Cyclists' Paradise

If you love cycling – mountain biking, road cycling or cycle touring – you’ll find plenty to enjoy in Nelson Tasman.

Our trails are highly connected and provide rides to appeal to cyclists of a wide range of experience and fitness. It’s easy to start a spectacular day of cycling as soon as you hop off a plane from any of our main centres. Tasman’s Great Taste Trail and the Dun Mountain Trail are just two of the options for visitors to enjoy.

Nelson Tasman has been rated as a Gold Riding Centre by IMBA.

We have three purpose-built mountain biking parks – including one in spectacular Kaiteriteri. Sharlands Creek (Hira Forest), Fringed Hill, and Sunrise Ridge are just some of the riding options close to Nelson city.

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Download Maps for:

Tasman's Great Taste Trail (cycling)

Dun Mountain Trail (mountain biking)

The Old Ghost Road Trail (mountain biking)

Wairoa Gorge Bike Park (mountain biking)

Tasmans Great Taste Trail

A leisurely tour of Tasman's most beautiful coastal and inland areas will take you past a number of our award-winning vineyards, breweries and orchards.

Whether you're going for a short morning ride or a gentle afternoon cruise, there is no shortage of options to enjoy our regions incredible cuisine. Read about all of the different optional rides which make up this trail here.

Three Trails

From Easy to Intermediate & Advanced

Tasman's Great Taste Trail

This must-do scenic cycle trail is 174km long but can easily be broken down into bite-sized portions if you prefer a shorter journey. This trail is mostly flat, meandering through urban areas, along the coast and through farmed areas.

More info

Dun Mountain Trail

Beginning and ending in the heart of Nelson City, this 43km trail is suitable for intermediate and advanced riders. It follows an historic mining railway line to an alpine environment with stunning scenery and climbs to over 878m.

More info

Heaphy Track

This remote, multi-day, winter ride only, has no equal in New Zealand. The 78km track starts in Golden Bay and traverses to the West Coast with varying smooth trails to technical and rocky tracks with frequent creek crossings.

More info

Dun Mountain Trail - Coppermine Saddle

Check out this incredible aerial footage of the famous Coppermine Saddle, a section of our regions' Dun Mountain Trail. At the top of the mountain, you will get to experience stunning views of Tasman Bay, followed by one of New Zealand’s longest mountain bike downhills.

Find maps and read more about ways you can ride the coppermine here.

Three More Cycling Options

From Urban Trails to MTB Parks & Wilderness Tracks

Urban Off-Road Cycle Trails

These trails offer unique and fun cycling to suit all tastes, including the Nelson City Centennial Cycleway curving from the CBD through to Atawhai and the Stoke Railway Reserve or Rocks Road to the southwest.

More info

Three Purpose-Built Mountain-Bike Parks

Codgers MTB Park in Nelson City, Silvan Forest in Richmond and Kaiteriteri MTB Park are the very best hand-built mountain bike trails in New Zealand and are all just minutes from local cafes, services and the beach.

More info

Cycle Touring Routes

The Golden Downs Trail, Maungatapu Track & the route from Murchison to Tapawera are some other popular cycling routes.

More info

Wairoa Gorge Mountain Bike Park

Situated deep in the Wairoa Valley, just 45 minutes drive from central Nelson, ‘The Gorge’ is home to well over 70km of hand-built mountain bike trails that run through a lush native and beech forest environment from a maximum elevation of 1200m. Think epic back country riding, mixed with bike park convenience. Everyone is welcome to ride at The Gorge, but you do need to be a current member of the Nelson Mountain Bike Club (it's quick and easy to join). Click here to find out more.

Heaphy Track

Watch this epic video covering 3 days mountain biking on the Heaphy Track.

Dallas Hewett and Derek Morrison ride the Heaphy Track located in Kahurangi National Park, Nelson-Tasman, New Zealand. Read more about biking the Heaphy.

Where To Go

if you're looking for more information

Download Our Visitor Map

Our latest visitor map showcases some of Nelson Tasman's greatest cycling and scenic walking trails alongside a comprehensive road map to make your stay in the region simple and straightforward.

Download Our Visitor Map