A natural bike park designed for junior riders beside Bremner Bay was opened on Saturday (May 29) to hordes of youngsters pushing, pedalling and patiently waiting their turn to enjoy the new tracks.

The park features a junior bike trail, complete with raised wooden boardwalks and natural stone jumps, together with fantastical fairy doors and wooden gnomes carved from the trees, spread across a largely underutilised area of Eely Point recreational reserve. 

The project was a community effort with key elements provided by the Rotary Club of Wanaka, Aspiring Rotary and the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) and included input from Bike Wanaka, Mount Aspiring College’s Duke of Edinburgh students and the Wanaka Men’s Shed. 

Wanaka Rotary’s service projects committee director John Milburn said it has taken a couple of years to pull the project together and, more recently, a good number of working bees to help clear the site of trailer loads of firewood and other debris but it’s paid off to see so many children using the park already.

A round of applause for all those who assisted in bringing the bike park to fruition.

“There's kids of all ages here, and as long as lots of kids and their families have fun here, that's what it's all about,” he said. 

John’s daughter Eve Thorpe, who attended the park’s opening with her sons, said the new bike trails will make future visits to Eely Point reserve more exciting.

“I think it's amazing for the community, it's good for the little kids, and it's a good place to be beside the lake and be in nature,” she said.

John Milburn grabs his grandson’s bike to ride the park he helped build. PHOTO: Hannah Walker

A number of elected members attended the opening celebration including QLDC councillor Quentin Smith who said this was a fantastic example of a true community project.

“It’s been driven by the passion in the community around bikes; it's driven by the goodwill of the Rotary Clubs who were so prepared to do the work and give us the money; and being delivered by local businesses in part,” he said referring to the park’s construction by experienced bike track and trail building company Dirt Dynamics Construction, amongst others.

Quentin also acknowledged the role played by QLDC parks and reserves officer Diana Manson who was instrumental in facilitating the project.

Diana said it’s been very satisfying to see the park finished and on budget.

“This is the best part of my job. Seeing something like this complete and all these kids having a ball. It's just wonderful.” 

The project cost about $25,000 with Wanaka Rotary and Aspiring Rotary each contributing $5,000, plus an additional $5000 grant from Rotary NZ, and the remaining $10,000 came from the QLDC. 

The project has further stages of development yet to be started, including more seating and tables, and there’s also a native planting plan involving Rotary, with plants provided by Te Kākano, still to be implemented, Diana said.

PHOTOS: Wanaka App