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There were gasps of delight and grinning faces all round when an excited crowd of children and parents descended on the newly completed Matakana Pump Track at Jubilee Park on Tuesday, December 16.
Within seconds of opening, the raised multi-level asphalt track was buzzing with kids racing around on scooters, bikes, skateboards and even on foot, keen to explore the new facility provided by Matakana Community Group (MCG) and local donors.
The general consensus was that the undulating track full of dips, humps and curves was much bigger and more complex than anyone had expected, with routes and levels to suit all sorts of different ages and abilities.
Although the majority of initial users came straight from end of term celebrations at Matakana School, bike riders and skaters of all ages came to check out the track. Year 1 and 2s shared the track with teenagers and adults in an impressive display of mutual respect for each other’s space, and no nasty accidents.
MCG chair Simon Barclay said he was quite emotional to see the group’s dream of 11 years become reality at last, and apparently such an instant success.
“This is a wonderful story of community support, once we had the okay to proceed,” he said.
Barclay paid tribute to the many people who had made the pump track happen, including group member Kathryn Norman, who handled the lengthy council consent process, pro course developers Empire of Dirt, and Dobbyn Builders, who managed the build and carried out much of the construction.
Project manager Bevan Morrison said lots of local contractors and suppliers had supported the pump track project with discounted or free products and services.
The track has been built using compacted metal topped with 50mm of asphalt, all of which was wheelbarrowed in and applied manually.
The banks around the raised track have all been seeded with grass and local people have donated a number of trees and plants for the surrounding grassed area.
Barclay said he hoped the track and surrounds, which sit directly behind Matakana Tennis Club, would be used for picnics and play in future, and he was keen to hear from anyone who might have any old wooden garden furniture such as benches and picnic tables.
He expressed his gratitude to everyone who had helped get the pump track project up and running, especially Rodney Aggregates, Dobbyn Builders, Salcombe Consulting, Resource Planning, Hutchinson Consulting Engineers, Mason Contractors, Rhodes for Roads, ITM Matakana, Buckton Surveyors, Hynds Warkworth, Mount Deluxe and Matakana Community Group.
