Cycle Touring

Date: 12/05/15 Position: Otago Yacht Club, Dunedin

We've spent the last five and a half days on our bikes riding a combination of the Otago Central Rail Trail, The Roxburgh Trail, The Clutha Gold Trail and an overland route back to Dunedin. We had four days of sunshine and a few challenging head winds at times and one day of solid rain. No mechanicals (bike problems) occurred and we covered 385km, averaging around 70km a day. Not bad considering we haven't been on the bikes for four months.

We thought with the good weather conditions and being able to leave Ambler safely at the Otago Yacht Club for a reasonable price it was too good an opportunity to miss. So last Thursday we caught the Taieri Gorge Scenic Railway from Dunedin to Pukerangi. It was a great trip which followed the Taieri Gorge through a stunning landscape. Once the train departed Pukerangi for its return trip to Dunedin, we found ourselves surrounded by open green farmland dotted with schist outcrops, an old station building and a solitary road which we thought must lead us to Middlemarch, 20km away and the start of the Otago Central Rail Trail.

We spent two sunny, windy days covering the 150km Rail Trail. The views were stunning with great open spaces of farmland dotted with sheep. We had to stop a few times and wait as farmers and their highly trained sheep dogs worked hard to herd sheep along the trail from one paddock to the next. High mountain ranges ran parallel to the trail as we wound our way alongside rivers flanked in willow trees. We passed through tiny, old townships that once supported the railway. As we neared Alexandra the countryside became dry, arid and rocky with a few tunnels, cuttings and viaducts to ride through and over. The trail climbed steadily in this area and we had great views of the sweeping countryside below. A local told us that Alexandra is like a desert with extreme temperatures in summer and winter and very little rainfall which results in poor soil and very little tree growth.

At Alexandra we left the Rail Trail and spent half a day on the highway as we headed to Roxburgh Dam. Again the scenery was breathtaking and never ceased to leave us in awe. The deciduous trees looked striking against the green fields and the weather remained sunny and cool. We completed part of The Roxburgh Trail, a purpose built 34km trail that runs along the dam with plenty of switchbacks as it climbs and descends. The beginning and end of the trail are complete but the middle section isn't as there are disputes with the landowner. However you can catch a boat for $95 to ferry you between the beginning and end if you wish too.

From the end of The Roxburgh Trail we joined The Clutha Gold Trail. This 75km trail followed the fast flowing, glacier coloured waters of the Clutha Mata-au River which flows from the Roxburgh Dam and Power Station. We spent a day and a half riding along this meandering and generally down hill flowing trail to Lawrence. We were constantly hearing and seeing a great variety of small birds along this trail. Often the trail was hidden under yellow and red leaves as we cycled through many groves of deciduous trees. With the river on our right, on our left could be seen a lot of evidence and history from the early gold prospecting days. We passed through a few small, tidy towns and noticed the landscape changing from the drier environment to lush, green sheep pastures.

On Monday afternoon after having lunch at Lawrence we set out to head back to Dunedin via Waipori Falls. This was a challenging ride after the cruzy trails so far with many steep climbs and descents. It was a lot more than we were expecting and not helped with the poor quality maps we had obtained from the information centre. The sky was laden with heavy looking dark blue clouds and the wind kept increasing. However we pedaled on and as we rode the final, very steep descent to Waipori Falls the rain began to fall.

It rained heavily overnight and remained constant all day today with a low temperature of 5 degrees. We rode the remaining 65km to Dunedin layered up with thermals, fleece and full wet weather gear. We only stopped once to refuel at a warm cafe otherwise we pedaled on to stay warm. With the thought of a hot shower waiting for us we reached Dunedin mid afternoon.

It was a fantastic cycle tour with amazing scenery and friendly locals.

All is warm again on board. Kathy and Wayne

Photos coming in the next few days.

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