Damaged Great Taste Trail down but not out
Detours are in place on the Great Taste Trail after it took a battering from ex-cyclone Fehi.
Harsh weather conditions have affected the popular bike trail taking out boardwalks, eroding cycleways and dumping sea debris onto the track.
It’s the second time in a few months that the trail has had sections closed due to extreme weather conditions, with the king tide in early November damaging boardwalks which were fixed within a week of being out of action.
Great Taste Trail manager Josh Aldridge said the havoc wreaked on the trail this time was ‘‘a lot worse’’.
He said the worst hit section of the trail was between the Richmond Deviation and Landsdowne Rd.
There was severe erosion in places and four boardwalks severely damaged.
Other areas affected include Whakatu Drive, the Mapua foreshore and Rabbit Island.
‘‘Rabbit Island got completely smashed. Basically the whole road along the Rabbit Island foreshore is unusable.’’
Aldridge said detours would be expected for ‘‘a number of weeks’’ as repairs would be extensive.
He said the Nelson Tasman Cycle Trail Trust would be working with the Tasman District Council to ensure all options were looked at ‘‘to improve the resili- ence of the trail’’.
‘‘We’re not making any fast decisions because it’s happened now twice in a few months – we’re going to be having serious think about it.’’
The trail would not be lost, he said.
‘‘It might take time. We want to get the right decision and the right solution that’s going to last.’’
The Great Taste Trail is one of New Zealand’s 22 Great Rides and mostly relies on volunteers, the Tasman District Council and local businesses for support and funding.
Aldrigde said to fix the trail, the trust would apply to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment which had emergency assistance available.
Detours are in place at several areas of the trail – Whakatu Drive, between Richmond Deviation and Landsdown Road, the coastal section of Rabbit Island leading to the main car park and the Mapua foreshore. For updates visit www.heartofbiking.org.nz/news/