Maitai opens new recreation hub
A new hub set to get wheels spinning and feet moving is opening in one of the most scenic parts of Nelson.
The Maitai Recreation Hub, opening to the public on Saturday, includes a maintenance stand for bikes, a bike wash, new pathways connecting a pump track, car parking and an improved track leading from Gibbs Bridge to the hub.
Nelson Mountain Bike Club manager Belinda Crisp said it was great to see the concept come to fruition after five years of working with a number of groups, including Nelson City Council, Ngati Koāta and the Waahi Taakaro Golf Cub.
‘‘It’s the start of a whole new focus on the Maitai as being the heart of Nelson biking.’’
She said although the Codgers Mountain Bike hub was ‘‘awesome’’, it was always planned as a stepping stone until the primary hub was developed.
‘‘The Codgers Hub is already at capacity.’’
Nelsonians had a thirst for biking, reflected in the 3500 NMTBC members, she said, with more than twice that number who biked regularly in the region.
She said the hub was ‘‘really amazing’’ and changed the feel of the area for golfers as the hub was on its doorstep.
‘‘I’m confident it can ... enhance it and bring new life to the club.’’
Crisp and Nelson City Council chair of community and recreation Tim Skinner said there were still more developments to come.
Hopefully next year there would be a grade-two track added to the periphery of the golf course using the existing Maitai trail, Crisp said.
Skinner said toilets would be installed next month, more parking created and over the next year, work would be done on extending a track from Gibbs Bridge to Nile St.
‘‘The Codgers Hub is already at capacity.’’ Belinda Crisp
‘‘That’s the next part of the project, so people can be connected from town and walk or cycle all the way from town up to the hub and back.’’
The standard of the hub and its facilities made it ideal for mountain bike enduro events, he said, while it was also well-positioned for good access to Codgers and Sharlands trails.
He said it was a ‘‘beautiful area, especially this time of year with all the autumn colours’’.
‘‘Hopefully for tourists it will put Nelson even further on the map for people to turn right when they come off the Picton ferry, making their way to Nelson instead of heading straight to Christchurch.’’
The hub has activities on during its opening weekend of May 21 and 22. On Saturday between 10am and 2pm there will demonstrations, guided bike rides and sessions. On Sunday, Waahi Taakaro Golf Club is holding an open day which includes free golf lessons between 11am and 2pm, cheaper green fees for members of the public, and a draw for a free six-month club membership.