Ikigai

Ikigai

Ikigai (pronounced eekey-guy) is located in Polhill Reserve (Waimapihi) was built by the Brooklyn Trail Builders (BTB). It’s also the trail that almost never was.

A long time coming

BTB first proposed the new trail in 2013, adding to the existing network within this part of the Wellington City Council-managed Town Belt. The original intent was to take descending riders off the increasingly popular Transient trail and separate users, making the experience in that part of Polhill better for everyone - runners, walkers, riders, bird watchers... you name it. Council officers initially declined the trail concept, but BTB didn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. After hard-won support from certain Councillors, two rounds of public consultation, public hearings, and massive support from the Wellington MTB community, the red light turned green.

Mahi

Then began two years and seven months of hand-built, volunteer effort – interrupted slightly by the COVID-19 lockdown. Hand-building a new trail is tough going, but naming a new trail can be equally fraught. At the concept stage names started popping up. ‘Lady Lumps’ was proposed very early and started being used in conversations. Thankfully, it didn’t stick! As the build got underway and rideable sections started to form, other names emerged. ‘Spuds’ was one, after we thought we’d found small potatoes in the trail. Turns out they were bulbs from a noxious weed. We also found two old toilet bowls not far from the trail entry and put them trailside as ‘art’, prompting some humorous (but mostly inappropriate) name ideas. Those toilets have since disappeared. We even put corflute at the trail entry and a marker pen for users to write down names. This proved entertaining, but no suggestions stood out for us. The name ‘Saddleback’ also sprang up, given the growing number of Tieke spilling over from the adjacent Zealandia Sanctuary to nest and breed. To this day, both ‘Spuds’ and ‘Saddleback’ remain as named Strava segments. Ikigai, as a name, came out of left field after a BTBer attended a work conference where a presentation on the philosophy of Ikigai was delivered.

The name

Ikigai is a Japanese word and roughly translates to the ‘realisation of the life one expects and hopes for’. It’s suggested that Japanese people who live by the principles of Ikigai live healthier and longer lives. The philosophy resonated with us, and we thought it summed up many of the values the volunteers who built the trail aspire to. After a bit of to and fro with Council, the name was settled on and remains so. Ikigai was the accumulation of what BTB had learnt in a decade of trail building in Polhill. The end game was a descending flow trail, requiring minimal pedalling and braking. The steep first section and the need for bridges complicated this intent, but overall, we think we got it near right. Given the length of the trail and some tricky contours, we knew we’d get little change out of 5,000 volunteer hours, so we had to attract a willing “workforce”.

Support

Half the solution was our Sunday digs ended with high-quality sausages sponsored by Moore Wilson’s, cooked on a BBQ we wheelbarrowed in. The second part was the top-notch beer sponsored by Garage Project – kept cold on ice. Food and drink proved to be a winning combo to reward the 15-20 volunteers for their two hours of hard graft each Sunday. The volunteer's effort, willingness and good humour simply blew us away. A core group of BTBers did trail finishing work during the week. This included many hours (and four Sunday digs), armouring what we knew would be a high-traffic trail. To achieve this we dug natural gravel out of the banks at various spots. BTBs mantra is “Trails, Trees and Traps”. As Ikigai got closer to being finished, our Polhill Protector mates placed traps along the trail and helped us and other volunteers plant more than 2,000 native trees, contributing to the recovery of the regenerating forest.

Along the way, Revolve (a Wellington women’s cycling group) fundraised and provided a very generous $3,000 donation, and an application to Trailfund saw us secure a battery-powered wheelbarrow, which to this day, is a godsend. The Wellington Mountain Bike Club has always been supportive and remains so. Individual donations - many anonymous - enabled us to buy extra tools and the previously mentioned portable BBQ.

Despite Council initially wanting to kaibosh the trail concept, once it was approved they were hugely helpful – organising and paying for the amazing bridges, signage and plants. Ranger Rachel was our go-to-person and is a great human.

Opening

Ikigai officially opened on 29 May 2020. We describe it as a fun, flowy, poppy trail through magnificent native bush. Safe for all who want to just cruise it or dial up the speed and enjoy some of the features spread throughout the trail. There’s a couple of alternative lines sign-posted which deviate off the main trail to the high-side. Both are rollable. There will always be tweaking, maintenance and predator trap-checking on Ikigai. If you’re out riding and see an orange cone on the trail or a fluro vest hanging in your ride line, please slow down as someone will be close by.

Enjoy!

Rob Lee