Mākara Peak had an extension to the Pōhatu trail approved for construction in their Masterplan.  The lower section of Pōhatu had already been constructed by the Mākara Peak volunteers and the upper section was ready to be built but lacked funding to move forward.  Trails Wellington (TW) was excited to find a shovel-ready project where their investment could have an immediate impact. TW offered to fund the construction of the upper section connecting the summit of Mākara Peak to the current lower section of the trail.

There was much discussion about designing Pōhatu as a fast-flowing technical trail with exciting features.  Bryn Dickerson and Scotty Newman worked with Tom Capelman of TW and the Mākara Peak supporters to agree on a trail design with the best use of natural features and a great line of sight to allow good riders to stay off the brakes.  Lots of rock needed to be smashed through - the build was going to be a challenge.  TGL Contractors had lots of experience building trails in Mākara Peak and was asked to take on the challenging build project. 

The rock smashing and benching were even harder than anticipated, and the project took longer than expected, but the end result was something all parties were happy with.  Pōhatu is a rocky descent with clever rock placement for a fast, technical and flowy ride with several line options and a number of side hits adding to the interest and excitement.  The intoxicating thing about this 1.2km extension of the Pōhatu trail is that now, you not only had a full 1.7km descent on Pōhatu, but you could roll straight off it into Starfish (1.1km), giving you a near 3 km long descent from top to bottom of Mākara Peak. For grade 4 and 5 riders in Wellington, this is arguably our most iconic descent and on the short list of “first trails” to show your out-of-town friends when they visit Wellington.

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