Bike Wānaka president Ewan Mackie said he is impressed with the amount of support for bike trails received during early engagement on the Mt Iron Recreation Reserve Management Plan.

Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) is currently working on a draft plan for the reserve and it recently asked the community to share ideas for the use, enjoyment and management of new public asset.

During the early engagement period, the council received feedback from 870 people who pinned ideas on the council’s ‘Let’s Talk’ input portal and other ideas gathered from community workshops.

Ewan said 400 respondents said they wanted to see mountain biking provided for on the reserve, a number he was “blown away” by.

The club, which represents the interests of 800+ Upper Clutha bikers, is advocating for the inclusion of bike tracks.

“Many people in the community recognise the history of biking on Mt Iron and are keen to reinstate the low impact track network that was previously ridden over a decade ago,” Ewan said.

He noted that any future bike trails should be done in a way “that protects the ecological and landscape values of Mt Iron”.

Bike Wānaka advocacy subcommittee lead Ian Greaves said that Bike Wānaka hopes any bike trails on the reserve are separate from walking trails; have multiple biking access points into the reserve; and Bike Wānaka’s “strong preference is that the network of shared pathways are used for people to ride, rather than drive, to the reserve”.

QLDC completed the purchase of nearly 100 hectares of land on Mt Iron and Little Mt Iron in May this year.

It is currently collating all feedback collected during early engagement into a summary document which will be shared next month.

That feedback will be used to shape a draft reserve management plan, which will be considered by the community and services committee and the Wānaka Upper Clutha Community Board.

If it is approved, the draft plan will be shared and public submissions will open, likely in the first half of 2024. 

PHOTO: Bike Wānaka