Source: New Zealand Walking Access Commission
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The New Zealand Walking Access Commission has made a $10,000 grant to the Nelson Cycle Trails Trust towards the cost of securing access on the Belgrove to Spooners Tunnel section of the Great Taste Trail.

Josh Aldridge from the Nelson Tasman Cycle Trail Trust says the Commission helped pay for legal and surveying costs of registering easements on private land, to make sure access is enduring.

The Trust is also building a trail from the western end of Spooners Tunnel to Kohatu which Josh Aldridge hopes will be open by Christmas. This is part of a long-term vision of completing the Great Taste Trail loop by connecting Kohatu to Motueka and Riwaka.

Spooners Tunnel is a highlight of the Great Taste cycle trail, being the Southern Hemisphere’s longest tunnel used only by cyclists and walkers. The Grade 2 trail is seven kilometres long and follows a gently inclining unsealed forestry road.

Josh Aldridge says the new trail is a massive safety improvement for cyclists and walkers and improves their experience.

"It’s made a real difference," he says.

ENDS

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