1 Tasman’s Great Taste Trail – Nelson to Māpua
35km | 2–3 hours | Easy Grade
Nelson is known as the ‘heart of biking’ and it’s for good reason. While in most cities you have to travel hours to visit a ‘local’ Great Ride, there are two that start right in Nelson city itself, plus there are hundreds of renowned mountain bike trails scattered around the hills behind town. Tasman’s Great Taste Trail has one of the largest loops (188km) of any of our country’s cycle trails and begins in the centre of town.
The section of trail from Nelson to the coastal village of Māpua is one of the Great Taste Trail’s first treats to enjoy. Think of this section as an entrée; the other sections’ servings are dished up later on. This tempting taster leaves downtown and journeys inland using the former railway alignment to arrive near the airport. From here the trail is flat, wide and coastal. One of the much-loved parts of this ride is that it navigates the estuary using boardwalks and small timber bridges just above the high tide mark.
The latter part of the section leads to Rabbit Island. The coastline here is dynamic, and riding under the pine plantations on a sandy loam is simple. The ride has a double-barreled treat at its end in two ways: either by getting picked up and shipped across the inlet via the Māpua ferry or by reaching Māpua which is an upmarket wharf village filled
