Nelson Craft Beer Trail

Almost every hop grown in New Zealand comes from the Nelson and Tasman region - the combination of latitude, sunshine hours and free-draining Waimea soils suits them, and varieties bred here, Nelson Sauvin, Motueka, Riwaka, are used by brewers worldwide and are a genuine national export in flavour terms. The local brewing industry grew out of that proximity. The trail links around twenty breweries and taprooms between Nelson city, Richmond, Brightwater, Motueka and the Moutere hills, with the Great Taste Trail cycleway running through much of the same country, which makes riding between several of them realistic on flat ground. March is harvest, when fresh-hop beers are brewed within hours of picking and only exist for a few weeks. Distances between the outlying breweries are real, and a sober driver or a shuttle matters as much here as anywhere.

What you actually see

• The hop gardens - tall wirework across the Waimea plains.
• The named varieties - Nelson Sauvin, Motueka and Riwaka, bred here.
• The breweries - around twenty taprooms across the region.
• The fresh-hop beers - brewed in March, hours after picking.

When to go

November to April. March is hop harvest and fresh-hop season, the most interesting time. Taproom hours are shorter in winter and midweek.

Honest expectations

Breweries are spread out - some are far apart and cycling between all of them is not realistic in a day. Drink-driving enforcement is active; arrange a driver or shuttle. Fresh-hop beers exist for a few weeks only.

Nearby

Abel Tasman and Motueka are north-west; Nelson city and its market are central.