14 February update
It’s taken a bit longer than planned, but we’re stoked that the new entranceway and carpark is now open!
It’s been designed to make it safer for riders, walkers and drivers, with deeper carparks for safer bike loading, and a clear pathway for everyone to use to get to Koru. The facilities are much better and generally more appropriate for a park of this size.
There’s still a little bit of work to do, including connecting the power to the toilet/shower block and general tidying up. There’s a lot of planting planned for this coming winter, but to keep the dust down, grass has been planted around the edges.
Thanks to WCC and Fulton Hogan for making this happen, and the Supporters Committee for their contribution to the planning process. Let us know what your think - feedback welcomed.
29 December update
Work on the new main entrance and carpark on South Karori Road has wrapped up for the festive season. We’d all hoped it would be finished by now, but the Spring and early ‘Summer’ weather has slowed progress. Work recommences in early January with target completion date of late January.
If you’ve been into the park via the main entrance recently you’ll have spotted the new shower & toilet block, the enormous bike wash facility plus lots of bike parking and a new shelter. It’s going to be fantastic once complete!
28 August update
The fences are up and work has begun on the new park entrance on South Karori Road. To get to Koru, exit the carpark and head down the road towards the overflow car parking. At the end of the fence, hop off your bike and you'll see a temporary access track has been cut into the bush to allow you to walk your bike - it's narrow, rough and there's steps to get up to the Koru bridge. Signage coming soon.
There’s a video available on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/makarapeak/videos/498585130955827/
25 August update
Koru Closed Mon 26 August: work on the new entrance on South Karori Road kicks off tomorrow and the park entrance via Koru bridge will be closed for the day. The contractors will be putting in a temporary access to the Koru bridge and you'll have to walk your bike along it once it's open.
Now's a good time to start parking up on Karori Road and riding into the park. Give the St Albans Ave entrance a try, or for extra Kudos grind up Varley's.
The exit to Lazy Fern, SWIGG and Starfish will be open during this phase of the project, just look out for trucks, diggers moving in and out of the area.
The contractors will be doing their best to keep disruption to a minimum during the project. All we need to do is stay on the right side of the tape and out of their way. Thanks in advance.
15 August update
The project has been given the green-light by the lizard expert to remove the vegetation that was cut down around the main entrance and proceed to the construction phase.
WCC and Fulton Hogan are expecting to start work in the next 7-10 days. The project is going to be completed over two stages, and take three to four months to complete.
Stage 1 involves closing the bike wash, shelter and toilet, and area down to the Koru bridge while the work is completed. Once this is complete, work moves to the Northern end of the car park.
You can do your bit by obeying all signs and staying out of the work site for your own safety. The project involves substantial construction work and quite a few trucks going up and down South Karori Road. If possible, leave your car at home and ride to the park, or park up near Karori Park and ride into the park.
We're working with the Council and Fulton Hogan to keep Koru open during stage 1 of the project, with access via a temporary pathway to the Koru bridge. But we can't guarantee it will be open all the time, so to avoid disappointment we recommend you enter the park via St Albans Ave.
If you haven’t entered the park via St Alban’s Ave before, Rimu and Miro are great beginner grade tracks that make for a great change from Koru. Check out the latest park map or Trailforks.
July update
Wellington City Council have announced that they’re upgrading the Makara Peak main carpark on South Karori Road. This will ensure it’s a safe and welcoming hub for visitors, but also to enable growth and support future use of the mountain bike park as a regional destination.
Work is scheduled to begin in August, with the project taking around 3-6 months to complete. While work is underway there will be some disruption to car parking on South Karori Road - so it might be a good idea to park up at Karori Park and cruise down from there.
The scope of the upgrade is to create a safe and welcoming park entrance for all users whilst enhancing the sense of place and natural setting the park sits within. Works planned include;
developing an improved spatial layout with safer and additional parking
creating a wide bypass track through the carpark
new toilets with two bays and a shower
a larger bike wash area
a gathering area next to the entrance bridge to Koru.
For more information visit https://wellington.govt.nz/your-council/projects/makara-peak-main-entrance-car-park