Fantastic feedback as newbike trails lure visitors
Nelson’s new bike and mountain bike trails which form part of the national cycle trails are already attracting people to the region, with the newly upgraded Dun Mountain Trail a particular drawcard.
The Nelson Tasman Cycle Trails Trust says the interest and feedback on the trails so far is fantastic and highlights the big role the trails could play in the region’s future economic development.
Nelson isite counter supervisor Jennifer Strong said there had been a 20 per cent rise in the num- ber of people asking about mountain biking trails at the Nelson information centre.
Ms Strong said half of the people asking about the cycle trails were from out of town, and many had come to the region just to go mountain biking.
A lot of visiting mountain bikers had come specifically to ride the upgraded Dun trail.
The 38km Dun Mountain loop is part of the Government’s New Zealand Cycle Trail project and opened in November after a $480,000 upgrade. It is considered a spectacular intermediate grade ride. It starts in the Brook climbs to cross the Dun Mountain mineral belt before descending past the Maitai Dam and the Maitai Valley to Nelson.
The Tasman’s Great Taste Trail – formerly the Tasman Loop Cycle Trail – is also part of the national cycle way. The track’s easy grading means it is accessible for recreational cyclists. Some sections of the trail are open – including the Rabbit Island to Mapua stage. Funding provides for a trail to Wakefield this year – and further sections will be completed as funding allows. In the long to medium term the trust hopes to have a trail from Nelson to Wakefield and another on the coastal route from Nelson to Kaiteriteri.
Ms Strong said 30 per cent of those asking about mountain bike tracks at the Nelson isite were backpackers or budget style travellers and the rest were ‘‘professional, working with decent bikes’’.
‘‘They know what they’re doing, they’re quite knowledgeable.’’
Nelson Mountain Bike Club president Chris Mildon said the Dun Mountain Trail, which for people of average fitness took four to four and half hours, was being ridden by people who would not have attempted the route before it was upgraded.
The trail was a definite drawcard for visitors and an experience on its own.
Mr Mildon said there were a lot of email inquiries through the club website from people outside of Nelson wanting to know about trails available in the city.
people
He said the benefits of bringing people into the region were huge and there were plenty of other hard trails for experienced mountain bikers to use.
Nelson Tasman Cycle Trails Trust executive officer Fiona Newey said feedback on the sections of the Tasman’s Great Taste Trail had been fantastic and people were itching for the rest of the trail to open, which depended on funding.
She hoped the Nelson to Wakefield section would be open by April and the Nelson to Mapua section opened by October.
To contact the Nelson Tasman Cycle Trails Trust email:
exec@heartofbiking.org.nz