We are rolling out a new sign-in system from tomorrow. Please read this entire post and look at the photos/videos to avoid confusion.

• Scan the QR code to create your profile (you only need to do this once). Alternatively, Text WOODHILL to 540
• Save your profile to your phone’s home screen or bookmark it (see attached video)
• Next time you ride, simply click on your profile, enter your car rego and a couple of extra things and you’re good to go
• Hot tip: Scan the QR code now to create your profile, so you’re only a couple of taps away from checking in when you arrive here 🤙🤙
• We realise there will be a significant transition period, so if you have any issues, please talk to the Crew on site. Manual sign-in option is still available as well.

** Feb 16th 2026 – April 26th 2026 – temporary ban on dogs on MTB trails due to highly toxic poison in forest.  Please note this ban applies to every day, including weekdays.  Please keep up to date with what’s going on via our socials! See you and your mate back when the risk is over 🐾🐶**

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO DOG OWNERS

The management team at Bike Parks Ltd wishes to advise dog owners of a change in Dog Rules at the Woodhill Mountain Bike Park.

As of 1 January 2017 dogs will no longer be allowed to accompany riders in the trail network on Weekends and Public Holidays.

The reason for this decision is due to a number of reasons including

• an increase in near miss accidents involving dogs
• an overall increase in weekend rider numbers
• an increase in owners not picking up after their dogs in the trails and carpark area or having them under an acceptable amount of control in the forest
• an increase in owners losing track of their dogs in the forest and having to stay later to find them

We will continue to allow dogs into the trail network during weekdays only which will also be reconsidered on regular intervals.  We would like to remind owners that dogs must remain on a leash in the carpark and then can be let off leash once you enter the trails as long as the dog is under full control.  Please pick up after your dog.

Thank you for for your understanding

The final phase of Auckland Council’s pest control programme kicks off Monday 16 February, which means we’ll be pressing pause on dogs in the park for a short time.

No doggies will be allowed on MTB trails Feb 16 – April 26

It’s all about protecting our native birdlife and keeping your four-legged mates safe while the work’s underway.

For more details, hop onto our socials or swing by and have a chat with the crew.

Thanks for being pawsome about it!

Our online shop is now closed for Xmas – but we can still organise your gift!  Don’t know what to buy?  We can tell you what all the cool kids are loving, what is coveted, and what we reckon will secure your position as the favourite Santa.

Give us a call, order online, and then pick it up!

Want to purchase coaching or bike hire?  We have new Experience Vouchers which means you can pay ahead and treat someone to a top tier gift.

Give the gift of bikes this year and be forever known as the person who buys the best presents 😎 Phone us: 0272 780 969 to organise!

Women's Group Rides are here!

Image 1 of 8

What an amazing night we had at our first Women’s Group Ride! Thank you to everyone who joined us for a ride and an ice block.

We are happy to let you know that we have space for ONE MORE night before Xmas – this Wed, Dec 17th, join us for another evening of fun and bikes.

Sign up here: https://www.bikeparks.co.nz/shop/womens-group-riding-dec-17th-630pm

https://www.bikeparks.co.nz/shop/womens-group-riding-dec-17th-630pm

We LOVE MTB and we are stoked to bring you the first in a line up of plans to build on the amazing Women’s MTB community we have at our park.

Dec 10th – riding at 630pm. Back at 8pm (ish) for a hot drink on us 🙂

Sign up here! Pre registration is a must ☺️ thank you! 

➡️ Friendship
➡️ New hobbies and shared hobbies (who knits and crochets?)
➡️ Hot drink hangout afterwards
➡️ Share with us your thoughts on what we can do to support your riding
➡️ Great fun, exercise, and so good for your mental health (especially coming into Xmas!)

This is suitable for anyone from new MTB riders to seasoned riders who can slay a Grade 3. We have two groups – Beginner or Intermediate (you choose!).

No bike, no worries – we can help you hire one – there are a few different prices, and we will take your $15 registration fee off the hire price.

Small group rides with coaching in there, too!

Our wonderful female coaching and guiding crew will be with you on the night, with lots of support, friendship, shared hobbies and a LOVE OF BIKES.

See you there!

$15 – inc free hot drink!

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in our recent survey. We’ll be putting out another one in the future, so be sure to sign up to our mailing list below to get it straight to your inbox (plus heaps of other epic news).

We all know that OG Woodhill rider who always has the intel – new trails, incoming plans, a sick new feature… well, now you can be the one telling your mates the goods at the gate 😎🔥 

Consider yourself invited to sign up for the hottest newsletter sliding into your inbox shortly.  It’ll be on the regular, but not so regular that it makes you unsub 😏

Not only will you get the goods, you’ll also be invited to participate in our surveys.  You have asked, and we have listened – so…. coming soon, we will be giving you the opportunity to help shape your park.  Sign up and be part of our community voice 🔊👂

The trail crew have been working hard and the majority of trails are now open following the cyclone.

Please ride with caution though as there have been a lot of changes in the trails and they may not be what you are use to.

There are still a couple of trails that are closed so please do not cross any tape you see.

Thanks

The park has reopened following Cyclone Gabrielle, but there are still a lot of trail closures, and things are going to be very different for a while.

Please check in with a staff member before entering the park, and familiarize yourself with the current trail situations.

DO NOT ENTER any closed off areas.

Thanks, the Bike Park Team.

Due to roadside forestry operations the park will be CLOSED on the following days:

CLOSED: Monday, 2nd May

CLOSED: Tuesday, 3rd May

All back to normal for Wednesday 4th May.

Thank you very much.

To our valued customers,

At 11:59pm on December 2nd 2021 New Zealand is moving to the Traffic Light System under the COVID-19 Protection Framework. That means that we must abide by a new set of regulations and industry guidelines.

From December 3rd 2021, Auckland will be placed in Red light. The following rules will apply:

• Guests will be required to be fully vaccinated to visit the Woodhill Mountain Bike Park and Disc Golf course
• Guests will be asked to confirm their vaccination status on our check-in app
• Our Staff will carry out checks to validate Vaccine Passes
• Masks are mandatory in the shop, hire desk and toilets
• Please sign in on both, the COVID Tracer App and OUR sign-in system
• Bike and Equipment Hire are strictly bookings only

Customers who wish to get a refund on the remainder of their annual passes can contact us through our website.

We appreciate your understanding.

Kind regards,

The Woodhill Mountain Bike Park Team

We’re looking forward to reopening the park on Wednesday 10^th November, 8am – 5.30pm.

The following rules and restrictions will apply:

• Masks are COMPULSORY in the courtyard, car park and shop at all times
• Please don’t congregate in groups of more than 25. That includes car park, trails, map stations, etc.
• Day passes can be purchased in the shop or at the hire desk
• Please keep a 2m distance when inside the shop, sanitise before entering and also socially distance when in the courtyard and car cark
• Strictly NO equipment hire, no exceptions (that includes bikes, helmets, disc golf discs and lights)
• NO late night Wednesday this week. Back to normal from next week
• Bike Wash Station and drinking station are closed
• If you’re sick, have been to a location of interest or waiting on a COVID test result, PLEASE STAY HOME
• Scan Covid Tracer QR code AND sign in on our system as well
• There will be no access to tools or the workshop
• No groups bigger than 25 people (social meet-ups, birthdays, school teams)
• All of our staff will be wearing masks

LET’S GO!

Unfortunately with the latest announcement from the government, with the move into Level 4 lockdown from tonight, we will be closed until further notice. Please do not enter the park.

Let’s all stay strong, do this right, and we’ll be back open before we know it. We’ve done it before, we can do it again. Stay safe everyone. We’ll see you soon.

Major tree felling operations will commence surrounding the carpark area from the 2^nd of August for 3 weeks.

Please take note of the following:

Our midweek opening hours during this time will be:

9am to 5.30pm

Access to the park is not permitted prior to 9am. Traffic control will be in place on the gravel road entering the bike park.

Wednesday closing remains at 9pm.

Weekend hours are not affected (7am to 5.30pm)

The Bike Park will be CLOSED ENTIRELY on the following days, to allow for roadside tree felling:

CLOSED: Monday 9^th August

CLOSED: Tuesday 10^th August

CLOSED: Monday 16^th August

CLOSED: Tuesday 17^th August

Trail closures/redirections will be in place, but we will post and update on those closer to the time.

The airfield will be closed until further notice.

All riders will need to stop at the riders entrance and talk to a Staff member, to be briefed about the harvesting operations.

Please adhere to all staff instructions and DO NOT cross any tape/enter closed off areas.

Thank you

NEW HOURS:
9pm close on Wednesday’s instead of 10pm.
MIDWEEK – 8am Forest Opens instead of 7am
Please – no riding ever when Gates are closed and staff are not onsite.

NEW CHECK IN SYSTEM:

Please – Check in when your arrive… every time.  This is not covid related, this is to ensure we have everyone accounted for under Health and Safety rules.
No Check in – No Ride sorry.  It takes less than 1 minute and could save your life in the event of an emergency.
Thank you for your understanding.

UPDATE: Freshies!

Covid 19 Pandemic Announcement – Bike Parks Ltd 

UPDATE:17 APRIL 2020.
FOREST REMAINS CLOSED.  As we near the restrictions easing and NZ returning to Level 3, Bike Parks Ltd management are working in the background to see what we have to do to get the Trail Network open in some form.  There will be some restrictions initially but we will have a decision ready for when the government announces Level 3 will begin.  Please bear with us and watch this space for updates as they come in.  Please refrain from contacting our staff in the interim.

FOREST CLOSED:
With the announcement today by NZ Government all non essential businesses are closed for 4 weeks.
Unfortunately, we are not an exception to that.
The forest and the trail network is closed entirely to access during this time. Please do not attempt to enter under any circumstances.
Thank you for your understanding.

We thank our customers in advance for their co-operation and understanding during this time.

PRICING RESTRUCTURE
Effective April 17th 2019 we have introduced a new pricing structure:
The reason for this is the rapidly rising business costs across the board, predominantly in the areas of land occupancy and staffing expenditure.

Whilst the single day rate has increased we encourage park users to prebuy Concession Cards or Annual memberships. This brings the price down to as low as $5 per week which we believe is exceptional value for any recreational activity in New Zealand.

Please refer to our price signage boards in the Proshop or our website for the new pricing.

If you wish to discuss this further please email our Management Team via [email protected].

Thank you for for your understanding.

UPDATE: Friday 4th May

We are happy to announce that we are nearly 100% reopen.  What is still closed is the really damaged areas which we will slowly work through as we can.
Open recently the northern block which includes all of the Advanced and Expert Trails like Off the Grid, Not 4 Granny, Stitch Up etc.
There is lots of changes to the original layout to reduce the dangers and the extra workload.  The DAKINE Trail Crew have smashed it out of the …park and managed to resurrect trails that we never thought we would be able to.

Next week they will be heading over Inland Road to work on the 12km of extra XC Trails.

UPDATE: Friday 20 April

Good news for the weekend. The DAKINE​ Trail Crew have managed to get some more key trails cleaned up and ready for your riding pleasure. The trails they worked on this week have been getting progressively harder and harder to re-establish due to the shear scale of the damage. The trails that are left will test them even more.  Next week they will try and get Off the Grid and Not 4 Granny open.  Then it’s across Inland Road where it got hit pretty hard.  Only time will tell how long this takes but we are all happy with the progress so far.

Soooo in addition to last weeks update the following trails are good to go (potentially better than were)

– Judgement Call
– Escape Route (Stage 1)
– Release Valve
– Handle the Jandal (the start was impossible to resurrect so it has a new temporary start section that will be sorted in the near future)
– Winding Things Up (it is missing quite a big chunk near the end as it was one of the worst we’ve seen yet but you can still use this as an alternative up trail to Reverse Psychology)
– Set in Stone (including a new link on to Booty Call)
– Acquired Taste
– Faultline
– Kamma Cuzzy
Awesome conditions exist on all trails.  See you this weekend.

UPDATE Friday 13 April 2018 5pm

MOUNTAIN BIKE PARK OPEN – TEMPORARY TRAIL NETWORK
We have managed to make some progress on the storm rebuild. The Trail Crew have managed to reopen a small area of the trail network. There are new temporary opening hours in place. The gates will open at 7am and close again at 5.30pm.

The proshop, coffee machine and mechanic service and Disc Golf course are fully operational.

The trails that are reopened will predominantly suit Families, Beginners and those that “want to ride and drink coffee”. The rain that came with the winds has solidified the trails perfectly so they will be riding well.

We ask that all riders please exercise extra patience and care during this time.

We have temporary closed signs and white tape up ensuring riders cannot get into closed areas by mistake. The trails that are still closed are closed as they are literally unrideable with large trees littering the areas.

The good news is we have managed to open the following trails:
L Plates
Family Loop
Over and Out
Togs Togs Undies
No Vacancy
Better than the Road
Hokey Pokey
Tasting Platter (from here down you will also get a taste of the damage and our efforts so far)
Second Grade
Booty Call
One Night Stand
Reverse Psychology
Spit Out
Judgement Call into Reality Check

Some of these trails have changed as we had to detour around fallen trees.

All other trails require specialist forestry felling machines. This means we have no idea of timing at this stage. We are in talks regularly with the forestry crews and will ensure we are fully operational as quickly as we can.

Thank you for your understanding.

UPDATE THURSDAY 12 April 2018 7am

We regret to inform that the Woodhill MTB Park will be closed all day today and tomorrow (Friday).

Our assessment of the damage from Tuesday nights storm has found extensive damage to the entire trail network. This is the worst we have seen In the 17 years we have been in business. The safety of our riders is paramount and at this time there are literally hundreds of dangers that exist. These dangers are predominantly huge trees blocking entire trail sections.

Our management team have developed a short term plan to try and get something open by this weekend. The goal is to rebuild these blocked sections piece by piece, starting from and working away from the carpark, extending the ride-able trail options as we go. Due to the shear scale of the damage, the timeframe on this project is impossible to determine.

We have had Trail Crew on the ground already and will continue this full time until we are certain we have done all we can. We have asked for some assistance from the forest crews as much of the damage is beyond our resources, capabilities and machinery limitations. It is important to understand that there are some areas that we will not be able to save.

Our next update will be on Friday at approximately 5pm. This update can be found on our website homepage, on our Facebook page or by listening to our voicemail message.

Thank you for your understanding.

WEDNESDAY 11 April 2018 PARK CLOSED DUE TO STORM DAMAGE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

Forest management has advised that the forest is a No-Go zone after last night’s storm.

We will update as soon as possible so please keep an eye on this website and our Facebook page.

Thanks

NEW TRAIL UPDATE:

This is Haydn – Operations and Trail Development Manager.

The new block that we have been working on since April will be open this Wednesday from 12pm.  This is a pivotal new block and completes the new Core Trail Network that myself and the various Trail Crew have worked on since November 2014.

This newest block includes:

– just over 6km of new trail

• 2 alternate options for Intermediate Riders to get back up to the Map Station 2 ridge line from the bottom (Inland Rd) 
• an optional XC extension to make the return route even longer 
• a Grade 4 technical trail that has a few small features on it (Only the end section is open at present, until the clay section dries out later in the year)

As with all new trails they are “open but not finished”, we continually reassess and upgrade trails as they need over time.  We may even need to close them again if the rain doesn’t ease up.. It will open off and on as we until it beds in completely.

We have also being working hard this month at improving all of the trails, including an extremely well timed drainage clearing mission on nearly all off the down trails, in anticipation for this massive rainfall we have just endured.. I firmly believe there are only a few places IN THE WOR

LD that can handle as much sustained water and still ride as good as Woodhill MTB Park does.. 

For more information on this new block, zoom into the photos of the trail signs, see the new map on our website or grab one from Stefan and his amazing staff at the Carpark/Proshop who have all been briefed…or go out and see for yourself.

NB we won’t be answering individual questions about trails on Facebook.

The Core Trail Network that I have designed for XC, Enduro and Family genres and have been working on since 2014, has more to offer in terms of trail choice, trail quality, flow, layout, signage, variety, consistency and sustainability than ever before and better than many other (I never said all) riding destinations in NZ.

In addition to the selection of awesome new style of trails we now have, I have replicated a vastly improved version of every trail from the old Network.  If you need further reassurance on this, I am happy to explain, feel free to email me. (except of course the 6 trails we had with jumps on them – see below)

Now that it is complete, which was crucial to the survival of our Bike Park and meeting the needs of NZ’s key rider demographics, who keep our business, in business, I will be finally able to build a progressive area of jump trails.  It will cater to jumpers from beginner to intermediate initially. I expect it to be ready to ride by this summer.

In the short term future, there will also be an extension of our network of trails down by the carpark for beginners, some short links throughout the whole network to increase options even further, more services for riders and continual improvements across the board. The long term future also sees many more trails, services and features to be continually developed.

Thanks to our loyal, patient and positive supporters, Woodhill MTB Park has survived and solidified its place as the home ground for Auckland Riders and remains as a big player in the NZ MTB scene.

A huge personal thanks to Stefan, Duncan, Mark and the rest of the amazing staff. 

Haydn Shore

Operations Manager

Woodhill MTB Park

And the winner is….. Woodhill MTB Park.

We made the finals of the 2017 North West Country Business Awards.  On the finals night we won Highly Commended for Recreation and also received one of the two Supreme Awards – Peoples Choice.

Thanks to everyone who voted for us and everyones continued support.

UPCOMING FOREST CLOSURES:

The management team at Bike Parks Ltd wishes to advise that due to circumstances beyond our control we will be closed to the public on the following date:

MONDAY APRIL 24th

The reason for this is the bike park is being used as the venue for the 2017 Worlds Masters Games. Spectators are more than welcome..  More info and entry details can be found here.

We apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for for your understanding.

Its with great pleasure that we open EVEN more trails.  The XC network is well underway with the Dakine Trail Crew smashing out nearly 15km more trail in record time.  Check out the new map or see staff for more details.

New Trails Open for 2016 Winter.

The Trail Crew is always working their butts off to make Woodhill MTB Park better and better.

The next step of the #MoreWoodhill program was rolled out today and will continue right throughout the 2016 Winter.

Highlights so far this year are:

• New Trail “Escape Route” – Grade 2 Green
• New Trail “Booty Call” Grade 3 Blue
• New Trail “Acquired Taste” Grade 4 Black
• “Handle the Jandal” Trailhead moved to shorten access to the down trails Handle the Jandal, Set in Stone and 1 Night Stand.
• Bypass around the Mud Bog area on 1st Addition.  This also links to both “Off the Grid” and “Not 4 Granny”
• New Colour Maps
• Updated Safety signage and Trail signage
• Viewpoints/Scenic spots of the beautiful Muriwai Beach
• Bike Wash Upgrade
• Courtyard Upgrade

We have been very lucky to have our entire trail network get lots of rain this summer.

Traditionally Woodhill’s sand base dries out and some sections become soft sand pits.  Whilst many people used to exaggerate this, generally speaking you would find 100m (in total) over an average 20km ride.  We think all of the short sand pits are all rideable and nothing like finding a mud bog in other riding areas in the Winter.  We have been managing this, especially any high speed areas for many years and minimise these sand pits extremely well.  Our new trail block has had extensive thought go into it and trails are built to minimise these issues even more.   Add on the forementioned regular rain, our Trail Crews regular maintenance and you can be sure our trails are humming at the moment.

We are also stoked to be able to open a new Trail ahead of our original April wet season.  Escape Route Trail is now open.  It is a 1.5km Green Trail, designed for those that want more km’s at the bottom of the hill before climbing up the Reverse Psychology return trail. It is super flowy and is really well stated as a pumped up XC trail.  Very fun for all rider abilities.  Ride it as hard or as slow as you like.

The Trail Crew continues to work at extending the Trail Network and we will have more trails open in April.

Enjoy your ride!

The Trail Crew are multi-tasking through the summer.

Not only are they building new trails ready for our Stage 2 opening in April 2016 but they are also making sure the new trails that are open are humming!!  We are making a commitment to ensuring these trails are in the best shape possible and are as safe as they can be, considering danger is part and parcel of Mountain Biking.

Get amongst it this summer with the Bike Park open from 8am – 5.30pm every day except the forest is closed on Xmas Day and New Years Day (no riding at all unfortunately).

TRAIL UPDATE/REPORT Weekend of Saturday October 3rd and Sunday October 4th:
HUUUUGE Week of action on the new trail front … but first the most recent closures due to trees going missing..
CLOSED: 
The last chutes on SPCA and Boundary Line – down to the stream. 
Spaghetti Stage 6 (the bit with Spaghetti Jetty down to the Old Carpark.
Tortellini.  
A section of Slipperies Delight (the majority of the trail is still there if you know where to go.) 
We have closed the trails off from just north of the Candy Store jumps (they are still open). Feel free to go bush past the closed tape but trust us there is nothing left in there.. we are doing it for your benefit..

Trail Report: Sat 12 Sept – Sun 13 Sept.
All Trails Open except a couple in the Enchanted Forest block. (See staff for details)

All Trails are running super fast, with grip in the corners and very few mud sections. We are expecting a very busy weekend, but there’s plenty to go around. (excuse the pun)

Trail and Road closures will apply. (mostly Midweek)
Whilst the timing of this felling has come slightly sooner than expected, it was inevitable and we have no control over it.   We will do our very best to ensure rider enjoyment is extended as long as possible.
Due to the schedule details that are provided to us being changeable, even at short notice, we have no way of publishing an exact plan with a concrete plan of attack.  We are at the mercy of the Forestry Company.
Exact changes and updates will be available from Supervising staff on site.  Due to the short notice we are given, we encourage riders to check before entering each time they ride to get the latest details.  Major announcements will be posted on Facebook and the Website.
Closures will start immediately, with smaller areas in the “old network” closed almost all of the time during the week and those that are deemed safe to ride will reopen for the weekends.  We will have substantial signage in place and riders are asked to obey signage at all times.  We have changed and improved our 3 main loops (Green Short Length / Blue Medium Length / Black Long) for riders wishing to familiarise themselves with the new trail network.
In addition to the immediate closures, in approximately 3-4 weeks, ALL roads within our boundary previously deemed ride-able will be closed for riders during weekdays.
We have implemented authorised road crossing points and have built new linking trails to keep riders off the road, except whilst using these road crossings.  Please bear in mind Forestry Industry is very high risk.  We are lucky we are allowed access at all while they are working and will lose this right if riders don’t comply.
There will be no trace of our trails after the harvesting is completed in approximately 18 months time and we don’t intend to rebuild in those blocks in the immediate future.  As published in the recent past, we have secured a new area and continue to build full-time in those blocks.  We have increased the trail network by well over 20km already and are constantly adding to that.
The new trail network is only part of a whole new Bike Park we are building for Auckland and we appreciate your understanding as we go through transitional phase.
For all enquiries please direct to [email protected].

Just one of the lovely corners on one of 11 new trails.

See more pictures and the latest video here

A solid effort by the Woodhill Trail Crew saw nearly 20kms of new trail ready for the Stage 1 Opening April 2015. Sustainability and summer proofing was high on the priority list and the crew has pulled off trails with amazing flow and shape that will last right throughout the year. Thousands of hours of planning, marking, cutting, digging, busting through dense forest and mostly hand loading nearly 100 Tonnes of Sandstone has 11 new trails open and ready to ride. With these new trails in unseen parts of the forest, with more gradient and a new type of terrain we have already seen an extremely positive response from regular Woodhill riders and from those who have rediscovered one of NZ’s most frequented riding destinations.
Whilst we are about to lose some of the existing trails due to harvesting, the Fresh Trail Vibe is not over yet, the Trail Crew are still going hard and we plan to have another 60km of fresh trail and new infrastructures in place by April 2016.
Watch this space.
Thanks to Scott Bikes, Dakine, Torpedo7, Smith Optics, Nature Valley, Bell, Rock Shox, Kali Protectives and Camelbak

Daylight Savings Times:
NEW FORMAT – It’s that time again when our gates close early except this year it’s different.. We will close the gates at 5.30pm midweek (except Wednesday 10pm as always).. At the moment we will leave Saturdays at 6pm but this will change as we get into the shorter days.. Either way with our new afternoon system of checking in before you enter the park means you can check with staff if you are are unsure. Trails are riding amazing so see you all soon…
http://www.sunrise-and-sunset.com/…/sun/new-zealand/auckland

As we mentioned in our October Press Release we are building a whole new trail block.

There has been extensive work going on and Stage one of the new trail block is set to open once the rain comes in April.

Check out a video of some of the progress here.

There is also a gallery of photos here.

For weekly and or daily info please check out our Facebook page

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

It comes with great pleasure and excitement to announce that The Woodhill MTB Park’s long term future has been confirmed. Bike Parks Ltd, the management company responsible for operating the Woodhill MTB Park signed a new agreement earlier this month with the new restored land owners of the Woodhill Forest Nga Maunga Whakahii o Kaipara (NMWOK).

Securing the continuation and future of the Woodhill MTB Park has been a long process which started many years ago when the land ownership was still under crown control . With the land ownership changing from Crown to the NMWOK officially in 2013 the direction of the NZ’s busiest Mountain Bike Park and other recreational operations within Woodhill Forest was not certain. We have been working closely with NMWOK to ensure the mountain bike park was represented in the strongest way demonstrating the importance of its long term existence. The commercial board of NMWOK Development Trust has acknowledged this importance of maintaining one of Auckland’s greatest recreational destinations in providing us with a long term future.

We are excited to announce as part of this new agreement we have been able to secure a new area of excellent age trees to develop a new trail network.  This area will provide new challenges and awesome riding terrain for our riding community.  This has been the most important part of our new agreement and will combat the issues surrounding the ongoing harvesting operations within our existing network.  The current remaining trails will still be in operation until they are harvested in 2016/17, however our development focus will lie in our new area. Additionally we are happy that our car park and base area will remain in its current location for the foreseeable future. As part of this we would like to thank all of our riders for your patience and understanding throughout the harvesting operations to date and while we have been working through these uncertain times.

As with most new ventures and ownership transfers, there are changes on the immediate horizon. Most notably the land is now under complete private ownership. In the past under crown ownership there was a public entitlement in terms of foot access onto the land. This is no longer the case and it must be treated and respected like any other land under private ownership.  The main changes you will see in the short term is the implementation of a new pricing structure to provide an entry user levy contribution to NMWOK. This will be collected as part of our entry day passes and annual registrations. From the 1st November this will be an extra $1 on day passes and $20 on annual registrations, concession cards will also be amended accordingly. We will also be adding a small development contribution to our registration to help with the new trail development cost. However we feel our registrations fees will still represent exceptional value.  As part of this NMWOK will provide a brief survey to complete on entry. NMWOK will use the revenue generated from the entry user levy to fund ongoing routine maintenance of common areas, access ways and security, amenities and coordinate user activities, within the forest area.  Secondly and later in the year we will be coordinating the gate opening and closing times and manning at all times throughout opening hours. Up until now a security company has been responsible for the opening and closing of gates and have been somewhat flexible with timing.  This will no longer be the case, and strict times will be adhered to.  We will be revising the current opening and closing times and will advise on these times as soon as possible.

We would like to note that throughout the last 12 years the mountain bike park has had no external funding or support from councils, charities, grants or suchlike as many other riding areas in NZ. This will still be the case going forward. We have had fantastic support from our commercial sponsors over these years and would like to thank them for their continued support. We are relying heavily on all of our revenue streams for the huge development plans we have ahead, and while we know these changes may not be looked upon favourably by everyone, we need your support and understanding as we push forward and build an awesome new mountain bike park over the next 3 years.

We are looking at these changes very positively and would like to thank the members of Nga Maunga Whakahii o Kaipara for providing their land for the ongoing use for mountain biking.  We now have the long term future we have required for years, thanks to the understanding of NMWOK.  We ask that our riding community embrace the changes for a better long term future of mountain biking at Woodhill MTB Park.

NMWOK have set up a new website which they will continue to develop providing excellent information regarding the Woodhill Forest, activities therein, notices about any current access restrictions or warnings, it’s history and many details surrounding ownership and history.

Please check it out at: www.woodhillforest.co.nz

From all of the crew we thank you for your continued support and we are certain that the existing and new Woodhill MTB Park will stand up to your expectations.

Cheers

The Woodhill Team

PRESS RELEASE:
The decision has been made by Hancock Forestry Management, that storm damage in the Big Mumma Block is too extensive for the remaining trees to be left standing without creating an even more unsafe area.   Despite our negotiating to the contrary, we were not able to change that decision.  We completely understand and anyone who has seen the damage would find it hard to attest otherwise.  

The trails affected are the Big Mumma Trail, Ho Chi Min and Lil Mumma (AKA To Carpark Hard).  The trails will be completely unrecognisable afterwards and we have no immediate plans to rebuild in this area until trees have been replanted and have seen a few years of growth.

On a positive note we will be able to rebuild the adjacent sections of Treasure Island and Afterglow Stage 1 very shortly as the harvesting crew will clear those damaged sections for us.  Afterglow will start next Monday and we expect to have that reopen for the following weekend.  

In regards to future development we have been negotiating very exciting new terrain and a long term future with the new land owners Nga Maunga Whakahii o Kaipara for the last 18 months. We expect to make official announcements in the next 6 weeks.  

We would like to acknowledge Laurie “Truck” Cartright for his efforts in initially building the Big Mumma trail back in the early 2000’s when he worked for Bike Parks.  Due to its constant popularity Haydz and the trail crew have tirelessly maintained and improved many parts of the trail and structures over the last 10 years ensuring the trail held up and was fun to ride safely year round.  Additionally we would like to thank Gavin Purdy for assisting the park in gaining local council consents for structures over a meter high, this resulted in Gavin designing and rebuilding a number of the 5X structures located in the Big Mumma block in the mid 2000’s.     

Whilst we are losing a somewhat historical Woodhill Mountain Bike Park trail and one of the first trails in the network we can only suggest that this is a start of a new era for the park and the Mountain Biking community.

Progress!! We started the first stages of the machine assisted Storm Clean up today and had our first meeting with an actual forest crew after weeks of the diplomatic and corporate part of an “Operating” Forest .. The crew have a better understanding of exactly what parts of our trail network we need to get the machines in to and how much work is there for them…there is still no actual date but we will let you know as soon as we know…

We also managed to clear out a small link section at the end of Roadrunner and therefore officially open the new Boundary Line trail we have been working on, while we waited on machines.. The new Grade 4 section (also accessible off Flying Fox) is now open which means you can hang on to “Boundary Line” all the way from Roadrunner to the Old Carpark .. It’s not suitable for novice riders but we also opened the link into the sweet Afterglow Trail at stage 2 for an alternative line.

Well we have good news. We are open!

Thank you to the volunteers who helped with the final piece of a fun and complex puzzle we managed to solve.. at least for now anyway.   As you’ll see when you ride it’s not as simple as 3 days and its done..we still have some working out to do..but we are pretty pleased with ourselves for getting whats left open ready for tomorrow. Please stay behind the danger tape and white tape and stay away from closed off.

The rest of the trail network will be hummmmming after today’s little clean up.. Enjoy!

PARK UPDATE:

FRIDAY UPDATE:

Ok…soooooooo here’s the latest.. While the powers that be in the forest, planned to plan for their planning meeting (next week) to get together a plan we realised that by then most of you would be going insane not getting your floooow on… so the damn fine bunch of Woodhill’s paid professional Trail Crew lead by the Operations Manager Haydn Shore and Managing Director Mark Harrowfield went in and sorted that sh*t out! Thanks to Tim Hunter for trying his new chainsaw on our carnage as well.

We spent dusk til dawn identified all the dangers, clearing or realigning what we could and taped off the rest.. and got ourselves a plan of our own (whilst still adhering to the rules of the forest of course). We have a bit more to do tomorrow (with the help of professional tree ninja people) and those that are still keen even if it is pouring… SO WE WILL BE CLOSED SATURDAY… we are however very, very stoked to say we will be OPEN FOR BUSINESS AS USUAL ON SUNDAY…and once you see the remaining carnage and remnants for yourself, you will understand just how much of a win for us that is….

Now’s here’s where you come in. There is still significant dangers out there. We have taped them off with white tape and installed closed signage… We NEED you all to stay out of taped off areas. A: so you don’t die – you aren’t tougher than these hazards and B: so we can prove to the Landowners once again that we have this under control…This is just another curve ball in our business that we believe we have hit right out of the park.. this is what we do! If you choose to cross the tape you undermine all of our work.

If you are coming tomorrow morning to help us clear the non-dangerous debris left after today’s marathon effort (see “shuffling along trails throwing off small bits of tree”) please be on time at 9am SHARP at the bottom gate. We will all drive in to our old carpark and meet the Trail Crew with all the details. Bring yourself and lunch, we will provide free coffee once we all wrap up at 1pm at the proshop.

The areas that are taped off are in the hands of the Forestry Management Company..so who knows when they’ll be reopened or what state they will be in, yet we are happy they are taking care of it……. All trails will be open, except the worst hit areas that will blow your minds when you see them:
CLOSED TRAILS
Big Mumma Block
Treasure Island
Afterglow Stage 1 and 2
Haggis Stage 1 and 2
A short section of the new Boundary Line and the link from Roadrunner to Spag 3.
We have directional signage in place to help with the changes.

See you Sunday

FRIDAY SATURDAY: The park will remain closed until further notice.  We have been able to gain access to some parts of the forest now the roads have been cleared and several parts have been devastated and are very dangerous for people to be in these areas.  We are working hard to get some of the network open for Sunday but the wind is still dangerous and the forecast is for high winds Friday.

THURSDAY: With gusts still reaching Gale Force we will remain closed today.  Our Crew have access to some of the forest so can get the less dangerous debris today and should be able to get in fully and clean up tomorrow. We will do our very best to be open for the weekend. This is the worst storm we have ever had go through the park so please bear with us while we take care of it.

WEDNESDAY: The forest remains closed today and tomorrow until at least midday..it is a very dangerous place to be at the moment .. We will need to make a decision tomorrow whether we can open or not once we see how bad the carnage is from this storm..we have the whole Trail Crew ready to go to make sure the park is cleaned up, safe and open for Saturday

New styles and colours, same old good hoodies.  $89 or $69 if you have a valid Park Membership.

We are excited to announce the return of the awesome-ness that we wanted to call …

“2014 Public MTB Product Launch, Bike Test, Airbag session, Pump rack race’n, sausage sizzling, eye googling, all in one place…PARRRRRTY”  .. but it was too long.  All of NZ’s industry together in one place for your viewing, riding and ogling pleasure.  Right here at Woodhill MTB Park

NB:  The Airbag has yet to be confirmed.

Check out the video from last year here

We finished a new trail last November and here is a little video run down of what it’s all about.

No Vacancy Trail with Commentary

On Sunday we had the 2013 Product Launch.  The guys from bikeland.co.nz were there with a production crew and got this sweet edit.  Keep watching for more individual bike brand edits coming soon.

Video is here on our site

and full story is over on bikeland.co.nz

When a new MTB trail is opened or an old tired trail is rebuilt, it’s inevitable that stories evolve along the lines of “we used to ride that track back in the nineties…before you were allowed to…we used to ride down that up track…it was so much better then…they’ve ruined it…” and all sorts of mumbo jumbo along those lines.  The long and the short of it is, that any purpose built mountain bike trail (built by proper mountain bike trail builders) is better than some old line that would never have stood up to more than a few trail poachers.  Rainbow Mountain is a very good example of this.

Word was out that a crew from Rotorua helped with the build on this once illegal for riding doc track.  The fact that Casey King (King by name and king by trail flow) was a big part of that crew, heightened my enthusiasm to check out this new trail asap.  Upon further investigation words like steep, grinding, push, walking were fairly common from seasoned riders and even from those that built the new lines.  Now I don’t really like to do too much pushing, hence why I ride a bike for fun and enjoyment, the odd push is ok but what they were describing didn’t sound like much fun to me.  What they neglected to mention, which I found out later is that if you do actually ride (or try to) the ‘up’ section of the mountain you miss out on so much of the beauty and in my mind the essential part of what makes Rainbow Mountain one of NZ’s must do mountain bike trails.  Now before you go taking your Nana there for a wee ride dear…it’s tricky.  Whilst any fit person may be able to push up the steep uphill section, a large part of the down section is really only suitable for advanced riders.

Back to the up hill section though.  My bike is the 2012 Scott Genius LT.  It is a cleverly designed ‘trail’ or ‘all mountain’ bike (depending on which way you swing) that boasts 170mm of travel.  I have never ridden a bike with this much travel that climbs as good as many short travel bikes on the market whilst still being versatile enough to conquer the down’s with pleasure.  Many brands boast they can but many fail to deliver.  With a few small and inexpensive tweaks I have also changed it into a bike that is very happy and stable flying through the air.  Within five hundred metres from the carpark I realised that the LT was to become more handy to me on the down sections.  No bike I chose would have gotten me up that track in the saddle.  The up track was in my mind unrideable.  I know some may try and account that to my lack of lycra, my skinny pins and my lack of riding skill but I know so many more that will agree with me whole heartedly.*  Mountain biking for me is not a race, how far I can ride, and in this case if I could make it up that track without pushing.  For those that do try and ride the whole way up there, so be it, you’ll miss out on what I believe is the whole point of the Rainbow Mountain experience.

My grumbling about the fact that so soon after getting out of the truck I was pushing up this track turned to sheer delight when my accomplice Justin told me to lift my chin up and check out the surroundings.  Justin knows a thing or two about native trees and winged it with the geothermal activity stuff and was happy to narrate along the way.  That place is amazing.  Every few minutes we were leaving one form of native to be surrounding by another and another and another picturesque moment.  The views were near breath-taking and we were no where near the top yet.  Shear red, orange and brown rock faces with steam pouring out of them, hidden thermal lakes and volcanic rock formations the entire way through the distant valleys.  Well built D.O.C layaways ensured you got the prime view and although the track didn’t ease up at all, it didn’t matter, I was sold.  I was pushing my bike up an amazing NZ walkway…and…I was inevitably about to be rewarded with a downhill from the top.  This was one of the few “pushes” that I have enjoyed, so even if the down section was average I would still be happy.

We popped out of the native onto a 4wd track that within a few minutes had us at the top of the Summit.  743m above sea level and 360° views as far away as Mt Ruapehu, Lake Taupo and Rotorua.  Wow!  I could have stayed all day up there but our attention turned to this fabled down section that was supposed to be as good as it gets…

Te Ranga started off as techy and rooty goodness, that’s the section that really isn’t suited for beginner riders, as far as to say those that weren’t technically suited would have disliked the journey just on that section alone.  On the other hand Justin and I loved every second of it.  My LT is famous for turning technical, bumpy tracks into seemingly smooth trail and as always I was not let down.  As we, for lack of a better word, hurtled down this trail I remembered something Casey had said the day before  “…you’ll know when you get to our part…try not to brake, trust the berms and you’ll be rewarded with doubles and tables that just work..”  Boom, I knew alright.  Half way down the mountain the trail turns into what at the time I described as trail building magic.  My LT floated down this section, flying around the corners into these jumps and pumps with perfection.  No brakes (ok maybe a sneaky tap from time to time) was the key, I just held on and was taken on a ride for what seemed like about 6-8 minutes of down (on this section alone) but I honestly couldn’t tell you as we lost track of everything else but the sheer enjoyment of this trail.  We got to half way through this section and pushed back up, re-investigated the corners and jumps and then hit it all over again but this time flowed down with it all the way to the road.  If it wasn’t such a push back to the top we would have ridden that thing like a rollercoaster all day long.

Rainbow Mountain + Intermediate or Advanced rider = MUST DO.

*I volunteered some time with a trail crew in Rotorua for a few days earlier and none of them had known anyone that had made it to the top without getting off so I didn’t feel too bad.

MORE INFO:
Rainbow Mountain is 20-25 minutes from Rotorua on the SH5 Rotorua-Taupo road.  Parking is in a carpark right next to the road a few hundred metres on the left past the SH 38 Murupara turnoff (coming from Rotorua).

More info can be found here and here

There has been a few changes in the last few weeks.  We have set about opening up a section of the recently felled block to allow access back on the former Book-a-bach Trail.  We don;t like to think we have reopened it, more rebuilt it completely along the same lines but with a new set of knowledge.  We think you’ll like it. The infamous AV8A structure is also open again.

NEW BERM HALF DONE

BERM READY TO RIDE

We have also set about finding and rectifying corners that are “crying out to be better”.  You will notice trail fixes popping up throughout the trails here and there.

Work has also begun on the new Family Loop which will give the park ground level and up trail goodness.

Enjoy

We have combined all of our goodness events into one biggie.

Book in your diaries April 21st 2012 for a cracker of an event.

– More demo/test bikes than ever before
– Prizes
– Music

– Airbag jumps (even without your bike)

– Giveaways
– Pump Track Race

– Dirt Jump Demonstration
– Good times

9am-4pm Saturday April 21st

We have just finished the big overhaul of a tired old trail.  Yakusa formerly one of the great jump trails got a WHT (Woodhill tune).

We ripped out all the old bits and redid it in 2012 Woodhill Style.  All the landings have safety sections on them so jumpers can progressively get better and bigger.

Check out the vid here

We always have a trained medic and emergency response vehicle onsite during shop open hours.  Please add the following number to your phone contacts.  0272 780969.

After an incident on the weekend whereby it took an extra 15 minutes for our emergency response to be sent and even longer for the ambulance to be called.

It could save a life or at worst save an injury from getting worse.

Please note that although Selwyn Road borders our park trail network it is not officially part of the park.  Riders may use it for access in the case of an accident or to get out but not as a training loop.  Other roads outside of our map are also off limits.

Our staff and forest security equipped with video cameras will be patrolling the boundaries and riders are asked if they are outside of the boundary (as mentioned above) that they are required to give security officers their name and details by law. The officers will be in unmarked vehicles (except for a window sticker with Forest Access tag) but will have I.D and high viz vests with Forest Security on them.

Please do not make this situation worse for us or yourselves.

Despite the fact that on the Wednesday before the main event, the jumps in the Monster Energy Airfield were being drenched with yet another mood dampening assault from mother nature and the event was on the verge of being called the Mud Jump Open, the three main players on the Woodhill Trail Crew made the call that The 2011 Monster Energy Woodhill Dirt Jump Open (DJO) could still be pulled off.

Around 2 tonnes of fresh sandstone was bought in and allocated to the “10 hit” dirt playground by hand to soak up any water that was stubbornly not “just going away”.   Then it was in the hands of the weather gods. And for the 4^th year running those weather gods sure did make a few people smile.  Throw in most of NZ’s top MTB dirt riders, some local rippers and a bunch of the the best local BMXers and you have yourself a pretty good day out.

The action kicked off on the Saturday where the riders got to try out the newly refurbished Monster Energy Airfield and feel it out for the main event on the following day.   30 riders qualified into Junior, BMX and MTB classes.

Log Entry: Woodhill Mountain Bike Park, Sunday 22 May 2011 9am. Top and Bottom Carpark … Full … It’s DJO time!

The crowd were quickly getting in their weekend ride in the “main part” of Woodhill MTB Park’s 100km purpose built trail network to make sure they were back at 1pm to check out the neighbouring action in one of the few big fulltime dirt jump arenas in NZ.

That crowd estimated to be around the 1000 mark was not let down as riders “threw down” tricks to try and grab the judges attention.  As the action got hotter the crowd rose to the occasion and fed the riders with more adrenaline to pull off some crazy tricks including Invercargill rider Conor McFarlane’s front flip and Wanaka Local Tani Te Pou’s 360 Tail Whip.

As numbers dropped through injury and equipment failure several riders flew through to the second round and then into the finals.  Before the last riders got to prove themselves and take out the title, there was the matter of the 2^nd Nature Valley best Trick contest (the earlier best trick contest ended with local BMXer Liam Marshall crashing a 720 attempt and being taken away in an ambulance as a precaution.  The riders decided to keep riding and we have since heard that Liam is home and well).

The aptly named “Monster Jump” was surrounded by eager onlookers as only the really keen riders rolled down the lead in step down to the screams of the crowd and pulled of big trick after big trick after big trick to try and nab the cash.  Despite Wanaka’s Elmo Cotter’ and Aucklander Matt Harris’ back flip attempts, the prize money went to Raglan’s Lewis Jones’ ‘Super Seat Grab’.   Lewis had only hit the jump for the first time earlier in the weekend after avoiding it for nearly 2 years because it “was too big”.   He deserved the cash as he looked very much at home flying over the 10m gap 6m in the air at 40km and hour holding on to his seat with his legs out and above his head…Wow!

The Final round followed with the top 5 riders in each class having one last chance to wow the judges.   Lets just say that the judges had an extremely hard task to try and pick the winners from an outstanding bunch of riders all worthy of a share in the prizes.   Once again Lewis Jones shone with his combination tricks and his silky smooth style and took out the MTB Class jumping up from his 3^rd place from last year.  Conor Benson (AKL) pipped last years winner Nick Dethridge (AKL) in the junior class.  New for 2011’s BMX class was won by George Bolter (AKL).

More info, videos and pictures can be seen on the events page and photo gallery and Over the Top Productions video link.  Will be updated as more come in this week.

Please continue to support this years sponsors Monster Energy, Sram, ABD, Fox, Nature Valley and Oakley.

Thanks to our three judges Tim White, Richie Mac and Alan Montifiore.

Thanks also all those media who contributed, especially Thomas Lloyd, John Colthorpe and Jamie McKenzie.

THIS WEEKEND!!!

There has been a lot of talk about whether the event will be on or not.. There is no “not”.  We aren’t even thinking about that… It will be on unless it is absolutely pouring down.

The jumps are running real good and the last few tweaks to “bling the jumps up” will be completed this week.

The forecast is looking pretty good.  See below for the latest forecast picture thanks to metvuw.co.nz.

Most of NZ’s top riders have confirmed so the action is going to be hot!

HOT TIPS:

• There will be freebies and spectator prizes worth thousands.
• Monster Energy will be onsite with giveaways galore.
• Bring cash to avoid delays and nab bargains from ABD and to grab awesome hot food and Jungle Coffee all in the Airfield arena.
• Get in early to get a park up the top carpark.
• It’s a little (only a little) wet under foot outside of the actual jump lines so don’t wear your best shoes or your heals ladies
• Bring your yelling voice..it’s going to mayhem.

Main event 12pm – 4.30pm 22 May 2011.

Check out this promo vid to get warmed up for Sunday >

More details here.

http://www.bikeparks.co.nz/events/nz-dirt-jump-open

Evil Offspring will be open again this weekend.  We know there’s a few of you that have been sneaking in to ride it’s Evil goodness but that’s ok.  Those advanced riders that have waited, the 4 week wait is over, get in there and ride it.

While we had all that rain last week we managed to get a new trail open.  It’s not for everyone but those that like the steep chutes in Charlies Angel should enjoy this one.  It is only a shorty at 800m long but is steep and technical.  Find it off Charlie’s Angel (very easy to find from there) and it comes out at the bottom of there as well.  It makes for  great starting of trail or hit it on the way home and return to Black Top/Bookabach Home via Granny Hill 4wd Track.

PLEASE DON’T RIDE THIS TRAIL IF YOU NEED TO BRAKE DOWN STEEP HILLS.  IT ONLY RUINS THE TRAIL FOR OTHERS

The trail crew have resurfaced the mainline of the Pump Track and it is running hot.  The berms have been resurfaced making the lines so much more fun.  We also drilled drain holes in the Concrete tunnels meaning they will be dryer quicker after it rains.

The Midline of the jumps has had a make over making it super smooth and very predictable.

The Top 3 of the Mainline have also had a light groom and they are also riding very nicely.  Thanks to Nick D, Conor and Thom for their volunteer effort as well.

Ah yes we are open again.  After a couple of weeks of hard yacka we have sorted the mess out and are open for business.

The Coffee Shop is now in with the Proshop.  We also have some new brands and more of the old brands for your buying pleasure…as always at our very competitive prices.

The old Coffee shop will be transformed into our The Mechanic Room, where our local mechanics can sort your bike as we know Woodhill better than ever. We can suggest the best lubes and cleaning regime to ensure you get the most out of your drive trains and bearings.

Come and check it all out next time you are up or check out the pictures here.

We are cracking into a big renovation of our onsite Proshop.  Firstly we apologize for a bit of a mess in the meantime…more importantly, here is what is happening

We have added three more 40 foot shipping containers to our existing one.  Two are backed right up to the other and the third is sitting on top.

Inside we have cut the walls out making a big space, a set of stairs, a changing room and heaps of cool new products. (even more to come as we get on with the project).

The coffee shop will be merged into one end of the shop and the mechanic will head ove to the other building making all three departments…for lack of a better word…WICKED!  Check out the pic below or click here to see more.

Stage 1 and 2 NOW OPEN. The climb is now even more worth it as we have completed Treasure Island Stage 2 ahead of schedule. We have lost track of how many berms are in there, but there is LOTS!

Stage 3, 4 and 5 will be worked on over the next 12 months making this block the longest single trail we have. We have currently only used about 20% (1.6km so far) of the whole block so there is plenty more to come.

FIND TREASURE ISLAND BY FOLLOWING “NEW TRAIL SIGNS” ON BIG MUMMA

Mr Hesky Trail has also received some “berming” which will be fine tuned in a week or so once it has had some riders over it. We will continue to touch up a few trails in a similar manner over the coming weeks. Back Road is next.