Great Taste Trail ~ Jan 10-14, # 19

Our bodies refueled and gear refreshed, we followed the Great Taste Trail out of Nelson along the coast line to Motueka. The entire 188km trail makes a loop from Nelson out into the surrounding country towns and hillsides through a recently restored train tunnel and back along the coast line. We were cutting off from the trail at Tapawera to continue further inland and over to the West Coast. This meant bypassing the Abel Tasman National Park, an area that can only be explored on foot, as well as the most notable cycling route in Kahurangi National Park, the Heaphy track, primarily a walking track, only open to cyclists outside the summer/fall season giving us a reason to return on another visa, as if we needed one…

Waimea Inlet

We wound our way along the edge of Waimea Inlet under a thick blanket of clouds through a moody scene of muted rainbow colors. A few resident sea birds poking their beaks into the marshy goodness finding treasures unseen.

Mapua

As we would come to find out, several Great Trails require using some type of transport to link trail sections. On the Great Taste Trail a cycle ferry transports riders from Rabbit Island across the Waimea River outlet to the village of Mapua. From the marsh, we followed country roads and dirt tracks to Rabbit Island, just 5 square miles in total. Despite its small size, the interior of the island is filled with pine tree plantations, filling the air with a familiar and welcoming scent. Arriving at the far side of the island rather than ride the road, we seized the opportunity to ride atop the sand as far as we could to reach the ferry dock.

The dock turned out to simply be a sandy spot on the inlet with a covered deck. We watched, along with a few other cyclists, as the ferry chugged its way across the river to drop a ramp that reached the beach just enough to allow us to roll aboard.

Our camp at Mapua was equally unique - a nudist camp for a limited time during the summer, we found a safe space alongside a couple other cyclists (fully clothed). All of us decided to wait out yet another round of rain before continuing on.

Barefoot Sandal v2.0

Nivaun took the opportunity to upgrade his barefoot sandals with elastic straps and buckles he found at the fabric store in Nelson, adding next level comfort to his original-brand of footwear.

Motueka

As blue sky returned, we parted ways with our cyclist friends to follow the track along the edge of the Tasman Sea, then inland through farmland and a park lined with blue plum trees! Reminiscent of our tree in Kingston it was our first “great taste” find along the trail. After filling any vacant space in our frame bags, we continued on until a local farm sign for “fresh fruit ice cream” beckoned us to turn around and head up their drive past rows of berries and fruit trees. Nivaun chose black currant, and I, blueberry - trust us, there is nothing better on summer’s day!

Besides our fruity finds, the highlight on this section was riding up a steep 4WD dirt track to a viewpoint of the Arthur range. Unlike almost all roadside picnic spots we had encountered, this one actually had a shelter with a roof over the benches to take a break from the sun and enjoy the view.

Our plan was to stay in Motueka, but just after reaching the view point of the Arthur range, on the downhill, we happened upon a hostel and decided to see if they had a vacancy. We were about to give up finding the owner, when a resident on the property showed up to help us. As it turned out, they only had a couple backpackers staying there and we were able to get a room. Much needed, since we had discovered in Mapua that our inner tent had somehow contracted mildew just above the floor.