The Great Taste Trail is a 200 kms loop that begins/ends in Nelson, at the top of the South Island of New Zealand. The scenery is diverse – rivers, mountains, agriculture, forests, pastoral and coastal. The trail surface varies from concrete to a smooth track, to gravel, along roads and off road trails. We rode the Trail, clockwise, over 4 days, with a day off in the middle to spend the day kayaking, walking and swimming.

I rode the trail with three friends, all Gold Card holders. We flew to Nelson and used the services of Cycle Journeys. Cycle Journeys provided the ebikes, organised the accommodation and some meals, and transported our luggage.  They took the worry out of our journey. We had zero issues, and we highly recommend them.

Day 1. Nelson to Tapawera. 66.62kms.

Cycle Journeys Depot in Nelson. We were provided with our Merida ebikes and given an overview of the Trail. Then we set off. The Trail ran past the depot, so it was easy to pick up. It didn’t take long to get into the cycling rhythm. Unfortunately for my companions, we missed the turning to Pic’s Peanut Butter Factory as we accustomed ourselves with the trail signage.  We followed a scenic river until we started the climb to Spooners Tunnel. It’s 1352 metres in length. And we ended up walking it. Our hire ebikes didn’t come with lights but we had brought head lamps. Unfortunately, these just weren’t powerful enough to see the ground from the bike seat. Further down, on the other side, we stopped and enjoyed lunch at the Kohatu Flat Rock Café, followed by a visit to the Hidden Sculpture Garden &Gallery, a bit further on.

Finally, we reached Tapawera and found our accommodation at the Tapawera Hotel. Not much going on there. However, our very small two bed cabin was quiet, clean and tidy.

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Day 2 Tapawera to Motueka. 72.23kms.

We set off eagerly on a big day’s ride. The Trail is well signposted, but we did make a blooper at an unclear spot by turning off into Drummonds Road. It was a private road. A bridge over the river provided beautiful views, and the thought of trout in the river. Fortunately, it didn’t take long to realise our error and we continued on through beautiful valleys and over the undulating trail. Our high point was at Baton Saddle – 283 metres. We had been advised to reach our lunch spot by 1pm but we arrived late. We were very hungry. And very pleased that the host at River Haven was happy to serve us our lunch. I treated myself to a cider from the tap. The server stayed to check that I liked it. It was just like the scrumpy I used to drink in the UK. It was very good. It’s a lovely spot and we lingered.

We arrived at our accommodation, Terraced Chalets, and was greeted warmly by host Jane. Our rooms were very nicely appointed. Jane offered a vehicle for us to use to get to the Riwaka Hotel for our evening meal. And that was delightful. Really good food and service with live Friday night music. We were all feeling tired and there wasn’t much conversation. It had been a fairly tough ride due to a long section of gravel. We were relieved when that had come to an end.

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Day 3. Riuwaka to Kaitereri. Exploring the Abel Tasman.

We were collected early to arrive at the Kahu Kayaks depot. It was a hive of activity. Lots of visitors preparing to head out on the water. It was another fabulous weather day. We had a lovely guide who took us out to the Split Apple Rock, where we had a quick coffee on the beach. The 13-metre tide came in very fast, so we had to get back into the kayaks very quickly. Us girls were in double kayaks, and I was at the back. I had to learn to steer with the pedals while paddling. It didn’t come naturally but we did stay upright. We were blessed that it was so calm.

We were then taken by boat to The Anchorage, Anchor Bay, where we had our packed lunch, walked to Pitt Head Lookout and swam in the beautiful clear and warm water.

After which, we were taken to our luxurious accommodation at Kimi Ora Eco Resort. Our rooms were fabulous. And the evening meal delicious. We felt very spoilt.

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Day 4. Kaiteriteri to Mapua. 42.73kms.

We didn’t really want to leave our wonderful accommodation. But after a healthy and tasty breakfast we “flew” down the driveway and got back on the trail. We stopped for a coffee at Mrs Smith’s Café at Riwaka and resisted the delicious cabinet food on display. We were now on the coastal part of the Trail. We omitted going through the bike park at the start because it was a Sunday, and we expected that there would have been quite a lot of young people out and about. So, we braved the steep road out of Kaiteriteri, and it was OK. We rode through a bird sanctuary, stopped to view the wreck of the Janie Seddon and took a wrong turn which took us to a port entrance where the tide was flowing in at an extremely fast rate. It was fascinating to watch. We climbed up a hill though a forestry area. The trail here seemed quite new, and it will be great once it settles in. Note: When on the approach to Mapua, look out for the left turn into Tait Street to avoid the main road, and enjoy the coastal path. We arrived at Mapua early afternoon. We looked around the Sunday Markets before we headed to our accommodation. And we were blown away by our accommodation. It was a flash 3-bedroom apartment house with the deck right next to the estuary. Absolute luxury! Mapua Wharfside Apartments. We decided to buy fish and chips for our lunch and eat it at the apartment. I thought I’d ordered 2 pieces of fish and was given 5 pieces. Perhaps it was two servings rather than two pieces! It was so fresh and delicious I ate them all, and then I had no appetite for dinner! It was lovely wandering around the gift shops and art galleries at Mapua.

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Day 5. Mapua to Nelson. 33.76kms.

I woke early to a beautiful sunrise. After breakfast at Alberta’s, it was time to set off on our final section. We caught the 10am ferry from Mapua to Rabbit Island. We were still following the coast, before we turned inland to visit the Nelson Classic Car Museum. It was great to see the 150 old cars all smart and shiny under the bright lights, after we’d lunched at the café there. I was reminded that my grandfather was called the “Buick King” because he had a shop in Tempe, Sydney, where he sold Buick spare parts. There were 5 Buicks on display.

And before we knew it, we were back where we’d started. We’d experienced perfect weather, excellent companionship, very comfortable accommodation and great food. The trail was in good condition, with diverse scenery, and with just a good amount of challenge. The hire ebikes were adequate. I’d do it again in a heartbeat!

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