Whale Trail: New Section Of Great Cycleway Opens

Monday, 31 March 2025, 7:34 pm
Article: David Hill - Local Democracy Reporter

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 complete, the Whale Trail is expected to cover about 200km and will take four to five days to ride.

Around half of the trail has now been completed.

Marlborough Kaikōura Trail Trust trustee Lynette Buurman, who is also Destination Kaikōura deputy chairperson, said the celebration of the latest section opening will bring together community, council and iwi representatives.

A prototype shelter will 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 (ECan) and Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura, Mrs Buurman said.

Around 3.3km of the existing Kaikōura loop track has been 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 are 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,’’ Mrs 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 is still in the early stages, while the Waiau Toa Clarence to Kekerengū section is progressing towards the resource consent stage.

The Whale Trail project is expected to cost around $30 million, with funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE), Marlborough and Kaikōura councils and the Rata Foundation.

Multiple landowners, KiwiRail, the Department of Conservation, ECan, community organisations and local Rūnanga have also supported the project.

When complete, the Whale Trail is 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 are 23 established Ngā Haerenga Great Rides in New Zealand, which have an estimated 2.1 million users a year and growing, with around half cyclists and half walkers, according to MBIE.

MBIE estimates visitors to the Great Rides spend around $1 billion a year, which includes 3.6 million bed nights.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

© Scoop Media

Local Democracy Reporting

Content from the Local Democracy Reporting (LDR) service is published by Scoop as a registered New Zealand Media Outlet LDR Partner.