A family of Waikaia locals had brought their bikes to the newly unveiled track with their two young children in tow after hearing the trail was three-wheel and beginner friendly.
Benji and Zoe Gillespie hit the track in the late morning, after the frost had cleared and the sun was out, with their two daughters Maylee and Lyla in a trailer attached to Mrs Gillespie’s bike.
Mrs Gillespie said they had come with their children after reading the trail was beginner level and accessible for all types of riders, including those with two extra wheels on the back.
Waikaia Trails Trust chairwoman Hilary Kelso told the Otago Daily Times the trails were designed with the differing abilities in a family in mind and with a special focus on the percentage of Southland who identify with a disability.
She said because of this special focus the forest trail section took a little longer to perfect as the trails were widened and berms levelled to accommodate wheelchairs and other-wheeled riders.
The new mountain bike track was the second stage of the trust’s ongoing plan for bike trails.
The first stage was the bumpy, tar-sealed "pump track" in the Waikaia village, which was made for users to gain confidence by going up and down the hilly circuit, Mrs Kelso said.
The forest section was meant to flow on from the pump track, riders passing the shops and going over the road to the old water tower in McKee Park, where where the second stage began, Mrs Kelso said.
The forest was an active logging site, which meant another slight delay to the track as the trust had to wait for trees to be thinned, she said.
Bike Glendhu director Sam Ruddenklau was a member of the trust, and his experience and expertise were invaluable to the project, Mrs Kelso said.
Mr Gillespie said work on the track had taken quite some time and he was keen to try it out.
He said he was looking forward to the next stages, which might include some more difficult sections: "Not that I’m any biker but I just want to see if I can do it".
In regard to pulling her two children through the forest, Mrs Gillespie said: "We’ll just see how it goes".
