A brand-new 39-kilometre section of the Whale Trail cycleway will officially open on April 11 with a celebration in the small town of Ward, located south of Blenheim.
This section, called the Flaxbourne stretch, is part of a larger trail that will eventually stretch 200 kilometres from Picton to Kaikōura.
So far, about half of the trail has been built. When finished, it’s expected to take four to five days to complete by bike. The trail is being created by the Marlborough Kaikōura Trail Trust, with help from local councils, iwi, and the government.
Six construction teams are currently working on different parts of the trail. Some areas are small and tricky, but progress is steady. At the Kaikōura end, 3.3km of an old loop track has already been upgraded for the new route.
Plans are underway to connect the trail through the Hāpuku River area, with ideas including a new suspension bridge or an extension to the existing State Highway 1 bridge. A suspension bridge might even become a landmark, supporters say.
The full trail is expected to cost $30 million. The money comes from a mix of government and local funding, along with support from landowners and community groups.
Once completed, the Whale Trail is expected to help small towns like Clarence, Kekerengū, and Seddon by bringing in more visitors. It will also join the group of 23 “Great Rides” across New Zealand, which together welcome more than 2 million people a year—both walkers and cyclists.
