Biking advocacy
We’re passionate about making biking accessible for everyone. Whether that’s land access and better using publicly owned reserves or building an urban network of separated cycleways.
Sticky Forest
We get asked lots of questions about what is happening with Sticky Forest. So here are the latest updates….
Bike Wānaka and Sticky Forest
In August 2024 the Environment Court decided that a significant portion of Sticky Forest could be rezoned, allowing for development.
We have always supported the right of the descendants of the original dispossessed people (beneficiaries) to economic sustenance/reparation. We are deeply disappointed that a way could not be found to achieve this outcome that did not involve the development of Sticky Forest.
We’d like to form a partnership / relationship with the newly appointed representative group of the landowners to see if recreational access can be retained for areas of Sticky that are not zoned to be developed.
‘’Mō tātou, ā, mō kā uri ā muri ake nei“ (For us and our children after us).
Mountain biking in Sticky Forest
A bike counter on just one of the tracks in Sticky Forest has counted over 400,000 bike movements since Bike Wānaka started collecting data in May 2016.
Around 200 bike movements on average each day were recorded for the first six months of 2022.
Active transport
Bike Wānaka is the lead member of the community group Active Transport Wānaka. Our vision is for a network of protected cycleways in urban Wānaka that gives all of us the choice to safely bike between home, school, work, shop and play.
Success so far includes construction of an underpass under SH84 joining Mt Iron and 3 Parks (2020), Aubrey Road separated cycle path (2021), the Ballantyne Rd separated cycle path (2021), a separated shared path along the length of Anderson Rd (2023), Waka Kotahi completing a shared path at the base of Mt Iron between Anderson Road and the SH84 underpass (2023), and improvements and chip sealing of the Golf Course Rd shared path (2024).
An ongoing major project between 2022 and 2024 is the delivery of the Schools to Pool shared path that connects Holy Family, Wānaka Primary and Mt Aspiring College schools all the way through to the recreation centre and Take Kārara school in 3 Parks. This is 80% completed as of August 2024.
We have also worked collaboratively with QLDC on their Lakefront Development Plan. This has seen a beautifully constructed shared path along the lake from the town centre towards the marina (Stage 3). April 2022 saw Stage 2 of the Lakefront Development being constructed and late 2024 will see Stage 5 completed, providing safer walking and cycling pathway from the marina to the Yacht Club.
Our advocacy now focuses on Stage 4 of the Lakefront Development pathway (directly opposite the town centre), a cycle path down Beacon Point Road and the extension of the Aubrey Rd shared path from Anderson Road down to Bremner Bay.