"We're not looking for funding for that at this stage, we're just looking for TCDC to recognise the opportunity and the importance of having safe access to and from the mountain bike park to Whangamatā township."
The club is seeking annual funding to support its operations, currently relying on membership revenue and donations.
It is also interested in relocating dirt from the BMX park on council land at Lyndsay Rd to its forest trails.
Cropp said the club hadn't seen much of TCDC's cycle development plan for the town, "but there's obviously synergy with what we do and we'd like to be active participants in that planning".
There is a 25-year tenure on the trails, Cropp said, which were rebuilt after recent felling by the logging company.
The trails are rebuilt by the club after felling, with a two-year revolving lease.
Blake told councillors he was trying to align all mountain bike clubs in the Coromandel to create a regional subcommittee across different towns to share resources.
"I'm in the process of aligning all of the mountain clubs throughout the region, thus far I have on board Waihī, Coromandel township and we've had some preliminary discussions with Whitianga as well.
"The intent is to create a regional subcommittee so we can work together rather than it be individual townships working against each other.
The Whangamatā Club has 1600 active members.
It hopes to create a high-performance mountain-biking programme with students from Whangamatā Area School, which currently has after-school mountain-biking programmes in place at the park.
Coromandel town is home to a new Coromandel Bike Park, built after years of fundraising by the Spirit of Coromandel Trust.
The free network of mountain-bike trails, flow trails, downhill and gravity jumps includes a Velosolutions pump track for all cyclists and e-bikers.
Keith Stephenson and Andy Reid of the trust say there was a lot of work behind the scenes before the trails could be built, including collaboration with the landowners - Te Patukirikiri Iwi and the Department of Conservation.
"So it was a major milestone to see these trails starting to take shape."
The area has also been planted in kauri trees - the first more than 20 years ago - by members of the trust. A dedicated kauri dieback wash station for bikes was installed that all riders must go through.
"Every kauri tree's location was GPS'd before we could plan where the trail goes, and the trail has been designed to allow the growth of the kauri trees in the future," says Keith.
"That's why it's important to stay ON the track when the trails are built - and OFF the kauri trees."
Trust members were among those listening at a "tracks and trails forum" in Coromandel town, where TCDC brought speakers from agencies such as Heritage NZ and the council.
At the forum, Kris O'Driscoll from Rotorua Trails Trust, which has built 18 new trails in the past three years, said mountain biking has brought in $30 - $50 million to the Rotorua economy.
She recommended the use of the Trailforks trail building and issues management tool for clubs developing and maintaining tracks, which can log trail work and volunteer hours and keep a record of areas requiring work.
The website www.thecoromandel.com has information on trails.
- A map and membership to Whangamatā Ridges MTB Park is available at Pedal and Paddle, Port Rd Whangamatā or visit their Facebook page Whangamatā Ridges Mountain Bike Park.
