With a mission of further enriching lives and empowering those challenged with disability or who are at risk in our community, Tauranga Riding for Disabled is set to open its new Tidmarsh Sensory Trail tomorrow.

Tauranga RDA fundraising and marketing manager Jo Grace says her team has pushed the boundaries, with the trail featuring a unique design that offers something fresh to their riders.

The trail has been purposefully-designed to engage all senses of sight, sound, touch, taste and smell to bring riders a 'colorful, creative and playful” trail experience, says Jo.

'There are not many of these trails around. I know one has just been opened in the North Shore but I don't think there are many of them in New Zealand and not to this capacity either.”

Jo gave a small teaser of some multi-sensory elements riders can expect to interact with. 'There's a garden, which has a lot of native plants and different smells. And they [riders] go around to different activity stations. There's a water feature so that would be the sense of touch; there's noodles that hang down; there's different little games they can play and all sorts of stuff!”

With the RDA facility based at rural Welcome Bay, the trail gives riders a peaceful and calm space to canter along. The trail runs in 'a paddock that sits on the water's edge…it's a very idyllic spot”. 'It's got a great big Oak tree and you've got a direct view through to the Mount looking over the water,” says Jo.

Put in the saddle last spring, the trail project has been no small task to complete. From design to planting and fencing areas, constructing a viewing platform and excavating paddocks, this has all been achieved in a 'challenging Covid environment”.

The Tauranga RDA thanks Paul Tidmarsh, owner of Blue Pacific Minerals, who funded the project, and gives special praise to Alan Collingwood from Tauranga Landscaping. 'Alan has been amazing. He's project project-managed the whole project and has had his staff involved in it as well.”

Tomorrow, April 2, four-five riders will enjoy the new trail at the grand opening from 10am-12pm.

Jo says the Tauranga RDA team hopes the ‘Tidmarsh Sensory Trail offers another bit of excitement to their riders' lives. '[For] Many of them coming to RDA is sort of the one exciting thing that they have to look forward to during the week, so we're just hoping that's it's another joyful thing for them.”