Cycle trail to reopen fully next week following repairs
A popular cycleway has largely escaped the floods intact, with only a small section closed for major repairs.
Nelson Tasman Cycle Trails Trust administrator Elizabeth Bean said a section of the Great Taste Trail in Tasman District was closed after the boardwalk was damaged during the extreme weather the region experienced.
The boardwalk between Lower Queen St and Redwood Rd had been ‘‘ripped out’’ when the Waimea River burst its banks, she said.
Luckily, the majority of the 192km trail from Nelson to
Kaiteriteri was now open for cyclists to use. Bean said the entire trail would be open for cyclists next week at the latest.
She said that once the weather warning was lifted, people went and quickly assessed the track.
By Monday, everything had drained ‘‘really well’’, apart from the section before Rabbit Island.
Bean said the work done to the track following last year’s rains had ‘‘held up really well’’, with most of the track in good condition.
Contactors and volunteers had spent the past week clearing the rest of the trail to be available for use. Debris from flooded paddocks, including wire, rubbish, and trees, had been swept on to the trail and needed to be cleared.
The trail between Lower Queen St and Redwood Rd is popular with recreational cyclists, as it connects Richmond and Nelson to Rabbit Island/ Moturoa.
The Coppermine Trail had also been damaged by the region’s extreme weather. The mountainbiking trail is fully closed, with Nelson Tasman Cycle Trails Trust unable to access the area yet. Updates will be provided via the organisation’s website or Facebook page.
The trust said that while it wanted people to go out riding and enjoy themselves, it also wanted people to stay away from areas that were dangerous for the time being.
Bean said she wanted to give a ‘‘huge vote of thanks’’ to everyone who had worked on the trail to reopen it after the floods, as it had been a ‘‘significant piece of work’’.
‘‘We’re really grateful.’’