Wellington - the mountain biker's capital

Getting a holiday destination just right is a fine art, especially when you have to cater for more than just your own desires. The added difficulty of finding a holiday destination that suits mountain bikers and non-riders alike can be a little harder again. New Zealand is just a little over 3 hours from most Australian capital cities – and the nation’s capital is actually a mountain biking wonderland. Unlike our own capital, Wellington is far more vibrant. But like our own capital, it’s also riddled with galleries, and mountain bike trails. Lots of excellent mountain bike trails.

Wellington has been called the world’s ‘coolest little capital’, and that’s a fair claim. It’s got its own active arts scene, a good café and restaurant culture, and like much of New Zealand, an active outdoor lifestyle. The downtown area is all easy to walk around, and being situated on the foreshore it’s an attractive location too.

While the city is spoilt for choice with good cafes, restaurants, craft beer breweries and cocktail bars, it’s also hemmed in by three separate riding locations: Makara Peak, Mt Victoria and Polehill Reserve. The Rimutaka Range is just a short train ride or ferry ride across the harbour, inviting multiday options on one of New Zealand’s 23 Great Rides.

The riding just keeps on expanding as you head up the Hutt valley, so Wellington makes for a brilliant base for a long weekend, or week-long mountain bike holiday.

LIE OF THE LAND

Standing in the centre of town, or wandering up Cuba street, you can see that the city is contained by the surrounding hills, and bordered by the harbour. It’s a cosy feel, with houses virtually sitting atop one another as they rise up the hills on the edge of town. For a capital city, it feels more like a village.

Accessing the city from the airport couldn’t be easier, it’s barely 10 minutes way, on the other side of Mt Victoria. Alternatively, the Interislander ferry from the South Island ports right in town if you’re visiting as part of a longer journey. It’s so easy to get into Wellington from somewhere else, and the trails are so close to town, that I’d say you could arrive in Wellington, and be at your accommodation, with your bike built, pedalling to the trail head about an hour after landing or arriving – provided you’re handy on the tools.

While that is partly possible due to the proximity of transport in the cosy city, it’s also due to the proximity of trail heads, with three different riding locations all an easy or manageable pedal from the CBD.

Mt Victoria

These trails are so close, you drive under them coming from the airport. Mt Victoria is a steep hill right on the east side of the CBD, and while it has held a World Cup in the past, it’s now the home of plenty of multi-use trails. As you’d expect with a trail network right in the city, it’s a frequent haunt for people on pre-work, lunch-time or post-work rides, runs, walks – and anything else active. There’s over 35km of singletrack there, so it won’t be like trying to ride on a busy footpath.

You are unlikely to get majorly lost due to the compact nature of the trails, but they aren’t completely signposted either, so the best way to attack Mt Vic is to just explore. Most cross-country trails tend to be parallel to the footpaths, and the downhill trails run pretty steeply down, crossing other trails and paths. Given how busy the area can get, due caution needs to be given on the downhill trails.

There’s plenty of easy trails that snake their way around – but also a good amount of steeper rooty trails. There’s more than enough singletrack to have some fun riding around and taking selfies to show your mates that you’re on a riding holiday, but if you’re after some all-day pedalling you’ll need to head more than 5 minutes away from the CBD. Mt Vic is perfect for your first ride in town after arriving, or a pedal in the afternoon to work up an appetite.

Polhill Reserve

On the South West side of town, Polhill Reserve runs from the wind turbines down to Aro Street. It is another set of trails that butt right against the city, and while none of the trails are very long, they’re pretty good fun! Save for some connecting trails, a lot of them would suit experienced riders more than beginners. There’s more riding beyond the reserve, but for further trails you’d be best to speak to a local, or invest in some of the guide books that the Kennett Brothers have put out (kennett.co.nz).

We went to Polhill late in the afternoon, as the sun’s rays swept across the city and lit up the fresh snow on the Rimutaka Range across the harbour. The afternoon was blissfuly still, and the trails were super tacky as they dried out from recent rain, save for the root sections that were still slippery and kept us honest. We accessed the trails from Ashton Fichett Drive, which saved a bit of climbing. Otherwise, most trails are pretty much multi-directional, so you can access it all right from Aro street if you’d prefer.

Up higher, the trails have some great flatter, benched options through the scrub and forest, plus some more exposed trails on shale and clay. It’s a real mix, and another popular spot with walkers and joggers.

We played around at some old bunkers above the trails, enjoying the view across the harbour, before chasing each other down Transient, a trail of about 3.5km that drops all the way down to town.

This is also a major access trail for riders coming up from the city, so you’re best to bear that in mind when riding with mates. But it is also a brilliant trail to end your ride on, packed with lots of corners, flowing lines, off-camber sections, and some stacked berms close to the end. Best of all, the trailhead dumps you right on the top of Aro Street, and it’s collection of eateries and brewery. Depending on the time of day, drop in to one of the cafes or the bakery for a bit of fuel, or call it a day like we did, at Garage Project.

The boutique brewery takes their craft seriously, and put out new beers quite frequently. Garage Project is the perfect place to sample some craft beers, before picking some up to take home. And don’t feel too ashamed about dropping in while still in dirty kit – you won’t be the first. Beer and chips after a downhill finish – it doesn’t really get much better does it?

Mighty Makara – the jewel of Wellington

Makara Peak is rightfully the jewel in Wellington’s crown – for mountain bikers anyway. It’s up above the city, and probably more than a comfortable pedal away for less experienced riders – mainly because of the road climb. But Makara does offer trails for all levels of riders. But just as the roads wind their way neatly through the houses of the suburbs around Wellington, so do the trails wind their way sinuously up the flanks of the peak.

The purpose built mountain bike park covers 250 hectares of natural and recovering bushland and scrub. The peak itself sits a lofty 412m above sea level, and the sign at the top is oft-pictured, thanks to the great 360 degree views, and signage. There are lots of ways to get to the top, you can charge straight up some of the more abrupt trails, even the fireroad, or wind your way up on lower gradients around the back of the mountain bike park, enjoying the changing view and bushland as you approach the peak.

The park has recently had a flow trail built, called Peak Flow, but many of the other advanced trails feel more natural, with more rock, more exposure, and a very ridden-in feel. That’s not to say Peak Flow isn’t fun! Running straight from the viewing platform at the peak, Peak Flow has the width, gravelled surface, rolling jumps and berms that you’d expect from any flow trail around the world. True to Makara, it starts in a more exposed section in low growth scrub, before descending into the tightly packed lower forest, and feeding into the lower trails.

But, having visited Makara Peak a couple of times, Peak Flow doesn’t really capture Makara riding. To me, the trails of Makara Peak are characterised by classic exposed lines like Ridgeline, or the swoopy forest corners on Lazy Ferns, or on the slightly tighter Ridgeline Extension. Whether you take an older trail or Peak Flow, the descent from the peak is magical, as you descend from the seemingly highest point around you, with views across the water and city, before dropping into the forrest, and twisting, turning, and winding your way down the mountain.

Whatever you choose, Makara Peak is likely to entertain, please, and surprise you. It does get pretty busy on the weekend, but there are about 50km of trails, so take a good look at the trail map (hey, you could even download it) so you know what other options there are when you’re out on the trail. If you plan on being there for a long time, remember there are toilets and drinking water at the carpark – you might even choose to roll back down Karori main road for a coffee and some food before hitting the trails again,

The Rimutaka Rail Trail

In Issue 150 we covered the Rimutaka Rail Trail, one of New Zealand’s 23 Great Rides. Wellington is your hop off point for such a journey, whether you choose to ride some of it, or all of it, the Rimutaka Trail is a great day trip, or multi-day trip, right out of Wellington.

FEED THE MACHINE

Long days in the saddle are likely to leave you hungry, but thankfully you won’t be going without in Wellington. I’ve been to a few small towns where getting a good feed in the evening is a coin toss between a suspect counter meal and a dodgy takeaway. And sometimes not even that choice is there. Wellington is vastly different. There’s a huge variety in town, from outdoor burger joints, beer bars, shared dining restaurants and typical a la carte restaurants.

For a beer before dinner we liked both Golding’s Free Dive, tucked onto Leeds Street, and the Rogue and Vagabond. They also have live music on Thursday through to Sunday – and no TVs so you can escape sport for a little while.

For a casual, but quality, burger, Ekim Burger right at the top of Cuba Street is a hit. It’s sort of outdoor with shelter, so take a coat in winter. Their range of burgers include vegan and vegetarian options, and it’s worth getting a side order of their chips and homemade sauce.

I don’t mind some Swiss mountain biking, and the Matterhorn is a restaurant, cafe, cocktail bar combination with a fairly vibrant bar too. This place was also a firm favourite of stars from The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings (not in character), and it’s also New Zealand’s most awarded bar and restaurant.

More suggestions: wellingtonnz.com/discover/things-to-do/eat-and-drink/

SOMETHING FOR NEXT TIME

Our stay in Wellington was probably a bit short – as we didn’t get a chance to get out to the riding in the Hutt Valley. But with a range of galleries and museums that are frequently changing their exhibits, and at least three crecft beer bars not visited – there’s more than enough reasons to come back again. Afterall, when the door-to-door travel time is so short, and the riding is so good – it would be silly not to visit again.

WHERE TO STAY

In a capital city, you won’t struggle to find places to stay – but Wellington does provide bike friendly locations for a variety of budgets.

InterContinental Wellington

The InterContinental is a plush hotel that is keen to host mountain bikers, they veen have secure lock-up facilities that are under 24-hour surveillance. The third floor basement has a handy washing and drying pit for vehicles and bikes, and room to store muddy gear. Guest laundry facilities are also available, as well as same-day dry cleaning. With a heated indoor pool onsite for some recovery time, and a great breakfast buffet, it’s a great option for mixing the combination of riding holiday and a very comfortable city break.

intercontinental.com/Wellington

Museum Art Hotel

The Museum Art Hotel is right next to Mt Victoria, so you’ve got the easiest access to trails. The hotel’s selection of premium rooms and apartments offer clothes washing and drying facilities – so don’t fear the weather. Packed lunches are available, and a Bike Barn store is located just 700 metres away on Dixon Street for any spares or local knowledge you might need.

museumhotel.co.nz

CQ Hotel

CQ Hotel is the accommodation sponsor of the Karapoti Classic, and they have secure lock up facilities for bikes in the car park – but they allow bikes to be kept up in the Quality Hotel Rooms – as there is ample space. There is a hose-down/wash up area in the car park for cleaning bikes. The hotel is just around the corner from an AvantiPlus dealer on Vivian St.

hotelwellington.co.nz

WHAT’S ON

For the love of beer

Don’t mind a beer after your ride? Wellington is a perfect destination already, but they also host a few festivals devoted to the amber nectar through the year. Check out the Wellington events page for full details.

wellingtonnz.com/discover/things-to-do/events

Wellington On A Plate

The annual food festival was launched to celebrate the quality of food and drinks in the region. Lasting two weeks, there are over 100 events in Wellington, with pop-up restaurants, wine bars, feasts, cooking and drink mixing demonstrations, night markets and more. The festival runs from 12-28^th August in 2016, making eating at featured venues and markets a great way to refuel after a day on the trails next winter.

Wellingtononaplate.com

Karapoti Classic

If you tend to visit places for bike races and events, then it would be good to line up a visit with the Karapoti Classic. It’s a marathon race that does without the Australian obsession of hitting 100km. The 50k route has a couple of gruelling climbs, some testing descents, and you get to start standing in a river… it’s great local event that often draws an international field. There’s a 20km option, and while many will be racing for the record, most are riding for the experience.

karapoti.co.nz