A bit of a yarn about us…
How on earth did we end up here?!
We often get asked where the idea came from to open a bike park up a remote east coast valley, miles from the closest town and with no local riding scene. The answer lies in a strange combination of circumstances…
Genevieve (more commonly known as G) grew up on Middle Hill, exploring the hills on her pony and dreaming of an ice age so she could create a ski field at home. With the ice age looking far from likely, G got in to bikes instead and started building trails a few years ago.
Meanwhile, Morgz was having similar dreams on his family farm near Motueka. He’d spent years travelling the world in search of big hits and dream lines, and was ready to bring those ideas back to NZ.
A blind date riding the Rameka track brought the two together, and the rest is history. The big earthquake of 2016 had brought about opportunities for G to lift herself out of ski-bum poverty, and with the new couple’s savings quickly invested in a 1.7 tonne digger, the dream was about to get real!
Countless hours have been spent up the hill, scoping, clearing, building and tweaking the ever expanding collection of trails. A small but dedicated evolving team of friends and locals have jumped on board and rolled their sleeves up to get the job done too - we’d be nothing without the Middle Hill Shredders Association!! Big thanks to the mates who believed in the dream, you know who you are.
Family farm life at Middle Hill, with passion for the land at the forefront
The property has seen many changes over the generations but one thing remains the same - an undying love for this special slice of paradise, the driving motivator to look after the place we call home.
The King family have always had a streak of creativity, an urge to do something different.
The family has farmed Middle Hill since the early 1960’s, and in that time seen many changes. The high country, once cleared of bush to run merino sheep for super fine wool, is regenerating back to its original native bush-covered state.
Four decades ago, the deer farm (the first in the area) was started by G’s dad and grandfather, capturing wild animals out the back and transporting them down to the flat land. Rick then taught himself how to guide, and has since hosted hunters from all over the world. Adventure tourism in the area had begun!
With the next generation now stepping up to keep the much loved property in the family, there’s once again change in the air. The flat land is in the process of being converted to a vineyard, and while Morgz and G will continue farming a small herd of deer, their focus is primarily on the bike park.
About ‘that’ earthquake…
In November 2016, we were hit hard by the 7.8 magnitude Kaikoura earthquake. By hard, we’re talking world record breaking uplift of up to 12 metres on the property (pictured above), State Highway 1 closed at our front gate for over a year, and nearly all exisiting buildings split in half by the Papatea fault.
But, like they say, out of adversity comes opportunity. The quake lead to a catering contract, with G feeding 30 road workers for over a year… not a bad way to finance the beginnings of a bike park! When we eventually got up the hill to check on the trails, we discovered a huge crack ripping along one of our planned routes… that sure beats hand digging! While the immediate damage was devastating, we’ve rebuilt and can now look back on it all as a bit of a life changing experience.
