Rotorua gearing up for Crankworx (+ video)

It is just a week today until the world's best mountain bikers will be speeding and soaring through the air at Crankworx Rotorua.

Crankworx event director Tak Mutu said so far ticket sales were on par with last year's event, which attracted 15,000 spectators and bikers. It is hoped that number will be beaten this year, he said.

Mr Mutu said Crankworx was great for local accommodation and businesses. And with the festival lasting almost twice as long this year people's visits here would be a lot longer, he said.

Mr Mutu said there were already quite a lot of riders in town and he had been seeing Red Bull helmets go past him in the forest.

He said there was big movement in the number of athletes competing this year as they were also running the 2017 Professionals Rotorua National Schools MTB Championships as part of Crankworx.

There were a few hundred bikers entered in the school championships events, and of course with them came parents, he said.

"Registrations to come to the event has skyrocketed."

The Rotorua Downhill Club had been hard at work on the mountain recovering the Speed and Style Course, and the Slopestyle would be getting touched up next week, he said.

The Rotorua Trails Trust have also been hard at work getting the Giant Toa Enduro World Series tracks ready.

There will be a free event at the Night Market on March 30 - the Deep Summer Rotorua Photo Challenge.

Mr Mutu said photographers from New Zealand and overseas were invited to compete over three days by going out and getting images of Rotorua to put into a slideshow.

At the Night Market there would be a screen up and seats out for the public to watch the shows and then vote.

Destination Rotorua communications manager Ash Palmer said Crankworx was a fantastic event for the region and would bring mountain biking fans, athletes and media from all over New Zealand and the rest of the world to Rotorua.

"As the defining celebration of the sport, Rotorua hosting Crankworx has helped to cement our position as the pre-eminent mountain biking destination in the southern hemisphere."

He said the council had supported a free locals day again this year, with a jam-packed schedule on Wednesday, March 29 at Skyline Rotorua.

This included the finals of the National Schools Downhill Championship at 12pm, the full-throttle action of the Air Downhill at 2pm and the legends of the sport showing off big-air antics from 5pm in the crowd-pleaser, the Oceania Whip-Off Championships.

"Just bring your proof of address and get amongst the mayhem."

Mr Palmer said with a big influx of visitors coming to Rotorua he encouraged the local business community to do what they could to leverage off the event.

"Whether that is reviewing their trading hours to align with activities, or just welcoming the mountain biking community, showcasing the manaakitanga (hospitality) that Rotorua is famous for and helping to create a vibrant, fun atmosphere that will ensure these visitors come back again next year."

Rotorua branch president of the Restaurant Association of NZ, Sharon Wallace, said restaurants did well throughout Crankworx.

She said training and hospitality establishments would benefit as most employment opportunities for students started from events like this.

"It's great to be in a town where this fabulous event really has put Rotorua on the map.

"Everyone stands to gain, no one stands to lose."

What: Crankworx Rotorua 2017
When: March 25 to April 2
Where: Various Rotorua locations
For more information visit www.crankworx.com.