New Zealand Adventure

• Pre-trip

  As soon as you book, we will engage with you in the development of your individualised and targeted training program. You will provide some background information to us on your current training and goals and then we will be in touch to make sure we craft your training program to suit your personal situation.

  This particular program will target kayak-specific movement, swimming strength, bike endurance and hiking capacity.

  Your journey starts now.

• Day 1 - Arrive - Nelson - Mapua, Self Guided

  Cycle 22 km (Easy Grade)

  After a pre-ride briefing, pick up your 21-speed comfort bike with fitting and adjustment to suit you. Luggage will be transported to your accommodation in Mapua.

  Head off on Tasman's Great Taste Trail. Some of highlights on the trail:

  • Beach-side cycling- Quirky cafés
  • Vineyards with wine tasting and food
  • Boutique breweries with beer and food to match
  • Arts and crafts to inspire

  The ride today has no hills, so you will have ample time to visit a craft brewery, enjoy estuary views, stop for a swim and take a ferry built for bikes.

  Around lunch time cross the Mapua estuary from Rabbit Island to Mapua Wharf. The short ferry ride links the trail at Rabbit Island to the Mapua Wharf.

  Take time to explore the pretty coastal village of Mapua. Relax and explore the vibrant Mapua community including bars, cafes, restaurants, museums and galleries. It is casual and summery here, with kids swimming, busy cafes, a brewery, and hot smoked fish and chips best eaten straight out of the paper. Pick up a patisserie or two in the village too, they are pretty hard to resist.

  Check in at your accommodation in the heart of the village. Your B & B accommodation is near Mapua. You have a few dinner options (at your own cost). There is a casual cafe or fine dining restaurant on the wharf or on the beach. Boutique bars have social and relaxed dining.

  Stay: Mapua B & B

• Day 2 - Mapua - Motueka, Self Guided

  Cycling distance: Cycle 26 km (Easy to Moderate Grade)

  Some highlights of your day:

  • Orchards, vineyards and market gardens set in rolling hills with panoramic coastal views
  • Quirky cafes, restaurants and bars featuring different life-style choices and scenery
  • Local arts and crafts
  • Optional detour to Kina Peninsula (approximately 5km) arts and vineyards
  • Motueka foreshore
  • Raumanuka Reserve and sandspit

  Enjoy a relaxed breakfast at your B & B before departure. There are some rolling hills and spectacular views along the trail today (max elevation 100m) and two cafes with rambling gardens.

  From Mapua the Great Taste Trail follows the coast to the sleepy settlement of Ruby Bay before ducking up onto an elevated route above the coast among the apple orchards. It is a beautiful gentle downhill into Tasman, home to the first quirky café, a stylish pottery and an optional detour out to the beachfront on the Kina Peninsula.

  The route then turns back uphill to follow a rolling trail along a ridge and down into Lower Moutere. The charming cafe here is at the original Riverside Community, the oldest alternative community in NZ.

  The last section of trail into Motueka follows around the estuary waterfront, past rambling gardens and grassy beach reserves. Look out for the Saltwater Baths and the old wharf.

  3:00 - 4:00 pm: check in at your accommodation located in the heart of town, close to dinner venues.Your overnight Lodge Luggage bags will be delivered to your overnight accommodation in Motueka.

  Dinner: Choose a café, bar or restaurant in Motueka (at your own cost)

  Stay: Motueka Motel

  Meals: Breakfast

• Day 3 – Motueka - Kaiteriteri - Totatanui - Awaroa

  Cycle distance: 17.5 km (Easy to Moderate Grade); Cruise 1 Hour; Walk 7 km, 2.5 hours (Easy Grade)

  Cycle the Great Taste Trail from Motueka passing tidal inlets, orchards, cafes and a boutique brewery in the rural town of Riwaka.

  Your personal guide will meet you at 9:00am to provide any support you need for the last leg of the ride through to Kaiteriteri. This section of the trail travels through the fruit-growing area of Motueka with trail-side stalls providing a range of fruit to sample. As you rejoin the coast, the trail climbs and drops beside the road for a section before ducking into the Kaiteriteri Mountain Bike Park.

  The final section of the Great Taste Trail is a 3.1 km "Easy Rider" trail through Kaiteriteri's Mountain Bike Park, weaving through forest to the golden sands of Kaiteriteri. The surface here is smooth and it is not technical, but some riders might want to take it very gently as there are some tight corners. The trail winds down through the bush and pine trees and you will soon get your first glimpse of your destination - the stunning golden shores of Kaiteriteri Beach.Vehicle support is available for any cyclists who wish to avoid this section.

  12:30pm: Meet your cycling support team at Kaiteriteri and transfer to the next point for walking and kayaking pre-trip briefing, with time for last-minute luggage organisation.

  1:00pm: Watercruise departs Kaiteriteri for a fast, safe, comfortable cruise along the National Park coastline. Hot & cold drinks, open and enclosed viewing decks and bathroom facilities on board.

  From Totaranui, walk through mature beech and rata forests, and along secluded golden beaches to the tidal inlet at Awaroa. Either walk if the tide is out, or take a boat ride across the stunning expanses of the largest inlet on the coast.

  Around 5:00pm: Be welcomed with pre-dinner drinks and food by your hosts at Meadowbank Homestead - Awaroa, a faithful re-creation of the Wilson family's original home on the finest site in the bay.

  Stay: Meadowbank Homestead

  Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Day 4 – Awaroa - Torrent Bay

  Walking distance: 5 km, approx. 2 hours walking (Easy Grade); 10 km, 4 hours sea kayaking

  Wake to breakfast overlooking the gardens of Meadowbank Homestead, watching the movement of the tides over golden sands. Walk with your guide to the golden expanse of Onetahuti Beach then paddle to Torrent Bay, through Tonga Island Marine Reserve and exploring hidden inlets along the way.

  Depart Awaroa at around 9:30am for the scenic walk over the Tonga Saddle to Onetahuti. Here, your guide will settle you into your kayaks with full training and safety brief. Don't worry, you won’t leave the beach until your guide is satisfied you can safely negotiate the coast in your kayak. (If you are a travelling on your own, your Guide will find a suitable paddling partner for you).

  Weather permitting, there's the opportunity to visit the Seal Colony on Tonga Island where New Zealand fur seals breed. It's often possible to spot new-born pups here in December and January.

  Enjoy the sensation of paddling through the clear turquoise waters of the Park as we cruise past Tonga Quarry and the Tonga Arches, where your guide will explain the history of this granite area, pointing out some of the unusual natural features and relics from the historic quarry.

  Midday, stop for lunch at sheltered Bark Bay, where you can take time out to explore, swim or relax on the golden sand.

  After lunch, we continue our paddle, beach hopping along the coast with picture-postcard views, including the Falls River and Frenchman's Bay.

  At around 4:30 pm paddle into Torrent Bay to be welcomed with refreshments and a hot shower in your ensuite room.

  Stay: Torrent Bay Lodge

  Meals: Breakfast, Morning & Afternoon tea, Lunch, Dinner

• Day 5 - Torrent Bay - Motueka - Nelson

  Walking and Kayaking distance: 12 km, approx. 4.5 hours sea kayaking

  Wake up to morning light on the golden sands of Torrent Bay and perhaps a coffee on the deck before breakfast.

  Depart Torrent Bay Lodge at about 9:00 am. Then on your final day, walk the easiest section of the coastal track from Torrent Bay to Marahau, with panoramic views across Tasman Bay to Nelson. Along the way you’ll rediscover the pristine bays and beaches named by French Explorer, Dumont D'Urville in 1827.

  Paddle the idyllic waters of Te Pukatea Bay. In the sheltered Astrolabe Roadstead, paddle along the picturesque coast of Adele Island, now a predator-free sanctuary ringing with birdsong.

  Stop for lunch and a rest at any one of the bays, before we continue your journey through azure waters to the famous Kaiteriteri beach, where your driver will be waiting to meet you for the return journey to Nelson (arrive at 5:30 - 6:00 pm).

  Meals: Breakfast, Morning & Afternoon tea, Lunch

Read More