Cycling in Auckland was set-up to promote everyday cycling, but just as many of us double as motorists a fair proportion of our readers are also mountainbikers.
There’s real demand for convenient places to ride close to town and “Sanders Reserve” is one of the most popular search-terms on CIA.
Adrian, one of our field-reporters (I just made that up) has taken some great footage of the recently opened Sanders Reserve Mountainbike Park over in Paremoremo. Yes, yes, I know it’s a “dog” and “horse” park as well but this is a cycling site. Show me a dog or pony riding a bike and we’ll put that up too!
You get a great feel for the kind of terrain in this clip although I admit I was feeling a little sea-sick by the end of it.
Here’s the blurb straight from the horses’ mouth:
Sanders is running pretty good now… the trails to the northwest are pretty sweet, nice downhills and the long and easy section with its dirt jumps and banked corners.
Manuka has been weeded a bit and it’s easier to manage. The switchbacks are almost right but need some work in places.
I find the bit in the bush is a bit too technical for me… big drop on one side and too narrow, but with a bit of time and use should improve.
Photos and some completely out-of-date impressions of Sanders are available in the Great Rides section on Bike Friendly North Shore.
I took the kids for a ride at Sanders over the holidays. It should be a great spot for a ride. Unfortunately the tracks are so overgrown that they are very hard to follow. It is a shame that a lot of money has been spent and will be wasted unless some regular maintenance is carried out.
Paul – drop Auckland Council a line on their website. Without people bugging them, stuff gets no maintenance!
Here’s the reply from the council. Although If more people ride the tracks the grass will be sorted out by the hundreds of wheels rolling over it.
Sanders opened in late November and we are still putting the finishing touches to the park. The wet warm summer has seen a huge growth with grasses around and on the tracks. However we are currently confirming the long term maintainance schedule for the park. But what i can tell you is that that tracks are scheduled to be mowed around 3 – 4 times per year, with additional mows as needed. The mow will be a “long” mow in keeping with the farm like feel of the park. The last mow was before Christmas but the tracks have been mown last week and this week.
Parks have just commisioned an ecological restoration plan for the reserve allowing for areas to be planted out in the future, this will obviously help with additional maintainance along the tracks. We will alo monitor the ongoing maintainance and look at different types of managment as the park becomes more established.
The building onsite will also be available for hire within the next few weeks
Thanks again for your feedback and don’t hesitate to get in touch with me should you have any other questions or feedback.
Kind Regards
Tony
Tony Hart Parks Advisor – Upper Harbour
Thanks for that info Paul. I rode out there on Sunday as an “adult” (i.e. no kids in tow) and will post about it in the next couple of weeks.
Hard to believe it was just mowed, it was like riding the Serengeti at times ;^)