Map reading, puzzle solving, and biking are the ingredients that go into making the Great K Valley Cycle Adventure a whānau-friendly fun day out.

Set in the Kopurererua Valley Reserve and run by Rotary Club of Tauranga Sunrise, the event will be held on Sunday, April 16.

'The scavenger hunt is environmentally-focused, takes entrants to areas that are usually unexplored, and highlights what an asset the valley is to the community,” says the club's environment committee director Michele Beaton.

The Great K Valley Cycle Adventure includes map reading and looking for clues along the way with great prizes on offer. Photo: SunLive.

Cyclists set off between 10am and 12pm on April 16 from the western end of 17th Avenue beside the skate park.

Teams can start at 10 minute intervals between 10am and 12 midday. On arrival and registration cyclists will be directed the to the starter for briefing confirmation and team start. Prize giving is at 2pm.

The Kopurererua Valley Reserve is packed with history, bird life, and great cycling and walking trails. The Great K Valley Cycle Adventure is a fun way to get friends and family together to enjoy a fun few hours there while finding the puzzle clues within the valley.

Funds raised from the event will go to the Graeme Dingle Foundation which supports children in many ways, including the school-facilitated Kiwi Can programme.

The Great K Valley Cycle Adventure is being held on Sunday April 16, with the start point at the west end of 17th Ave near the skate park. Photo: SunLive.

Michelle says the valley is the biggest wetland restoration in New Zealand and is home to a wide range of species.

'Wetlands are amazing. They suck up greenhouse gasses, are somewhere for excess flood waters to go, and are a real hidden gem that many people don't even realise are there.”

The combined Rotary Clubs of Tauranga have been assisting Tauranga City Council with regeneration of the valley since the millennium, with annual planting, rat trapping and fundraising efforts.

Puketoromiro Pa in Kopurererua Valley. Photo: SunLive.

Highlighting the long Māori history of the area, Michele says: 'It's important for people to know that Ngāi Tamarāwaho is mana whenua of Kopurererua Valley”.

'They've done a lot of work in partnership with the council in the valley and with its river, and also in raising awareness of Puketoromiro Pā located towards the southern end of the valley.”

The start of the Great K Valley Cycle Adventure is at the west end of 17th Ave on Sunday April 16. Photo: SunLive.

Previous Great K Valley Cycle Adventures have seen up to 250 cyclists take part.

'We usually have at least 50 teams involved,” says Rotary Club of Tauranga Sunrise events committee director Rhonda Wisbey.

'They can be made up of any number of people – this is for fun, and for health.”

The Great K Valley Cycle Adventure has two courses - a shorter 10km course or the longer 25km course for teams of up to six people to complete.

For more information and to enter, see: www.eventspronto.co.nz/event6989

Glenn Dougal on right, and his kids Jem, 14, and Antalya, 16, are taking part in the Great K Valley Cycle Adventure. Photo: John Borren.