GrapeRide 24th April 2021

Starting from wine central in Renwick on the Wairau plains, the course passes the outskirts of Blenheim, Marlborough’s largest centre before turning north past the regenerating wetlands of the Para swamp and onward to Marlborough’s maritime hub in scenic Picton. From there you’ll enter the glorious scenery of the Queen Charlotte Drive around the top ends of the Queen Charlotte and Pelorus Sounds, arriving in the green-lip mussel capital, Havelock. From there it’s a final roll down State Highway 6 through forestry and dairying areas before crossing the Wairau river and returning to The Vines Village for all the treats that await.

The mountain bike course is a challenging jaunt through varied features of the Wairau river bed taking in beautiful views up the Wairau valley and across the plains to the Southern Valleys. Best suited to beginner to intermediate riders, the course includes a number of different surfaces and some twisting singletrack through an established pine plantation. Starting and finishing at The Vines Village, the short (20km) and long (40km) courses offer something for everyone.