Tour Aotearoa Day 26: Nelson to Tapawera, 40 miles, 1,607 feet elevation | Great Taste Trail

Riding Stats

Accommodations

Route Tracker

The common thread that wove the day together was The Great Taste Trail. It’s a 108 mile loop (we won’t be riding the entire route) that exposes riders to a “taste of” cafes, towns and lovely landscapes in the region. We road through so many vineyards and hops farms today!

We left Nelson and pedaled through Richmond, Brightwater, Wakefield and landed in Tapawera. Such a pleasant ride.

There are a collection of Great Rides included in the Tour Aotearoa that we have already ridden (The Timber Trail, The Waikato River Trail, The Remutaka Cycle Trail and the Hauraki Rail Trail). I also happen to think 90 Mile Beach is pretty unique but not certain it’s officially part of the collection. We are heading to The West Coast Wilderness Trail next.

There were soooo many hops farms today – more than we’ve ever seen in one place. Apparently there is a niche for growing them here in NZ.

We’ve also met a fellow American, Durell, from South Carolina who we seem to be leap frogging with. It’s fun to exchange stories of the day with others and Greenville happens to be one of our fave towns.

There was a little bit of everything as far as riding today but the highlight was the Spooner Tunnel. After a longish gradual climb that was NOTHING like yesterday, we reached the tunnel’s entrance.

The tunnel was started in 1891 and finished in 1893 with a 15 man crew working on each end to connect the train tunnel. When the tunnel met in the middle it was only 8mm out of alignment. Incredible! The railway was intended to connect Nelson to the west coast although it fell short before its completion.

It remains the fifth longest tunnel in the world open to cyclists.

There are magnificent mountains peeking out every now and then giving us pause once again be awed by the wonder of God’s creation.

Click on the image below to view today’s video.