A world-class mountain bike park with trails for casual riders to experts, just a 25 minute eBike ride from our shop. Featuring breathtaking views, quality maintained tracks, bridges and jumps. Makara Peak has something for any level of rider.
Where: 25 minute eBike ride from Switched on Bikes or a 40 minute bus ride with your bike on the front.
Time: 2-4 hours minimum. Try longer, it’s an excellent day trip.
Who: Intermediate riders to advanced. Has great tracks ranging from Grade 3 to Grade 6.
Beginner Loop:
-
Magic Carpet (1.3 km): A relatively flat trail with wide corners, a great flow and has a couple mild ups and downs. An approachable way to get kids or beginner riders out on an MTB
-
Remu-Miro-Lazy Fern-Magic Carpet (2.8km): The best loop to extend your Magic Carpet ride that contains gentle gradients and plenty of fun for beginners throughout.
Intermediate Loop:
-
Koru-Sally Alley-Three Brothers- Smokin’- Swigg. (7.9km): This loop takes you from the main carpark on South Karori Road and back again. You’ll climb up to roughly 310 metres above sea level on a steady gradient along Koru and Sally Alley before crossing Three Brothers. Your descent starts with the flowy and fast Smokin’, then joining Swigg for your final drop. This loop is a great test of skills for intermediate riders and offers great rewards after a fairly high climb.
Advanced Loop:
-
Missing Link-Leaping Lizard- Nikau Valley- Missing Link-Aratihi (7.2km): A great loop for riders with higher fitness levels. If you’re after a tougher climb, this is it. Power your way up Missing Link to the start of Leaping Lizard on a combination of single and 4WD tracks. You’ll then hoon down the two way track of leaping lizard to connect to Nikau Valley. be prepared for another technical climb here in Nikau Valley before making the final push to the summit on the steep Aratihi. It’ll all be worth it!
Getting There
Heading to Makara Peak Mountain Bike Park is fairly straight forward when leaving from Switched on Bikes. Ride an eMTB, put the bike on the front of a bus or throw it on the back of your vehicle. We have bike racks for vehicles available for hire if needed.
Cycling there:
- It’ll be about a 20 minute ride from our shop on an eMTB. Head right when leaving our shop and make your way to the large gates on the waterfront that lead you to Whitmore Street. From here, you can ride on a great cycle way up to Tinakori Road right next to the Wellington Botanical Gardens. Keep moving up the hill of Tinakori road until you reach a small roundabout. Take the first exit on your left, head through the tunnel and keep following the signs to Karori. Soon you’ll reach the main street of Karori. The Mountain Bike Park is riiiight at the end of the main road, so keep crusing down it (it’s mostly downhill!), you’ll see the big signs for the park and you’re nearly there!
