The Whale Trail will mark a “significant milestone” next week, as the cycle and walkway weaves its way down from Picton to Kaikōura.
A celebration will be held in Ward, about 45km south of Blenheim, on April 11 to mark the completion of the 39km Flaxbourne section of the cycle trail.
When completed, the Whale Trail was expected to cover about 200km and would take four to five days to ride. Around half of the trail had now been completed.
Marlborough Kaikōura Trail Trust trustee Lynette Buurman, who was also Destination Kaikōura deputy chairperson, said the celebration of the latest section opening would bring together community, council and iwi representatives.
A prototype shelter would be on display, to give an idea of the unique accommodation on the trail, she said.
“We have six construction teams working on the trail between Picton and Ward.
“Some sections are small, some are tricky, but it is gaining momentum.”
At the Kaikōura end, the trust has been work closely with the Kaikōura District Council, Environment Canterbury and Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura, Buurman said.
Around 3.3km of the existing Kaikōura loop track was upgraded for the trail.
Resource consent applications have been lodged to allow work to get under way on the remaining 10km of the Kaikōura to Hāpuku section.
Options were being explored for the Hāpuku River crossing, including installing a suspension bridge or adding a clip-on to the State Highway 1 bridge.
“I like the idea of the suspension bridge because it has the potential to become an icon,” Buurman said.
“With the clip-on you know you are on a busy highway, whereas a suspension bridge would be away from the road and would be safer for cyclists.”
Planning for the Hāpuku to Waiau Toa Clarence section was still in the early stages, while the Waiau Toa Clarence to Kekerengū section was progressing towards the resource consent stage.
The Whale Trail project was expected to cost around $30 million, with funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Marlborough and Kaikōura councils and the Rata Foundation.
Multiple landowners, KiwiRail, the Department of Conservation, Environment Canterbury, community organisations and local Rūnanga have also supported the project.
When completed, the Whale Trail was expected to bring economic benefits to small towns like Clarence, Kekerengū, Ward, Seddon and Tua Marino, as well as the main towns of Kaikōura, Blenheim and Picton.
There were 23 established Ngā Haerenga Great Rides in New Zealand, with an estimated 2.1 million users a year and growing, with around half cyclists and half walkers, according to MBIE.
MBIE estimated visitors to the Great Rides spent around $1 billion a year, which included 3.6 million bed nights.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
