If you fancy hooning around a 1600 acre farm astride a quad bike, you better hot foot it down to Happy Valley Adventures, where you could spend a few hours or even a day getting to grips with all the activities they’ve got on offer.
Just 10 minutes drive away from Nelson and you’ll be in another world as you marvel at the rolling hills around you and the amazing views to the ocean.One of the best ways to get up close and personal with your surroundings is by taking charge of your own four-wheel motorbike or quad bike.With a range of trails to choose from, you could go for the Farm Forest Ride, which is one to one and a half hours, designed to suit all abilities.
At the other extreme, there’s the three hour Blue Hill Special, which is the most challenging track available. It’s over 30km of steep, forested mountain tracks and stunning scenery.
I decided to go for the one in the middle – the Bay View Circuit. This two to two and a half hour ride is the most popular at Happy Valley and explores over 14km of native forest trails.
After having the chance to get familiar with my four-wheeled beast on the farm’s circuit, my guide could also watch me and suss out how well I could handle the mean machine, especially changing gears and rounding corners.
"cruising around the trails"
Once I’d got the all-clear we were off into the forest to check out the trails leading up and down the many hills on this massive farm. Stopping for a bit of local history and nature information along the way, I really felt like I was on top of the world as I looked out to the amazing views below.I even got to see Happy Valley’s Skywire, which at 3.2km is the world’s longest Flying Fox adventure. Set high on forested hills that overlook the sea and river valleys, riders get fastened into a four seat carriage and fly forwards then backwards for a ten minute adventure thrill. And it certainly looks like a thrill as the first 800m freefall can reach 100km/h – I think I’ll have to come back another day to try that out for myself.Leaving the Skywire we continued cruising around the trails, taking in the amazing views, but remembering to keep an eye on the track as pondering on the scenery for just a little bit too long could leave you high and dry off the track.
After stopping for a welcome snack break of cheese, crackers and biscuits, washed down with a refreshing cuppa, we were back on our way again.
Once we got nearer to base, I was given the chance to let rip on the farm’s circuit track which was fantastic, especially as there had been a lot of rain the day before so those puddles were nice and deep. The only thing was, my guide pointed out that there were a lot of hidden cow pats floating in them, so I didn’t really fancy one of them launching itself out of the puddle and splattering me in the face, thank you very much. So dodging the cow pats made navigating the puddles that much more interesting!
Happy Valley Adventures is just 10 minutes north of Nelson on Cable Bay Road.
They provide helmets and wet weather gear (to protect against those cowpats!), as well as full safety training.
Happy Valley is open every day except Christmas Day, rain or shine!
Happy Valley also offers horse treks, paintball and rides on Argo, an eight-wheeled all-terrain vehicle which can do high speed river crossings, 360 degree spins and heart-stopping climbs.
Rachel stayed at Tasman Bay Backpackers at 10 Weka Street, Nelson. It’s a real home from home with a lovely cosy atmosphere. The best thing is, you get free breakfast with toast, cereals and tea and coffee, and every night they serve a yummy hot chocolate pudding with ice cream which is simply divine!
