This two-day trail festival is supported by Air New Zealand’s regional events programme

From Wellington’s Mākara Peak, to the ancient mill roads of Akatarawa Forest and the rock-filled farmland of Boulder Hill – runners and mountain bikers will experience a wide range of landscapes at Faultline Ultra this April.

The two-day endurance festival (April 25-26) draws between 1500-2000 participants across six trails, ranging from 6km to 161km. The courses link Wellington’s trail networks across Kāpiti, Porirua, the Hutt Valley and the city, finishing at the waterfront.

Now in its third year, Faultline Ultra has established itself as one of Aotearoa’s most ambitious trail events. For organiser Bengy Barsanti, the idea was simple: connecting what already exists.

Wellington is uniquely positioned for an event like this, he says. “We’ve got the capital city of Aotearoa sitting in the middle of all these amazing hills and trail networks. It’s about joining the dots.”

Those “dots” include established mountain bike parks, forest tracks, coastal paths and ridgelines built and maintained over decades by local trail communities.

While these breathtaking trails are world-class, Barsanti says the shorter, city-side runs are among the “most unique events in the world”. Beginning with a cable car ride at Lambton Quay, these 6km and 12km courses weave through the Botanic Garden and Te Ahumairangi hill, the houses of Parliament, and finish on Wellington’s waterfront.

They offer a new perspective on Te Whanganui-a-Tara, even for locals. “Wellingtonians will say, ‘I didn’t even know that trail existed. I’ve never run up there. That’s amazing, I’ll do that more often’. We aim to showcase Wellington as a trail destination that people want to come back to and explore.”

That celebration of the capital city’s spectacular backyard is why Air New Zealand is supporting the festival through its Regional Events Sponsorship Programme.

Aimed at bolstering distinctive or emerging, locally-driven events that drive domestic tourism, especially during off-peak seasons, Air New Zealand’s Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer Kiri Hannifin says “Faultline Ultra is a great example of that”.

“It is shaped by the stunning landscape of Te Whanganui-a-Tara, it brings people together, and it offers a running or cycling experience you can’t have anywhere else.”

Regional events like this “bring the character of a place to life”, says Hannifin. “They reflect the people, the culture and the traditions of a region in a way you don’t get from simply passing through. For visitors, they offer a more genuine connection to New Zealand and our communities.”

That sense of inclusion is central to Faultline Ultra. While elite athletes take on the longest distances, ranging from 25km to 161km, many participants are there for personal milestones rather than competition.

“Someone will be doing the six-kilometre race, and that will be the first time they’ve ever run or walked six kilometres,” says Barsanti.

For that reason, he describes Faultline as an event rather than a race. Most participants are not chasing podium finishes, but testing their own limits and enjoying the experience along the way.

The event’s longest distance, the “insanity-level 100 miler”, is not for the faint-hearted. Participants spend hours, often a day and night, traversing remote ridgelines and forest tracks, much of it in the dark.

“You’ve got elite athletes who train exceptionally hard and crush it, and then you’ve got people from all walks of life taking it on as a personal challenge,” says Barsanti.

Creating that environment takes careful planning. Around 800 volunteers support the event, and Barsanti says his team create some of the best aid stations out there, because “you can’t do these long distances alone”.

Beyond the physical challenge, Faultline Ultra pays tribute to the land it crosses. The routes trace the fault lines that shaped Wellington’s landscape, and draw on the Māori legend of Ngake and Whātaitai, the taniwha said to have formed the harbour.

This year, those connections are honoured by a new tohu [emblem] designed by Wellington artist Charmaine Love. “It’s called Whiria o Te Whenua. It means oscillations of the land. It has the story of Ngake and Whātaitai, the hands that protect our runners, mountain bikers and walkers as they go on their journey.”

Faultline Ultra attracts participants from across Aotearoa and overseas, with international numbers growing each year. Many stay beyond the event, contributing to the local economy and exploring more of the region.

That impact aligns with Air New Zealand’s Regional Events Sponsorship Programme, says Hannifin. “It’s about helping more people experience more of our amazing country. By supporting events across 20 destinations, we’re helping to create reasons to travel beyond the main centres and spend time in our beautiful regions. For communities, it is an opportunity to share what makes their place special.”

As Faultline Ultra continues to evolve, its focus is on creating memorable experiences for participants and the wider trail community. “We want to make sure that we’re adding our little bit and leaving our trail communities in a better place than we found them,” says Barsanti.

Visit Faultlineultra.co.nz