Mountain Bikers of Alexandra had proposed a fundraising drive to buy a public access easement from Matangi Station owner John Sanders.
The station is up for sale but the biking group wants to secure access to trails on part of the property which it has developed over the past few years. The land is behind the Alexandra clock.
A public meeting in Alexandra last month drew a crowd of 200 to listen to the idea of the easements and also to allow organisers to gauge how much financial support it could muster.
Indications at the meeting showed there was plenty of support for the easement proposal and commitment to funds. The group received indications it had funding commitments of between $307,518 and $877,800, with a midpoint of $538,900.
But the group said yesterday the offer to buy a public-access easement from Mr Sanders had not been accepted.
The group looking to get the easements said it believed the offer had not been accepted due to some fundamental misunderstandings about the proposal, which it was working to address.
A spokesman for the group, Andrew Dowling, said it was a bit disappointing the offer was not accepted.
The group was looking to clarify various points about the offer, he said.
The group was confident Land Information New Zealand Toitū Te Whenua would quickly move to get the easements into a process and there would not be a 12-month wait as had been suggested.
There was a suggestion that of the money paid to Mr Sanders by the group, half would have to go to the Crown but the Crown may only want a nominal amount if the land had public access, Mr Dowling said.
There was other options to look at but he declined to say what they were. Buying the easement from Mr Sanders was still the preferred option. Mr Sanders had not accepted any offer at this stage, Mr Dowling said.
Mr Sanders could not be contacted yesterday.
The Prospector mountainbike race took place in Alexandra last weekend and showed how great the area was for the sport, Mr Dowling said.
"Everyone was just raving about the conditions — just how unique it is. Everyone says that but this place truly is," Mr Dowling said.
"It is too big to lose."
One of the best parts of the trails was the lack of artificial jumps and tracks. The trails were all natural in a stunning part of the country.
He had been blown away by the amount of money pledged to buy access to the trails and money was coming from everywhere, including contributions from overseas, Mr Dowling said.
