Health and Safety a major consideration, land owners Wellington City Council require anyone driving in the park to have the appropriate driving certifications. They very kindly facilitated a simplified version of the two day course for the Supporters on a sunny spring morning.

The trained volunteers are now allowed to drive their vehicles up and down Snake Charmer and along to the Skills Park. This has been a great help with transport materials and volunteers closer to work sites, and generally optimise how we use our valuable time in the park.

Corporate Volunteers

It’s been a bit quieter this year on the Corporate Volunteer front due to the uncertainty created by COVID. However this year we have had fantastic support from a couple of regular corporate groups, who take a day out from their office jobs to help out.

On a sunny Friday in November we had a fantastic team from Westpac donate some time to the park. They spent the day working on the lower end of Pōhatu. The team of 17 helped move 3 ute loads of rock for the awesome rock garden and walled corner. They carried out trail surfacing, berm building and sump and drain construction.

Thanks to Craig and Lorna for organising, and big thanks to the rest of the team. Beer and pizza afterwards was a treat. Awesome day! If you’d like to help out the park drop us a line.

Volunteer Trail Builders

(Dumbing down tracks since 1998!)

Along with our tree planters, conservationists and trappers, trail builders are the heart and soul of any Community Mountain Bike Park. Funding for machine built trails comes and goes and these funds are essential to take the park to the next level, but there is always room for a nice hand built track built with love and affection by a bunch of enthusiasts. 

Thank you to all those men, women and children who have given up their precious time over the last two years working through whatever weather Wellington throws at us along with dealing with the odd niggly global pandemic . From those who show their face for an hour or two and diligently hack away, to those obsessive legends who turn up most weeks, it all makes a difference. In years to come they can sit around the campfire or bounce their grandchildren on their knees telling stories about the berm they built back in the winter of 2021 or the giant mythical stump that once stood near a stream on Starfish.

Hand built tracks like Starfish and Pōhatu are examples of recent tracks created by our vollies, they have quickly become everyone's favourite grade 4 trails and the word iconic has started to be thrown around in certain circles. Add the upgrade to Vertigo by Scotties crew and the work done by the Chicks Dig it all adds up to making Makara a top destination. 

Shifting dirt and building berms also fits in nicely with the Mental Health Foundation 5 ways of Wellbeing.

• Connect - Strengthening relationships with others and feeling close to and valued by others is critical to boosting wellbeing. 

• Be Active - Being physically active improves physical health and can improve mood and wellbeing and decrease stress, depression and anxiety. 

• Give - Carrying out acts of kindness, whether small or large, can increase happiness, life satisfaction and general sense of wellbeing. 

• Take Notice - Paying more attention to the present moment, to thoughts and feelings and to the world around, boosts our wellbeing.

• Keep Learning -  Being curious and seeking out new experiences at work and in life more generally positively stimulates the brain.

And at the end of the dig we wash it all down with a soft drink, a craft beer from one of Wellington’s famous craft breweries or a sausage or two from the legends at Gipp Street Butcher. Some lies are told about how good we used to be and the world ills are solved, then we wander off back to the real world satisfied with a job well done.

Does this sound a bit like you? Then feel free to come along to help out on Sunday afternoons, bring your family and friends.  Check our facebook page, or website for details or facebook message us  

Nga Mihi Nui

Clint Brandon
Volunteer wrangler and BBQ extraordinaire.

The biggest event field ever turned up at Mākara Peak to race in the Bloomfielduro in late January. Some great racing on some great tracks. A massive thanks to Tom Adams and Aidan Forrest for organising another amazing event, and to the crew of volunteers who helped everything run so smoothly.

(Photo credits Lisa Ng)