Katikati: New park opens for walkers, mountain bikers, horse riders

The blue ribbon was cut by horse trail expert Kirstin Symes, Western Bay mayor James Denyer and mountain biking lead Damon McLachlan. Photo / Western Bay of Plenty District Council

Mountain bikers, horse riders and walkers in Katikati now have a shorter commute to trails after the Waitekohekohe Recreational Park officially opened.

There are five new trails for mountain bikers, graded two to four, more than six kilometres of horse trails, and shared-use walking trails throughout the reserve. Dogs are also welcome, provided they are under control.

Facilities include a toilet, corrals, weather shelter and wash-down station.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council mayor James Denyer cut the ribbon beside key community contributors, horse trail expert Kirstin Symes and mountain biking lead Damon McLachlan.

Tiki Bluegum of Ngāi Tamawhariua bestowed a blessing on the site, welcoming a crowd of new users into the park.

Ngāi Tamawhariua has supported the project for some time, and gifted the name Waitekohekohe in 2020, acknowledging the ancestral name for the area and its relationship to spiritual waters, a sense of yearning, and climbing trees and vines.

A team of locals worked with the council to set up the park.

Mountain biker and Katikati Recreational Park Development Group member McLachlan has been involved with the project for two years.

He first visited the site in 2017 and saw the reserve’s potential as a mountain bike park, with varied terrain including a peak and drop down to a river valley.

Since then, McLachlan has worked with contractors to build car parks and mountain bike trails so he and others could enjoy riding closer to home.

“Up until now, if you’re a mountain biker living in the Katikati area, you’d have to travel a long way to go for a ride - it’s either Waihī or over towards Tauranga to get to Summerhill and Ōropi trails. So we wanted something a bit more local.

“And now in 15 minutes drive from Katikati you can go out and have a good ride.

“They’re fast, flowy tracks with great berms that ride really well.”

The horse and walking trails are also the work of the Katikati Recreational Park Development Group, with support from the council and the wider community.

Founding group member Jacqui Knight has been with the project since its inception.

“I love walking outside and I’ve done just about every walking trail around Katikati, but walking at Waitekohekohe is different, it’s really peaceful and physically challenging.

“And that’s just how we wanted it. We worked with [the] council to design each trail for what we need - long walks over uneven terrain, separate horse trails, and adrenaline-filled downhill mountain biking. Now we get to enjoy it.”