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Liberation, release, freedom. Since 1999, the aptly named Wellington singletrack has delivered all three sentiments, as well as a few dozen others, to hundreds of riders from Wellington, its surrounds and much further afar. Located in dense bush and rarely fully dry, Deliverance was the brainchild of an enthusiastic group of friends who loved mountain biking and wanted to contribute to its evolution in the Capital. “I can still remember how it started,” says Tama Easton, who worked at the nearby Mud Cycles bike shop in the 90s and was one of the half dozen builders committed from the get...

As mentioned at last year’s Trail Fund NZ conference, Recreation Aotearoa (previously New Zealand Recreation Association) has been working with organisations and trail builders around the country to develop national trail construction guidelines. The guidelines, released earlier this year, provide a detailed and defined specification for new MTB trails for each grade, including suggested trail width, gradients and features. It can also be used as a template for the maintenance and auditing of existing trails. “As we are well aware, mountain biking as a sport continues to grow in popularity and, as such, trail development around the country has increased...

As most community-minded mountain bikers know, the trails we so enjoy were not made by magic. And while those who build them may be referred to as trail pixies, that’s more because we think the trails they build are magic, not because of the people’s secret powers. Hundreds of mountain bike trails around the country owe their existence to thousands of unsung volunteers who build and maintain them. Here at Trail Fund, we are pleased to be running a series highlighting some of these unsung heroes, and finding out what drew them to spend weekends and lunch hours digging trails...

Want to contribute to trails around New Zealand but don’t have the time, or inclination, to join a dig? Do your part by joining the Trail Fund committee! People often say it’s worth taking the road less travelled, but they don’t often mention who builds it. In New Zealand, many trails worth taking are built thanks to the long hours put in by volunteers and those who support their efforts financially. However, taking a person or company’s desire to support trail building, and turning it into something concrete (or in this case, dirt) isn’t always the most straight forward process....

On Auckland's north-western doorstep lies a rare expanse of unpeopled land that is worked by foresters, eyed by developers and enjoyed by hundreds of mountain bikers Tucked in relative anonymity behind the small township of the same name at the top of the Waitemata Harbour, Riverhead is one of a clutch of northern-region state forests which includes Woodhill and Maramarua. Thanks to a good relationship with forest administrator Matariki forests, a company who encourages recreational use of the area, it's become home base for the West Coast Riders Club (WCRC) and hundreds of mountain bikers from in and around Auckland....