AKDH Auckland Downhill Club

03/04/2026

Unfortunately we got hit this morning !

If anyone sore anything suspicious around the dome please reach out.

About $700 worth of fuel was stolen from a digger being used by the Auckland Downhill Club, adding pressure as the group builds its new site amid rising diesel prices.

25/02/2026

Hello all.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but we have had to permanently close our current Dome Valley location. We knew this day was coming with the planned extension of the Northern Corridor motorway from Warkworth to Te Hana due to begin construction early next year - we had hoped to return to the park this Autumn after some preliminary "road-lining" harvesting was completed, but the extent of deforesting and the level of damage done to the tracks means it is terminal - we estimate over 70% of Ridgeline would need to be rebuilt.

Unfortunately, this means we will not be hosting any further shuttle days or the eagerly anticipated final send-off, and at this stage it looks like the 2026 Auckland Secondary Schools DH will be delayed or may not be held at all, unless we can work with another club or park to host it.

This is tough news as this park had a lot of history (circa 20 years), has been the launch pad for many great riders and provided the rest of us with smiles from ear to ear. But this not the end - in fact it is the beginning of something new and potentially better. We have secured another site in the Dome Forest on the northern eastern side of SH1. It's a much bigger parcel of land with greater scope for multiple forms of gravity and enduro styled riding. Preliminary track design for our first DH line has been completed by Jef Carter of Southstar Trails and the committee is moving full throttle into fundraising and construction mode. In many ways the closing of the current park will help us progress in new park sooner.

We will put more information out in the coming weeks about how you too can help - the more help we get, the faster we all get riding again and please remember we are all volunteers running this club and we all have day jobs! Whether it be digging, building, materials, use of your business resources, assistance with fundraising, sponsorship or donating - everything and anything will be greatly appreciated.

One last thing to cover - I am sure a few of you will be wondering what will happen to your membership (and any that may have booked and paid for the planned shuttle days). We will get in touch directly with those who have most recently renewed with some options, but generally speaking we will put your membership "on ice", effective as of the last shuttle day (10th January 2026). Once the new park opens and we hold our first shuttle day, your membership will restart. If yours has recently expired - no need for any action - we will send out notice to all expired memberships once the new park is operational both letting you know and checking to see if you want to get back to riding downhill fast.

Thanks for your understanding and we hope to see you on the end of a shovel soon!

Thanks
The AKDH Team

20/01/2026

Excited to be apart of this

Some exciting changes have been underway behind the scenes. As posted previously the MTB clubs and Bike Parks of Auckland have all come together to form the Auckland Schools MTB Collab.

These clubs are ...

Auckland Mountain Bike Club – Auckland (as Auckland Schools XC MTB)
Auckland Downhill Club - Dome Valley
Pohutukawa Coast Mountain Bike Club – Maraetai
Jaffa Kids Mountain Bike Academy – Riverhead / Woodhill
Totara Park MTB Club – Totara Park, Manukau
West Coast Riders Club – Riverhead
Woodhill Bike Parks – Woodhill
Fourforty Gravity Bike Park – Kawakawa

With Mountain Biking previously being the largest unsanctioned Auckland school sport, the good news is that MTB is now officially approved within College Sport Auckland and the Auckland region as a secondary schools sport.

This will see the events of 2025 being the Auckland Schools XC Series, The Shreddar Funduro Series and the Auckland Downhill Champs being brought together in 2026 and "officially" become sanctioned within the Auckland Secondary Schools sports platform.

It will also help towards rankings for riders and start orders in other regional and national schools mtb events.

There are some slight changes from last year.....

Secondary Schools students will now register / enter the event through their school sports administrators.

Intermediate School Students will continue to register / enter the event through the event registration portal directly.

Both registration platforms will close off 12pm of the Tuesday prior to the event.

Watch this space for event entry links ...

The event dates for 2026 are ...

Term One

15th February Funduro Race 1 - Jaffa Kids Academy – Riverhead
22nd February Funduro Race 2 - Pohutukawa Coast MTB - Maraetai
18th April DH - Auckland Schools DH Champs - AKDH Dome
19th April Funduro Race 3 - Fourforty MTB Park

Term Two and Three

10 May XC R 1 - Pohutukawa Coast MTB Club - Maraetai
24th May XC Race 2 - TBC
28th Jun XC Race 3 - Woodhill Bike Parks - Woodhill
16th Aug XC Race 4 - Totara Mountain Bike Club – Totora Park
6th Sept XC Race 5 – Auckland Downhill Club - Saunders Reserve

Additional Dates

2026 North Island School MTB Champs

The 2026 North Island School MTB Championships will be held in Wellington on 26-29 March 2026, hosted by Wellington MTB Club and PNP MTB Club.

The schedule of the event will be as follows;

Downhill- 26/27 March 2026 at Rivenrock

Enduro- 28 March 2026 at Porirua

Cross Country/Cross Country Relay- 29 March 2026 at Porirua

​

CyclingNZ Nationals MTB Champs 2026 - Tauranga - 4th - 9th October

08/01/2026

Where’s all my keen riders gone for the shuttle day this Saturday 10th Jan !!!

We need you to register now so we can confirm things for Saturday so click the link NOW and get yourself registered

We host regular shuttle days with access to a range of gravity focused trails including our popular ridgeline downhill track with jumps, chutes and stepdowns.

05/01/2026

Summer 2026 Line up looking pretty good considering! 🥳

As most of you know we have to work closely with the forestry and their work around harvesting our current site and after a good discussion over the weekend we are pretty happy to be able to release what our summer is looking like 👍🏼

‼️The above dates are all still located at our current site at Kraack Road ‼️The OG Dome Valley

We are only able to run one shuttle day in January due to the Pre-harvest and we aren’t expecting to run another shuttle day until mid Feb. Both the Feb and March dates are penciled into the calendar for now as they may change depending on forestry work but as soon as we know you’ll know too so keep those current dates free !

We appreciate the support from each and everyone of you around this time!

Our new site is a blank canvas so a lot of work to do to move over so time to enjoy the current Dome for one last summer 🌺

Hope it all makes sense and see ya Saturday

01/01/2026

Who’s keen for a shuttle day Saturday 10th January 2026?
Gauging interest so we can plan accordingly Give us a thumbs up below 👇🏼

24/12/2025

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all 🥳

Thanks to everyone who made 2025 the best year at Dome yet ! 🤩

From the AKDH crew we wish you all the best for the festive season and hope Santa brings you all the goodies!

We look forward to seeing you all in the New Year for some shuttle days (keep an eye out on social media for upcoming dates soon) !

📸 + some editing my me 🤣

01/12/2025

Hey everyone

We are in need for some more marshals for NZDH on the 13th December please if you can help out let us know

Thanks
AKDH team

04/11/2025

Anyone keen on enduro at another park near us, jump over to Pohutukawa Coast Bike Club page and get ya self entered !

www.pohutukawacoastbikeclub.com
Pohutukawa Coast Bike Club is dedicated to providing the best trails in East Auckland. Based in Whitford & Maraetai Forests.

30/10/2025

Click the link below to book your shuttles

https://www.akdh.co.nz/shuttles

19/10/2025

Wow — where do I even begin?

Yesterday’s event was incredible, with over 90 school kids from across Auckland and even a few “ghost riders” from outside the region. From first-time downhill racers to some of the best riders in New Zealand, it was awesome to watch so many epic battles play out on track.

The banter, energy, and camaraderie between everyone was next level — siblings, teammates, and friends all pushing each other. Moments like these make every hour of prep and planning so worthwhile. Seeing so many smiling racers and proud parents is what it’s all about.

A huge thank you goes out to all the marshals, shuttle drivers, and parents who chipped in — fixing bikes, loading trailers, and keeping everything running smoothly. Events like this simply wouldn’t happen without you.

I also want to give special thanks to the AKDH Committee:
Ray (Club President) for all the behind-the-scenes planning/ organisation.
Glenn for communication, website design, entries, and so much more.
Scott and Josh for mastering the timing system so we could actually race.
And of course, the entire AKDH crew for trail prep and just being legends.

We’re all volunteers who love seeing downhill riding grow here in New Zealand. Grassroots racing at Dome Valley has inspired so many riders — myself included — to chase racing opportunities internationally, and we hope it continues to do the same for others.

Once again, a massive thank you to each and every one of you who made the day so special.

Big shout of to .bike for the spot prizes!

Photos courtesy of

See you all at NZDH — or at a shuttle day before then!

Cheers,
George Swift
Race Director