There was a passionate plea to the Hawke's Bay Regional Council this week to stump up funds for a Gimblett Gravels cycling trail.
The proposed 12km of pathway, allowing cyclists to travel safely along Longlands, Maraekakaho and Ngatarawa roads, would complete the wineries trail.
The cost, at $375,000, needs some consideration bythe council and it will not make any decision until at least June 29.
It may well be that the regional council decides it does not have deep enough pockets to fund the pathway but it is to be hoped it will show leadership in assisting the Hawke's Bay Trail Group in any way it can to progress this project.
Hawke's Bay already has magnificent cycling pathways - the Ahuriri Water Trail and the Landscapes Trail around Te Mata and the Cape Coast are significant drawcards - but not having a completed wineries trail in a major wine region seems a bit daft.
Our cycle trails are a considerable asset for residents but their additional value to the region will be banked for years to come in the slow but steady growth in tourism by those who want to actively experience their destination.
One only needs to look at the phenomenal success of the Otago Rail Trail to see how popular adventure tourism on two wheels is. And while cycling around the Hawke's Bay trails may not seem like an "adventure" to we residents, we should appreciate that it is an activity for visitors, one which some will indeed consider an adventure.
Building our network of cycle trails, therefore, is a very smart thing to do for the benefit of locals and tourists alike. It also synchronises neatly with the considerable work being done in Hastings through the government-backed iWay project.
The city is becoming more cycle-friendly by the month and we can see this having a positive effect on how Hastings and the wider region views itself.
Speaking of iWay, we applaud the appearance of the new bicycle-shaped cycle leaners on Heretaunga St. Very cool.
