Mākara Peak Mountain Bike Park was established by Wellington City Council in 1998, and encompasses Mākara Peak which dominates the skyline at the south end of Karori.
With the largest trail network in the lower North Island, Mākara Peak has something for riders of all ages and abilities. There are wide, flowing singletrack with gentle gradients that are perfect for beginners, children and families. Plus there are some of the steepest, narrowest and gnarliest trails that challenge the experts.
Trails weave through 250 hectares of regenerating native bush, there’s a 72m swing bridge - the first of it’s kind in an urban mountain bike park in New Zealand - and panoramic views across Wellington Harbour, Cook Strait and the Upper South Island from the summit.
Long term plans
The development of the park is underpinned by two key documents that help inform decision making by the Supporters and Wellington City Council:
The Mākara Peak Supporters
The Mākara Peak Mountain Bike Park Supporters (often referred to as ‘the Supporters’) are a volunteer organisation that was established in 1998 and are made up of keen mountain bikers, runners, walkers and residents with a passion for Mākara Peak.
Since the park opened, the Supporters have worked in partnership with Wellington City Council to develop the park. Thousands of volunteers have donated their time to help build over 40kms of trails, planted tens of thousands of native plants, established a comprehensive trapping network to eradicate pest species and to encourage the return of native bird life.
The Supporters management committee
The Supporters management committee meets each month to discuss how the park can continue to improve, and organises activities in the park including coordinating volunteer work parties that build and maintain the trails, conservation activities such as tree planting and pest eradication, fundraising, events and other projects.
2024 will be the 25th anniversary of the Mākara Peak as a mountain bike park. Acknowledging and celebrating what has been achieved over the last 25 years will be a key focus of the committee.
The Supporters Annual Report
Each year the Supporters produce an Annual Report outlining what’s happened in the park over the past 12 months and what’s planned for the next 12 months.
How you can help
In 2021 we set up a partnership with Trails Wellington, Wellington Mountain Bike Club and Brooklyn Trail Builders to establish a centralised membership package. If you’re keen to see more epic trails built at Mākara Peak and around Wellington then join Trails Wellington for as little as $30 a year. Simply head over to their website or visit your app store to download their phone app (search Trails Wellington). Not only do you get the privilege of supporting the hard work of countless volunteers, you get a raft of sweet discounts at bike shops, pubs, breweries and other like minded businesses around Wellington.
Over 4,500 volunteer hours are spent developing and maintaining the Park each year. If you’re like to help by digging trail or planting trees, check out the events page here on the website for all the details of our upcoming working bees. You can also keep up-to-date on our Facebook page.
Over
80,000
Visits each year
over
35,000
native plants planted
in 15 years
Over
40km
of single track built
over
4,500
volunteer hours spent
developing and maintaining
the park each year
over
250ha
of regenerating native bush
Approximately
30%
of park users are
walkers or runners
