Man's $90,000 left to council will fund bike park in Invercargill

Residents of the city of Invercargill will benefit from a bequest from one of its residents. Photo / 123RF

The legacy of an Invercargill man is expected to bring laughter, laps and a few scrapes with a new pump track installed in his former suburb.

Otatara man Derek Gostelow left $90,000 to the Invercargill City Council in his will, to help fund community projects.

After consultation, an asphalt pump track, park benches and informal play area were mooted for the site on the corner of Oreti Rd and Dunns Rd in Otatara.

The track and park were officially opened on Friday with a blessing, and local school children and the Southland Mountain Bike Club breaking it in.

The council voted to name the reserve land Gostelow Park in the donor's honour.

The council's parks and recreation manager Caroline Rain said the track was a wonderful example of a community coming together.

"We've managed to put something together that will benefit firstly the people of Otatara, but also the wider community in the shape of Gostelow Park," she said.

"While the pump track is open, landscaping would be completed in the New Year when the weather was more appropriate for planting."