A mountain bike training facility is coming to the city centre.
The Rotorua Mountain Bike Club is building a pump track at the Rotorua Youth Centre.
Last week contractors started the initial works for the track - removing the pine tree in the middle of the grounds.
"The tree became a bit too
big and dangerous," mountain bike club vice-president Dave Donaldson said.
"We wanted something that was used by the youth at the youth centre and something that would be in town for kids.
"We thought this reserve was the ideal spot."
Due to its size, the tree had to be brought down in three sections.
The budget for the track is $6000 and will give mountain bikers of all abilities the chance to develop their handling skills.
Mr Donaldson said it would be available to anyone who wanted to give it a go, young and old.
"A pump track is a track you manoeuvre your bike around using gravity," he said.
"It's all about acquiring bike skills."
Time spent on a pump track pays off when you go into the forest.
"We hope it will be a cool facility used by kids young and old - I'll certainly give it a go."
The stump of the tree, which was removed to make way for the new track, has been left.
The club is now on the hunt for a design to turn it into a chainsaw sculpture.
