Water Tower
Key facts:
Project type: rebuild. Length: 1800m. Budget: $65,000
The Peak’s original flow trail
North Face was originally built by a team of volunteers over 17 continuous weeks and 34 work parties. It was all done by hand - an enormous effort given the typically unforgiving Mākara Peak terrain.
When it was opened, it was very much the Peak Flow of it’s time. It was designed as the easiest, flowiest trail from the summit down towards the main car park, and the volunteers did an amazing job. It was solidly intermediate grade and provided a much less technical option than Ridgeline.
However over the years the trail surface got progressively narrower, rockier and more rutted due to the ravages of Wellington wind, rain and 1000s of bike tyres.
“Giving it a major overhaul was on our long list of things to do, but rebuilding 1800m of track is a massive job and not cheap” says Simon O’Brien, Chair of Mākara Peak Supporters. “And then Trails Wellington stepped in and offered to help make it happen”.
With funding secured, the Supporters developed a detailed plan with contractor TGL, agreeing what was needed to rebuild North Face into a modern, fun, intermediate grade trail.
“We’ve been doing a lot of work in the park to make our trails more sustainable, with better drainage to get water off the riding line, tougher surfaces, and designs that use the terrain to naturally slow and speed up riders” explains Simon.
“TGL are our go-to contractor because of their experience working in the park, and they understand how to shape and build trails that work well with the Mākara terrain.
Fast forward four months, and another COVID-19 lock-down, and North Face is essentially a new track.
“We’re stoked with the result. North Face is back to it’s original intermediate grade, it’s got great speed and flow, and you barely notice the pesky climb in the middle of the track. TGL did a brilliant job”.
“It’s now a great option for riders who love Peak Flow but want to try something different. It’s a bit narrower and steeper, but you can trust the corners and roll all the features”.
There’s good news for riders who liked the more challenging aspects of North Face. The Supporters continue to beaver away tirelessly behind the scenes, with plans being hatched to build a brand new grade 4 track from the summit down to Pōhatu. Watch this space.