Porirua keen to follow Christchurch’s adventure park lead

Porirua appears keen to emulate Christchurch’s now fire-damaged adventure park on slopes of Colonial Knob, north of Wellington.

All discussions have been behind closed doors, as officials from Porirua City Council and the as-yet unnamed developer continue.

It’s not a new idea to have mountain bike trails on Colonial Knob – Mana Cycle Group have built six there to date – with talks about an adventure park believed to have begun during former mayor Nick Leggett’s tenure.

But council officers, a councillor and current Porirua Mayor Mike Tana recently paid a visit to the $20 million Christchurch Adventure Park, which opened in December and was later damaged in February’s Port Hills fire, to get a feel for what might be possible on Colonial Knob.

Bryan Patchett, council’s general manager city growth and partnerships, said the potential for a privately-run adventure park was exciting and the developer was ‘‘very, very credible’’.

‘‘We’re at the point now of understanding what all the pieces are to make this fit together.

‘‘Of course the most important considerations are the environmental ones for this land and not compromising public access to Colonial Knob.

‘‘Everything looks very positive but there is a lot of planning to happen first.’’

Patchett said involving Mana Cycle Group, Ngati Toa, Wellington City Council, and the Department of Conservation during the process will be paramount.

Aside from officer time to consider consents and other issues, ratepayers will not be burdened with any cost for an adventure park, he said.

Mana Cycle Group president Kevin Gwynn said his group has been touting bike trails on Colonial Knob for more than six years as a huge opportunity for the city and anything that furthers the group’s vision is fantastic.

‘‘There’s so much potential up there and if someone is coming in with big bucks to invest, that’s a win for us and for Porirua,’’ he said.

He hoped Mana Cycle Group would be consulted as its members have experience on the hills they have cleared themselves in the past few years.

Tana said an adventure park could become ‘‘iconic’’ for Porirua.

‘‘This could be one of the biggest things to ever come here, one of the biggest attractions in the lower North Island,’’ he said.

‘‘Something substantive could take two years to get built but I think it can be better than what Christchurch has. There’s no pine trees, no dust and what about the views?’’