Almost 500 people took park in the Brighton Trail Ride on Saturday over about 50km of track that cut through Scroggs Hill and beyond.
Event organiser Aaron Hollands said creating the tracks involved getting permission from four local landowners who all supported the cause.
They let the group carve out the track through their properties.
A group of about five volunteers spent months mapping the tracks and then clearing the way by mowing through using chainsaws and sheer determination — but it was all worth it to give the community a fun day, and to raise funds for a BMX pump track for the Brighton community.
The event used to run annually until about 12 years ago, and had come back from hibernation in 2025.
Organiser Nina Daniels said it had been hard work, and they had tried to improve on last year.
She hoped they would continue the event even after the community got their new pump track.
"It’s good to be able to support the community ... especially kids in the community.
"There’s a good wee group of Big Rock [Primary School] kids using the peewee track, which is cool to see."
"It has been a rollercoaster of emotions and there’s been times where I’ve felt like throwing it away — but then someone would contact you and say, ‘Look, I’m really supportive,’ or ‘I really want to help, how can I get involved?’ That’s what feeds us to keep going."
It had been a long four years from when the idea was originally floated, but with the end nearly in sight he was getting very excited.
It would cost an estimated $120,000 to build the track, and days like Saturday just meant they were ever closer to the finished product, he said.
Leona Munro, from Tall Poppy, organised the sausage sizzle and was one of the sponsors, and Big Rock Primary School served up whitebait fritters.
Mr Turner said the community joining together to make a successful event such as the trail ride was what had been so great about getting the pump track to happen.
