NELSON, NEW ZEALAND

Bike the Great Taste Trail

Enjoy cycle tours with a personal touch

Premium quality cycling tours based on and around the Great Taste Trail for lovers of food, wine & beautiful Nelson landscapes

We work with you to plan your personalised adventure on two wheels. When you cycle with us, you can relax and enjoy the freedom of cycling, with all the knowledge and support you need. So whether you have half a day or a few days, we’ll help you make the Great Taste Trail, your trail.

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Abel Tasman Great Taste Trio

5 Days: Great Taste Trail + Abel Tasman National Park

Enjoy two and a half days of glorious cycling, exploring the Great Taste Trail Coastal Route from Stoke to Kaiteriteri with The Gentle Cycling Company. Then luxuriate in the Abel Tasman Park for two and a half days, staying in the Wilson’s beautiful beach front lodges.

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Coastal Classic

3 Days: Mapua - Motueka - Kaiteriteri

Beaches, vineyards, boardwalks and galleries, this tour enjoys the highest concentration of places to eat, drink and soak up the many wonders of the Great Taste Trail. Family friendly, this tour is divided into manageable chunks so there’s plenty of time for you to stop and enjoy the delights each day.

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Plains and Coast

4 Days: Typically Tapawera - Wakefield - Mapua - Kaiteriteri

This popular off-road tour option enables you to follow the historic rail route and cycle through the iconic Spooners Tunnel, along rivers, through regenrating forest, vineyards and historic towns. Then along the coast with its many artisanal delights, ending at the golden sands of Kaiteriteri.

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Loop the Loop

5 Days: Nelson - Mapua - Kaiteriteri - Woodstock - Wakefield - Nelson

Keen to tick off the whole Great Taste Trail circuit? This tour is for those with the fitness and fortitude for on and off-road cycling. The diverse landscapes and sense of achievement are well worth it and you’ll get to enjoy some remote and rugged scenery for your efforts.

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Staycation Cycle Tour

Tailored for you

A bespoke tour that can include diverse activities such as golf, forging a knife from scratch and cycle rides to magical Mapua, through the iconic Spooners Tunnel and to wineries, pubs and through beautiful countryside. Luxury accommodation and several catering options available, enabling you to relax in the spa and pool each evening. You’ll love this cycle tour option with added options and flexibilty.

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Gentle-Cycling-Co_Abel-Tasman-Sailing-Adventures-1_800w

Luxury Cycle & Sail

7 Days: Nelson - Abel Tasman National Park

Leave Nelson on two wheels and return six days later on a luxury yacht. Your guide will take you on a personalised tour along the Great Taste Trail and into the South Island’s golden crown, Abel Tasman National Park, exploring the Top of the South in decadent style.

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Single Day Tours

Guided / Unguided

Check out our full day and half day, guided or unguided packages on the Great Taste Trail. You can choose from our tours: Spooners Tunnel, Marvelous Moutere, Rabbit Island Picnic, Great Taste Wine, one of our Great Taste Beer tours or the Great Taste Goose Chase. We can also design a bespoke adventure for you – get in touch!

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Custom Tours

Guided / Unguided

Go it alone, equipped with our maps and trip notes or enjoy our fully guided options with travel support to provide flexibility. There’s a wide variety of activities, such as, a Buddhist Centre retreat, private wine tasting, hop farm tour. We can design a bespoke tour to suit your needs and interests.

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The Great Taste Trail

This is a New Zealand Great Ride - 200km long

The Great Taste Trail is a trail built for cyclists, providing an off-road route through some of the most delicious and scenic landscapes of NZ. Much of the trail is easy, flat riding in a heritage landscape of rolling hills and plains, lush valleys and beautiful golden beaches. For foodies, and lovers of wine, craft beer, or art, this trail has it all.

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What our adventurers say

Great customer service. Very easy to deal with A+++

Brantley Porter

Nice folks, pretty good bikes, all good.

George Stevens

Bernie and Chris were really helpful and provided a fantastic service

Alex Black-Roberts

Bernie was so helpful to us on our self guided cycle of the great tast trail last weekend (Nov 3-6th 2023).We hadn’t booked anything through the Gentle Cycle Co but needed a shuttle for 4 of us + bikes from Nelson to Tapawerea as the weather was awful on our first day. Bernie turned up in 10 mins and took us all out to Tapawera in no time at all and was really friendly and informative on the area and trails.She checked in on us via text the next day and then picked us up on the last day and delivered us in time for our flight on Monday midday.We cant recommend Bernie & the Gentle Cycle Company enough, really super helpful & responsive and with all the shuttle equipment and knowledge about the trail, the people and the area!Thanks so much for helping us out Bernie, we’ll be back down for more!

kathryn Edwards

Amazing, very friendly and flexible team who has gone beyond the extra mile to make our cycling experience the best possible.Chris and Bernie and genuine and very experienced people with great quality bikes both electric and push bikes.They also had a good selection of quality kid seats for multiple ages, sizes including trailers etc.Shuttle was on time and entertaining .Thank you Team!! We will be back!

Gabor Flamis

Fantastic company who went above & beyond to ensure we had a great day out cycling. Great communication, super helpful, very friendly & awesome bikes. I highly recommend to anyone looking to hire a bike while in the Nelson region. Thanks so much Bernie & Chris for everything, you guys rock.

Haley Gray

Chris and Bernie were so lovely and very helpful and checked in on us during our trip to make sure everything was going well. I’d definitely recommend booking a cycling trip with them!

Rachel Healy

Chris and Bernie were great hosts so friendly…helping us with planning our cycle tour along the track from Kōhatu through the Spooners tunnel to Tāhunanui Great advice for some good stops bakery and beer 👍They organised everything great bikes ,lights ,detailed maps even gel seats!!Thank you for a great day I would highly recommend this family company

Margaret Van Wees

Rented a bike for 2 days. Chris explained all the Interesting areas, the route, explained the ferry timeline on Mapua, major land marks, gave me a couple of paper maps, and and ensured I had everything I needed for the bike ride. He was kind enough to let me ride along with his family to Mapua the next day. The bikes were in excellent condition and have a basket or saddle. I would highly recommend and rent bikes from them again without a second thought.

Brian Desrosiers

We just finished the Great Taste Trail and that was an awesome experience. We chose to do the trail carrying our own food and gear (tent, sleeping bags). Bernie told us so many tips along the road, which was very kind. At the end, Chris advised us lots of places to go to carry on our holidays 👍5 stars to the Gentle Cycling company for their warm welcome. Moreover, bicycles are good 😊🚴

Matthieu Demonchaux

Helped me out with a bike at very short notice. Friendly and helpful service. Bike was solid and well equipped.

Timothée Duhamel

I highly recommend The Gentle Cycling company! I recently took the “Coastal Classic” trip and worked closely with Bernie, the co-owner, to plan and book everything. Bernie was exceptionally kind and communicative and was willing to tailor the experience to fit my budget and make the most of the experience within the time frame I had. As a young solo female traveler, I really appreciated the lengths Bernie went to to make sure I felt safe and cared for: she checked in at the end of each day to make sure I had reached my destination and thoughtfully picked out my lodging. The accommodation was comfortable and in convenient locations. Also, the bike was comfortable and well-maintained. The points of interest Bernie suggested were also very worthwhile. You can really tell that there is a lot of care put into this family business.

Reese K

Rented e-bikes off of Chris and Bernie yesterday. From start to finish they could not have been more helpful, super friendly and welcoming. They gave us handy maps, loads of advice on where to go/ what to do and were so so nice. The ride through the trails to the winery was beautiful. Would highly recommend. 🤩🤩

Judy Collins

Accommodated some whingey kids to a great family day out, thanks team

J Wetere

die tour war perfekt vorbereitet und geplant, man fühlt sich sicher und sehr persönlich betreut. die unterkünfte sind sehr einfach aber sauber und die tour ist sehr abwächslungsreich.

moritz

Great bike hire company. Lisa was really helpful sorting out the right ebikes for us, advice on routes to take and tips on places to visit. My wife and I hadn't cycled for several years but managed a 40K+ trip to Rabbit Island. Thanks Lisa

Tony Marron

What a fantastic few days doing the Great Taste Trail. Bernie organised the whole trip and provided us with a great itinerary. She went the extra mile collecting us from the airport and kept in touch each day. We had awesome accommodation in Mapua and Kaiteriteri. 2 of us used e-bikes and 2 standard bikes. Panniers and handle bar bags were provided. The mountain bike track on the last day was so much fun as none of us have done this before. I would highly recommend The Gentle Cycling Company for bike hire and organising Cycling trips.

Ange I am

We had an excellent experience with The Gentle Cycling Company. Bernie and Chris, the owners, went out of their way to help us construct the exact biking itinerary we wanted and were both lovely and friendly and efficient at all times.Our group of three chose to ride from their location in Stoke up to Mapua. We had intended to bike further but we simply enjoyed the ride, stopped too often, and had a leisurely lunch in Mapua. Chris came and picked us up, along with the bikes, and brought us back to our car.The bikes were new, or really close to it, as were the helmets and panniers. We had no issue with any of the equipment.This is truly a family-owned and operated business and it shows in all the best ways. I strongly recommend them if you're planning on biking any part of (or all) of Great Taste Trail in Nelson.

John Thomason

Such a great day. We couldn’t believe how far we cycled as well as managing to cram in a great coffee stop, two wine tastings, loads of photo ops etc. Excellent e bikes and instruction from Chris and Bernie who really take time to make you comfortable with the route etc. Very friendly and knowledgeable. Thank you!

Spencer Berwin

Chris and Bernie were fantastic to deal with super helpful super friendly and provided great support turning up to fix flat tyres doing special pick up and drop off nothing was too much trouble and their recommendations on what to see and where to eat were spot on. If you want to do a supported self guided stress free cycling trip let the Gentle Cycling Co wrap their arms around you!

Fiona Evans

Great experience cycling and renting bikes! Bernie took great care of us, so helpful providing us with info and maps before we went! Would definitely recommend!

Roisin Parahoo

We hired two touring bikes to cycle around Nelson and enjoy some of the craft beer breweries. It was a fantastic experience, the cycleways in Nelson are amazing where you can cycle mainly the entire way off the road.Chris was very helpful getting us setup on our bikes and giving us some tips for the day.The bikes were in excellent condition and well maintained.Would highly recommend.

Hayden White

We had an amazing day! The bikes were great quality. We got a bit lost and Bernie and Chris were so helpful. They went out of their way to get us and even gave us a lift back to our hostel! 10/10 would recommend

Sophie Schütze

I would recommend these guys to anyone thinking of doing the great taste trail or hiring bikes for smaller day trips. Chris & Bernie made our cycle on the great taste trail a breeze! From organising ferry transfers, accommodation and transferring our luggage between accommodation, writing lists of recommended food and leisure stops, to offering extras like gel seat pads and a bike tray to carry our day stuff. They were so friendly and such a pleasure to talk to and quickly responded to any queries.

Keearny Maher

A wonderful day cycling along the sea, tasting wine and lunching. Chris and his team very professional, bikes in great condition and everything provided for a great experience.

Patricia Garvey

Great service meant we had a great holiday. Chris and Bernie provided everything we needed and went above and beyond to ensure everything was just perfect. They were very accommodating when we changed plans and allowed us flexibility on the trail. Definitely recommend them.

John McKinnon

Our family rented bike from the Gentle Cycling compang. Chris was very helpful to explain the bike trail and told us good places to go. We got back late as we were stuck in the middle of journey. Chris kept in touch with us to make sure we were safe. Highly recommended! It was one of the best bike trip.Thank you 😊

Kim Jennifer

I rented an e-bike from the Gentle Cycling Company and Chris was extremely helpful and cheerful as she directed my time on the Taste Trail with a fine pub recommendation as well. Would highly recommend both the trail and the rental experience. The e-bike was a very comfortable and agile hard tail, mountain bike style and the battery assist made me feel 20 years younger.

Doug Smith

Great company to hire bikes and Bernie was so helpful and kind. Made us feel confident getting back on bikes again after a while. Beautiful scenery and cycle trails.Highly recommend !

Maygen S

Great experience today riding with The Gentle Cycling Company. Bernie met us early so we could get a jump start on the trail, and picked us up in Motueka after a long ride. A family run company that is focused on helping people enjoy cycling. I highly recommend booking your tour with them!

Daniel Moates

Chris & Bernie we’re great hosts. Highly recommend!

Nigel Atkinson

So lovely and helpful - told us all the good places to go and made for a great day out !

Katie Cornally Somers

Website and booking was super explanatory and easy to do/navigate. Day of, we were met by Bernie (one of the owners) who personally greeted us, gave fantastic recommendations for routes and generally made sure we had everything we needed for a single day of biking. Bike itself was in top condition and easy to use. I’d highly recommend this company for anyone wanting to bike some/all of the great taste trail. Excellent service and we will be back!

Claire

Super thoughtful operators. Really curated the experience to my tastes and abilities, and provided paper maps mounted on the bike to help me along the way. On top of that, they provided great riding e-bikes, better than the few others I’ve rented across the country. Includes basket to carry your goods

Zachery Oman

The Gentle Cycling Company is THE place to go if you are looking for some cycle adventure near Nelson! Super friendly team, great bikes and cool tips for exploring the area such as wineries, pubs etc! Highly recommended! Thanks team!

Tim Hofstee

Great experience. Chris and Bernie are awesome hosts. They put together a great itinerary for us, which meant we could just turn up and enjoy the cycling, scenery, eating and drinking along the way. Great attention to detail. Awesome experience.

Matt isfat

The Gentle Cycling Company was really kind and friendly. We arrived late in the morning and they showed us what we still can do until the end of the day. So not only with renting bicycles but also with giving recommendations for nice spots and wineries the team helped us. Would really recommend this small family business!The bikes were super good for our size and they gave us everything we needed in case of a flat tire.

Astrid Stierli

We really enjoyed our day of cycling! Chris and his wife were super helpful, the bikes were great and the landscape was beautiful! Would definitely recommend!

Christopher Nanda

What a fantastic experience. So much fun and a beautiful way to see the country! Chris and Bernie are so knowledgeable about the area and have some great suggestions. Our group thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, even after spending 5 hours on a bike!

Bernie Wilson

This is my business so I'm a bit biased 🤣

whits6

Ik belde naar hun en al snel werd duidelijk dat ik opgehaald kon worden(top 10 holiday park) de volgende dag. Keurig op tijd kreeg ik eerst even een kleine toeristische toer. Daarna naar hun shop. Keurig op orde en door goede informatie kon ik de juiste fiets voor mij huren.De hele toer werd mij goed en grondig uitgelegd. Super fiets tocht gemaakt. 1x verkeerd gereden, even gebeld en alles werd opgelost. Nadat ik terug kwam kreeg ik nog een kop thee aangeboden. En daarna terug gebracht naar het park.Een echte aanrader als je van persoonlijke en enthousiaste eigenaren houdt. Alhoewel uberhaupt een aanrader!!

simon enuma

Had a great day out with the Gentle Cycling Company - part of the Great Taste Trail was closed due to storm damage, so Bernie offered a modified trip from Rabbit Island to Upper Moutere. Easy communication by email / text beforehand and during the day to coordinate pickup. Lots of support with set up to make sure that everyone had the bike that suited them best. Bikes in good condition & Bernie even noticed the tyres of a riders own bike were a bit flat and pumped them up. Would use the Gentle Cycling Company again - recommend.

Janine Ryland

Fantastic day out. Bernie was awesome, giving great advice about options. She cared about our destination and getting back. This company is personable, ready to meet your individual needs and adaptable. Would highly recommend them.

Jumbo Rich

Chris & Bernie provide a A++ service. From great condition bikes to Chris's chat, our day was easy, carefree and the kids had a blast on the trail aswell. Cheers again for looking after us while we were in Nelson👍🏽

Karl Kitchen (Kitch)

Totally recommend this. I had an amazing time riding around Nelson using the rented e-bike. Bernie was willing to accomodate my schedule, so everything is easy as. Special thanks to Bernie for the encouragement for going the extra miles 😊.

Adrian Irwin Jerah

Friendly and accommodating family run business. Great communication and efficiency. We’ll see you again next time we’re in Nelson!

mel ray

Chris & Bernie were incredibly helpful and accomodating, definitely eager to share the best that Nelson has to offer! We had an awesome day out, with easy pick-up and drop-off, can't wait to plan a longer ride for our next trip.

Cherry Sun

Great bikes and great hire price! Love the basket on back of the bike to put backpack in

Tina Thomas

TGCC really went above and beyond for customer service! Highly recommend the e-bikes for a fun activity in Nelson.

Daniel Field

Great bikes, and a lovely area. But most importantly such lovely people! No problem to fit out an ebike with a child bike attachment when our small person had a bit of a wobbly about riding her own.

Charlotte te Riet Scholten-Phillips

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Our tours are perfect for groups too...

Hi Bernie and Chris,

When it comes to customer service and communication l can’t thank you enough for ALL of your support and l can say we had nothing but fun in the sun.
From your preparation and very interactive care factor on day 1 we felt well looked after.
Contacting us daily and ensuring we knew what we were doing came as a blessing because my dad, 78 years old and I’m certainly not the most in shape cyclist, we certainly had a well-rounded, organised and fun filled ride with each other thanks to you and your Team.

Memories that will last a lifetime.

Accommodation and scenery on our journey was well and truly past my expectations.We both cannot thank you enough and still talk about how well we were treated.
Bernie, if only l had 30 more staff members of your passion and commitment in my business. Truly inspiring and such a pleasure to have met you.

Epic!!! Such a life changing experience to have done this with my father but could not thank you enough for your efforts.Chur/Thanks

Aaron and Doug

The highlight for the Mt. Pirongia Papier Mache Club’s long weekend in Nelson, was the bike tour. Superbly hosted and organised by The Gentle Cycling Company, we enjoyed the hospitality of the different venues, and the scenery offered by the great bike trails. We give thanks.

Steve

We have just finished our 5 day guided Cycle Tour with Chris & Bernie from Gentle Cycling. There were 16 in our Group & we have had the most amazing time with Chris as our guide. Once introduced to Chris & Bernie they never forgot a name & everything was 100% perfect!! Our accommodation was all split up due to the size of our group & we were all thrilled with our accommodation!! We would thoroughly recommend Gentle Cycling!!

Jaine

Proud to be Climate Positive

and Kaitiaki (guardians)

We are continuously evolving and adapting to minimise our impact on this wonderful planet we call Te Ao / Earth. Choosing to offset 120% of the carbon emitted by our vehicles and electricity consumption, the wonderful people at Ekos are rewilding Mohua, an indigenous forest in Golden Bay. We’re proud to support this and other great initiatives to improve the biodiversity and resilience of our natural habitats. We endeavor to reduce our use of precious resources. Furthermore, we take part in community planting, pest eradication programs and regularly clear up around the Great Taste Trail, coast and bush, recycling / upcycling whatever we can.

We are also proud to be part of the Nelson Tasman Zero Carbon Itinerary – click here to check it out.

More About Us

Local and Proud

A family owned and run business

This is a family business. All four of us are self confessed cycle-explorer addicts and love to explore our backyard on two wheels, regularly disembarking to explore further on two feet. We will help you plan and prepare for pedal powered adventures in our favourite place to peruse!

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NELSON, NEW ZEALAND

Bike the Great Taste Trail

Enjoy cycle tours with a personal touch

Premium quality cycling tours based on and around the Great Taste Trail for lovers of food, wine & beautiful Nelson landscapes

Abel Tasman Great Taste Trio

5 Days: Great Taste Trail + Abel Tasman National Park

Coastal Classic

3 Days: Mapua - Motueka - Kaiteriteri

Plains and Coast

4 Days: Typically Tapawera - Wakefield - Mapua - Kaiteriteri

Loop the Loop

5 Days: Nelson - Mapua - Kaiteriteri - Woodstock - Wakefield - Nelson

Staycation Cycle Tour

Tailored for you

Luxury Cycle & Sail

7 Days: Nelson - Abel Tasman National Park

Single Day Tours

Guided / Unguided

Custom Tours

Guided / Unguided

The Great Taste Trail

This is a New Zealand Great Ride - 200km long

What our adventurers say

Our tours are perfect for groups too...

Proud to be Climate Positive

and Kaitiaki (guardians)

Local and Proud

A family owned and run business

Our News

World Famous (in New Zealand)!

Tasty New Tours

Tāhunanui Beach – One Of The Best!

Sustainable & Eco-Friendly

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