Why Not Stay A While?

Tapawera is located along the Motueka Valley, the manificent Kahurangi Ranges at its side. It's been a gold mining town and a railway town, with the railway construction camp situated there for several years. It was named Maniaroa after a nearby farming property but was changed to Tapawera with the opening of the Post Office in 1905 and the railway station in 1906, it closed in 1955.

Tobacco was grown historically and hops have been grown in the Rakau area towards Tadmor for about a hundred years. With the growth of craft beer hops have boomed in recent years near Tapawera, so that there are now hop farms all along the Motueka Valley Highway between the township and Kohatu and beyond going westward, and from the town heading towards Motueka, and up the Tapawera-Baton Road.

It is now a town on the Great Taste Cycle Trail, which winds its way through the predominantly agricultural surroundings - cycle past hops, berries and sheep and cattle farms as you go.

So come and enjoy a beer made from local hops, stay a few days and explore the region.

• Cycle the Great Taste Cycle Trail or part of it
• Explore some of Kahurangi National Park
• Walk the Wangapeka Track or climb Mt Owen
• Play golf - the nearby club has the longest par 5 in New Zealand at 659m (720 yards).
• Visit the local museum, which used to be the railway station
• Visit Spooners Tunnel - At 1352m in length it is the longest decommissioned tunnel in the southern hemisphere, and the 5th longest in the world, to be used by cyclists & pedestrians.
• Local bush walks, walk to the top of Shedwood Bush
• Take a day trip to Motueka or Nelson but return to the peace of the countryside
• Look out for the regimental stag emblem on the hill above Tapawera - the emblem of the former 12th and 13th Nelson-Marlborough-West Coast Regiment.