Mountain Bike Trails in Wrights Hill

Birdwood Reserve

A small connecter from Ponsonby Road into the Birdwood Reserve, connecting into the S-bend track. At the end of Ponsonby climb down three flights of stairs and the entrance is sign posted on the right. After riding for a few minutes you reach S-bend. Go up hill to get to the fence. Or downhill to get to Waiapu Road. Be considerate of walkers.

Bottom Carpark

A singletrack that climbs from the lower carpark on Wrights Hill Road to the top car park on Wrights Hill Road. There is a bench seat with no much of a view, and quickly intersects Grants Track.

Burrows Ave

Although this is a two way track, riding it uphill is technically difficult and steep and taking some of the alternative tracks that deviate on and off Burrows Ave track makes it easier. However as a downhill trail it is tight with off camber corners and rock features to make this more of an Advanced trail. WATCH OUT FOR WALKERS as this is a popular walking and running trail that sees little bike traffic due to the near by Salvation and Deliverance tracks.

Burrows Ave - Alternative Line

Easier alternative line off the main Burrows Ave track for both climbing and descending.

Carpark to summit

Paved track that is used as wheelchair access to Wrights Hill gun emplacements.

Deliverance

An iconic Wellington singletrack that was built back in the late 1990s. Heads downhill through a stream-bed rock garden before traversing quickly through dense native bush. Generally quite narrow with some exposure on the outside edge, there are a few short steep drops and pinch climbs, plus a series of stream crossings.

Down Pipe

Alternative entrance to Deliverance Going down the track there is a series of increasingly steep and technical drops. The final drop, immediately after Evil branches off to the left, is ridiculously steep. The clay surface means this should only be attempted in dry conditions.

Evil

This trail is for people looking to skip/bail-out of the last section of Down Pipe. Staring with a short climb, then a short descent before a sharp right corner, then joining onto Mr X.

Fence connector

A short track from the summit to the fence, currently overgrown with vege.

Grant's Track

Links up Scout Hall and Salvation and Deliverance without needing to ride the road. The track meanders below the summit of Wrights Hill and is of a gentle gradient. It can be tight in places, but is otherwise relatively easy to ride.

Gun Emplacement 3

Khouri

Landsdowne

Nice piece of single track that provides a handy connection between Landsdowne Terrace and other tracks in the Wrights Hill area. About 0.25km from the Landsdowne Terrace end the track just brushes Salvation, with a 5m connection between the two tracks, before diverging away again. A further 0.2km along, Burrows Ave branches off down the valley.

Mr X

Alternative entry to Deliverance Starts with a super tricky rocky chute into a sharp turn. Then something else equally fraught. Then traverses north with a few steep sections that are probably at their most technical when super dry as the loose rocks are like ball bearings. Continue traversing/dropping downwards and you will meet Evil on your right. Some 100 metres further along Downpipe emerges from the bush only 30 metres before you join Deliverance.

Parade ground

A useful connecting road that provides access to several other tracks including the tops of Downpipe and Mr X, plus Fenceline. Gun Pit 2 and Gun Pit 3 also branch off this road.

S Bend

Narrow trail with super tight switchbacks and dense bush.

Salvation

A meandering single track through mixed light and dense regenerating bush. The gentle gradient of this track is by design, and it never gets steeper than 6%. This track is the best connector if going from Makara Peak to Wrights Hill.

Scout Hall

This is a neat piece of singletrack through a pleasant bush setting. While it isn't technical, some of the switchbacks can be a little tricky - especially when climbing in the wet. Combine this track with S Bend and Fenceline to form a complete circuit of the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary. In a couple of places there are detours, where the track briefly splits into alternative paths - one slightly easier than the other. These detours are only a few metres long.

Woodhouse

This track provides an alternative entry point to the Wrights Hill area. It joins Salvation about 0.8km from Fitzgerald Place. The track is fairly narrow with an occasionally rocky surface and some slightly off-camber parts, some caution required.