Watching the sun disappear over the hills with a beer in hand, surveying years of hard work, we never envisioned that this place would turn into the trail network we have now. When Hamish and I went through photos and mem- ories to write this article, what surprised us most was the pace of development. It’s a story that spans a decade, yet the majority of the trails were built within 18 months. The recipe was simple, really, and anyone could do it. It just takes thousands of work hours …and a large plot of private land.
The Farm: we reckon it’s a special spot. Just far enough out of Wellington to escape the worst of the weather, it’s the perfect place to build our own piece of riding nirvana. The land is split in two by a steep valley. Out the back is a large amount of untouched native bush and a small patch of mature pines. There isn’t huge elevation, but the canopy is immense and feels like a truly special place to be. At the front of the block, closely-planted pine trees create a natural weather barrier. It’s perfect for jumps, even in a howling southerly. But it never used to be like that.
When I first encountered Hamish many years ago, I’d never met anyone as obsessed with the sport as he was. His whole life revolved around bikes. He started on BMX, riding mostly street and dirt jumps, and also raced national downhill events for a number of years. He was deeply involved with the local trail-building scene and dedicated massive amounts of time building trails for his friends and the community. Hamish is one of those people who has seemingly unlimited motivation and can convincingly sweet-talk any poor soul
