the Wangapeka and Dart rivers there is a concrete ford (which needs care) over the Dart River. After seven kilometres there is the Siberia Flat campsite and the Wangapeka Track starts 1 km further on, at the Rolling River carpark. Shedwood Bush Conservation Area: This area of native bush along the eastern edge of the village offers walks and a scenic lookout. The Hidden Sculpture Garden is 5 km from town towards Kohatu. Cycle Tourism Tapawera is part of two increasingly popular cycle trails. Tapawera sits astride Tasman’s Great Taste Trail. The trail starts in Nelson and takes cyclists to Richmond, Brightwater, Wakefield, and through the 1.4km-long Spooners Tunnel to Kohatu. The trail from Kohatu to Tapawera is off-road except for one short section on road. From Tapawera cyclists can now journey on a picturesque route up Tapawera-Baton Road, which further up the valley follows the Wangapeka River. The gravel road then takes cyclists over a saddle to the Baton River. A swingbridge over the Baton was opened in April 2022. After crossing the river the trail follows the Baton Valley Road to the Baton Bridge at Woodstock. There is work still to be done on the next section but cyclists follow the Motueka West Bank Road to Riwaka. The gravel road sections on this part of the trail call for caution, especially further up the Tapawera-Baton Road, as they can be busier than some people expect including with heavy vehicles. Dust is also an issue. The township is also the starting point of the Tapawera to Murchison Heartland Ride which travels up the Tadmor Valley to Glenhope and then on to Murchison via Lake Rotoroa. Tapawera is also on the route for the Tour Aotearoa brevet which is now held annually. This event travels the length of the country and in Tasman follows the Great Taste Trail to Tapawera and then the route of the Tapawera to Murchison Heartland ride. Education Tapawera Area School is a co-educational state area school for Year 1 to 13 students. The school was established in 1942 as the 'Consolidated School' which was formed through the closure and combining of a number of small primary schools across the region. The local schools that closed in 1942 when the new school first opened were Golden Downs, Kiwi, Korere, Matariki, Motupiko, Stanley Brook, Tadmor, Tapawera, Tui, and Woodstock. Schools closed earlier were Mararewa (1902), Sherry River