Rotorua's bike tree dismantled after becoming safety risk

Site of the old bike tree on the Village Green. Photo/Ben Fraser

Rotorua's bike tree has been reduced to a pile of flat tyres and rusty handlebars
following a decision to dismantle it.

Temporary fencing was put up around the bike tree on the Village Green this week and a crane used to dismantle the 2.1m tall structure.

Rotorua Lakes Council arts and culture manager Stewart Brown said the bike tree's future had been under consideration for some time.

"More recently we [the council] had become aware people had been climbing it and taking parts off it.

"Cables that powered the lights in the tree had also been cut so it had become a safety risk and we removed it this week.

"We will keep it in storage while we continue to look at options for its future but there is no urgency."

Bike tree at Rotorua's Village Green for the 2015 Bike Festival. Photo/File

The giant art exhibition was initially built in 2015 as a temporary installation to celebrate the city's first Crankworx Festival and remained due to popular demand.

The frame cost the council $500 and the 150 or so old bikes hanging from it were donated by the Rotorua community.

In December last year the council was considering options for the bike tree because it had fallen into a "state of disrepair". At the time council strategy and partnerships group manager Jean-Paul Gaston said the council was working on options to give the tree a new lease of life.