Your adventure starts at our Nelson City depot at 8:45am, where you will be fitted to your bikes and briefed before you board our trail transport by road, and escape to the countryside at 9:00am. With an approximate shuttle time of 45 minutes to Spooner’s Tunnel, our Kiwi Journeys driver will give you some useful tips about the trail including food and beverage stops.

At 1352 metres long, the Spooner’s Tunnel is the longest tunnel open to cyclists in the southern hemisphere. The old rail corridor into Richmond is unique and the amazing scenery combined with the peace and tranquility of the countryside must be experienced.
While trail repairs are underway, the route includes an 8 km section along the main highway between Belgrove and Wakefield.

Highlights include riding through farmland, pristine native forests, following rivers, swing-bridges, past vineyards and berry farms to name a few. We highly recommend a stop for lunch at the Grape Escape Café followed by a tasting at the Richmond Plains/Te-Mania winery and then a real fruit ice cream made from local raspberries and boysenberries.

From Richmond, you can choose to ride to Mapua or back to our depot in Nelson City, simply pick your option below.