Editorial: Cycle trails need to be utilised

Trinity Hill Winery, Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay. Photo/Warren Buckland

The fast-approaching annual Art Deco Weekend is unquestionably our region's flagship tourism event.

Its unique appeal, the dollars generated, and the sheer number of overseas visitors attending make it an obvious cash cow.

But it should not be promoted to the detriment of other, equally charming, attractions this region has to offer.

When I arrived in Hawke's Bay I was surprised to discover that so few locals have spent time biking the cycle trails around the wineries.

Not only do I get the impression the cycle trails - which like Art Deco Weekend are often marketed to international travellers - are taken for granted locally, but so too domestically.

The cycle trails are the first thing I recommend to friends and relatives who visit Hawke's Bay but very rarely has anyone even heard of them.

Last summer a friend and I ventured out on the limestone trails around the Gimblett Gravels area. Incredibly, we encountered no other cyclists on the paths.

This was why I was pleased to hear of the multi-million-dollar investments made recently by Delegat and Villa Maria.

While much has been made of the potential for exports to a booming Chinese market, our entrenched wine production and accompanying cycle trails give the industry another dimension we can all enjoy.

They just need to be utilised.