Wānaka Trail Ride Cancelled For 2022

Organisers of one of the Queenstown Lakes District’s most popular family trail rides have made the tough decision to cancel the event for 2022.

Wānaka Trail Ride – an important annual community event to raise funds for local children – was set to run Saturday, April 2, but the uncertainty around holding events and the potential impact of Omicron in the community have forced organisers to cancel for this year.

Chairperson Alix Wilson says the committee wanted to make the call sooner rather than later.

“For us, the decision was not just about guessing whether we would be under a red traffic light status but also the need to consider the many other elements that come together to run this event safely and successfully,” Wilson says.

“We have to consider our incredibly generous landowners who grant us access to their properties and the many suppliers who go out of their way to provide us with vital infrastructure and support services. These are things like our hire equipment, first aid support, helicopters, photographers, catering – the list goes on.”

While it’s not great news for this year’s event, the volunteer organising committee is confident they will be back again in 2023, Wilson adds.

“We had to cancel 2020’s event because of lockdown, and we made it back for 2021. So there’s no reason we can’t be back running another incredible trail ride in 2023.

“The Wānaka Trail Ride is an entirely volunteer-run event to raise funds for Wānaka Primary School and Montessori Children’s House Wānaka. We do not have the resources or the financial flexibility to reschedule – nor would we be able to raise the necessary funds if we were to reduce numbers.

“We are all gutted by this decision, and we send our thoughts out to the many riders who travel from around the South Island to the event each year,” Wilson says.

Last year’s Wānaka Trail Ride saw close to 600 riders descend upon Tarras to access a network of backcountry trails. Supported by 95 volunteers, the event raised $18,000 for Wānaka Primary School and Montessori Children’s House Wānaka. The total amount raised by Wānaka Trail Ride for these two schools over the years is $158,000.

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