The battle over sharing Wellington's bike trails

Mountain-bikers say Wellington's Matairangi/Mount Victoria trails provide a unique environment of "world class" riding just a stone's throw from the central city, but a recent spate of vandalism has underlined community discontent over the growing network of trails on the hill. The local residents' association president said some people avoided the area, because of concerns over safety. On almost any clear day in the Wellington suburb, mountain-bikers thread their way through a network of trails in the green belt that stands just a short climb from the central city's party district of Courtenay Place. The hill is criss-crossed by a maze of some 25.5km of trails and paths, used by walkers, runners, mountain-bikers and sightseers. The trails have been designated as either walker-priority shared trails, walker-only or bike-only trails. Photo: Wellington City Council [H] Trails range from beginner to highly technical riding Mountain-bike racer Iley Nunns, 18, started riding in Matairangi as a part of Wellington Off-Road Department (WORD) youth rides, when she was 10 years old. In 2025, she represented New Zealand at the UCI Enduro World Champs in Switzerland. She said the riding on the hill was "world class". "Mt Vic can get very challenging, because of the roots and the clay," she said. "It can get very slippery in the wet, but it's so good, because you just learn those really good technical skills, which have helped me a lot in races around the world, because I have a unique set of skills that people from [other parts of the country] might not have." "It's good for my own training - as well as the WORD kids - because of the progression the trails offer. There's jump tracks and there's tech tracks, and they all progress, so you can start off on the easiest track, move your way up and have lots of fun." Mountain-biking in the area began almost as soon as the first wave of off-road bicycles hit the country's stores in the late 1980s and early '90s. The early bike trails formed almost organically - albeit with a little help from the spades and saws of early devotees - but as the sport grew, trail-building groups became more active in the area, forming bermed corners, drops and jumps, and working with the council to keep their handiwork and fun intact. Photo: Supplied Man formally warned by police following trail vandalism Not everyone was happy with mountain-bikers' presence in the area. In early December, locals reported mountain-bike trail-marking signs torn down, holes dug out in riding lines, and logs and stumps strewn across tracks. Later in the month, police confirmed a man had been formally warned "for endangering life or safety by criminal nuisance", after admitting to vandalising the mountain-bike trails. Residents fearful of 'people crashing around on bikes' Mount Victoria Residents Association president Ellen Blake said her group had heard concerns from locals and walkers in the area as far back as the early 2000s. She said residents worried about close shaves with riders and the impact of bike trails on the area's ecology. "A lot of different people use the park in a different way, but we were hearing quite a lot of concerns from people who walked up there, and felt threatened or frightened by mountain-bike activity," she said. Photo: Supplied "Some of it was about the damage that was done to the tracks [and] just from people walking up there being frightened by people whooshing out of tracks." Blake said some members avoided the area because of it. "Who should be giving way is what I want to know. Is it the people on the bike or the people walking? "Normally, in traffic situations, it's the person in charge of the vehicle that needs to be in control of it, and to manage their speed there and how they behave. We've flipped the presumptions up there, I think. "We're not on the road. We go to the park to get away from that. "People go up there because it's all nice green and bushy, and they like to hear the birds and see the sights. It shouldn't be that people have to watch out for people crashing around on bikes." She said her group had asked the council to ensure that mountain-bike-only trails were equally matched by trails designated for walkers. "We've got the mountain bikers fighting their corner and everybody else on the other side. We haven't got a solution. "What we've got is 12 mountain-bike-only tracks and no other option for other people." Photo: Supplied Room for everyone Matairangi Trail Group's Vicky Robertson said the group co-ordinated their volunteers with the council's input to maintain mountain-bike trails - and cross over points with other tracks - as well as picking up rubbish and planting native trees in the area. She said GPS measurements of the area showed nearly 15km of the 25.5km trail network were designated walker-priority, with another 2.5km of tracks as walking-only. "I would say there's room for everyone up there," she said. "There...

The battle over sharing Wellington's bike trails

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