Otago Central Rail Trail

After the challenges of yesterday's Lake Dunstan Trail, it was somewhat of a relief to be riding a rail trail again. This is more akin to the type of sedate riding we do back in Australia, with no precipitous drops on the side and no ferocious climbs and descents. It should have been a doddle.

The funny thing is, that after all the adrenaline rush, the rail trail seemed a little tame by comparison. Could we have all become thrill seeking adventure junkies in just a few short days ? The answer obviously was yes.

Although the original plan was to start our ride at Wedderburn, somewhere along the line the plan was changed to include some extra distance. Thus we started our ride at Oturehua instead.

Actually the change of start was not the only change we had. Apparently in New Zealand the guides and drivers need to be rested after each 4 days, so we awoke to see Snow outside our hotel. No, not the snow that falls from the skies, but a new driver/guide called Snow.

Snow soon showed himself to be a real character, born and bred in the district and still living there 72 years later. Snow had been a local farmer for most of his eventful life, but was now using his unique local knowledge and skills to do tour guiding a couple of days each week. He certainly kept us informed and entertained with his stories - one or two of which might actually have been true.

Since we were riding a rail trail, there was no way we could get lost, The smooth surface also meant that we could make maximum use of the unfamiliar speed of our ebikes. Once again, the skies were blue, and I was soon reliving memories of the previous time I had ridden this trail back in 2014.

Although the riding was relatively easy, there is no doubting that this region can be tough and unforgiving. The exposed landscape can be bitterly cold in winter and searingly hot in summer, You are also liable to be assailed by brutal winds (fortunately we were not subjected to any of these challenges).

After passing through a series of small settlements with historic names we arrived at our finishing point of Carro Creek. The ride had been a little over 60km, and I have a confession to make. The last few km were ridden with the ebike on the wonderful "BOOST" setting, and boy was it fun to fly along at over 30 kph.

After loading the bikes to the trailer we were transferred back to the quaint Dunstan Lodge at Clyde. Since tonight's dinner was not included, I had a most interesting time trying to find something for Maggie and I to eat in a town that closes down completely after 5 pm. But that is a story for another time.Read more