Otago Central Rail Trail

Kicking on from the Lake Dunstan Trail, we connected to another trail at the small town of Clyde. We arrived, passing through eerie white cloud above the lake and large dam on our descent into Clyde, where we warmed up with second breakfast (embracing the habits of a Hobbit). Clyde has an old frontier like feel and exists mainly due to the gold rush of the 1860’s which attracted many folk to the area during the gold boom. The town has many traditional buildings, including the less utilised stone and also mud brick. We called in at the local bike shop (Bike it Now!) to try and get mirrors for our bikes and although they had none in stock, Hunter kindly helped us out with a map and some guidance for our route ahead. Very helpful - always good to visit a friendly bike shop.
We next called at the local store for a few provisions and bumped into a friendly man called John Wilkie, who asked us where we were heading for. John’s ancestors hail from Scotland, and emigrated to New Zealand in the 1800’s and John mentioned that his great, great grandfather was one of eight! John helpfully gave us some tips to easily get into the next stage of our ride. We joined the Otago Rail Trail, the first of NZ long-distance bike routes (the Original Great Ride) following the old 152km line that had been used to transport supplies to and from the gold fields, along with wool, livestock and supplies (1880-1980s). Passing through Alexandra, Chatto Creek and Omakau, we overnighted at a B&B in the town of Lauder (also a town in the Scottish Borders) where we met Tom and Karolina. Tom had spent 6 months cycle touring, travelling from the UK to Central Asia and had some great stories to tell and also useful info. Karolina hailed from the Czech Republic and had travelled solo around NZ. They met and eventually moved to Lauder where they have taken on the B&B at the Old Schoolhouse, after the former owners sold up. They were great hosts and made us feel more than welcome. Thanks Tom and Karolina for your kindness and hospitality. Passing by the settlements of Oturehua, Wedderburn and Ranfurly, through varied and changing terrain was wonderful. Over many bridges and through several tunnels, the information boards along the way, made us feel immersed in the history of the line and surrounding region. What it took to make it and save and transform it into a great path for bikes and people. Last night on the trail was spent sheltering in one of the old ‘stations huts’ - now home to many birds judging by the amount of bird poo! We set up our tent inside the hut, which sheltered us on a wet and windy night.
The final leg into Middlemarch next morning, stopping for some food and a coffee at the Kissing Gate Cafe, which was most welcome and where our off road trail adventure ended.
The next stage was along the road and three brutal climbs which Amanda and I both were not looking forward to…more to follow on that.Läs mer