Expect to see the Mount Hutt Bike Park blowing up on social media soon, thanks to a big, colourful sign at its entrance.

The sign, which is fixed in the ground with repurposed steel irrigation pipes, is the work of Methven sculptor Hannah Kidd, who cycles the park’s mountain trails herself.

The top of the sign is a rainbow made of corrugated iron and there is space underneath for mountain bikers to take photos, with the Mid Canterbury plains as a stunning backdrop.

Hannah made the sign for Bike Methven, a volunteer group that runs the bike park, and the work has been supported by a $5336 grant from the Ashburton District Council’s creative communities fund.

The bike park attracts riders from all over the South Island and is accessed off the Mt Hutt ski field road. It contains over 30km of trails, including many that are suitable for riding in the winter – meaning visitors to the area in winter can still have fun if the mountain is closed.

The park has a loyal and growing group of users in Mid Canterbury all year round and attracts day and weekend riders from Christchurch and further afield. It hosted the South Island Secondary School Mountain Bike Championships earlier this year, bringing hundreds of riders and supporters to Methven.

Hannah ran a competition during lockdown last year for ideas for the sign’s design.

“We had loads of really great entries and ended up settling on the rainbow idea. We wanted the sign to be bright and eye-catching, something iconic that people would want to have their photos taken with.”

The sign itself is made from steel and flattened out corrugated iron. It has been coated with a special zinc anti corrosion product and then painted. Hannah has been working on it steadily all this year.

While the creative communities grant was a great help, Hannah has also had donations of time from committee members and friends with useful equipment. The posts for the sign are from old irrigation pipes donated by local farmer David Keeley and concrete was donated by Methven Trucking.

Hannah said the park was a one-stop shop for bikers.

“We love it as a family, but for different reasons. I love the climbs, whereas the kids are inspired most by being shuttled to the downhill tracks. There are accessible trails that cater for folk who are just starting out, good challenging intermediate trails with rewarding climbs that lead to some quite rowdy downhill tracks.

“We wanted the sign to represent all of the above and be welcoming.”