We completed our five biking days on the Otago Central Rail Trail during the days of January 15-19, 2020. The first two-and-one-half days were all uphill, but at an easy grade of 2%, because this trail is on an old railroad line. Then, thankfully, the 4th and 5th day were mostly biking downhill except for the Tiger Hill.
Day 1: Middlemarch to Hyde with 27km and 500′ elevation gain. We started at 2:00 pm after the train dropped us off nearby, and the great bicycle company, Cycle Surgery, picked us up at the train station and took us to Middlemarch to get outfitted with our seven speed bicycles that have been designed to ride the Otago Central Rail Trail. Cycle Surgery is a great company that builds and rents bikes made specially for this trail, as well as super good hand grips.
Our first travel was through the Strath Taieri Valley which was used in 2011 as some scenes for The Hobbit movie. Then it was on to ranch land. People who live on the Otago valley and plains survive by raising sheep and cattle. It’s breathtaking and so beautiful, much like the fertile valleys of Idaho. We biked past many,many sheep, and lots of cattle, all day, mostly uphill but with plenty of level meadows as well. To Sue’s chagrin, Ted usually tries talking to the sheep and cows along the way. Sue feels sorry for the animals. They look at us, with their eyes focused and heads following as we ride by, mesmerized by the sound of the rolling wheels and the intrusion into their lives. The land is beautiful and sparsely populated. We spent the night in Hyde which has a population of 21, growing to 40 if you include nearby ranch neighbors outside of town. Our humble accommodations at the Hyde School and amazing dinner of slow-cooked lamb, chicken, and five vegetables were truly wonderful, as were the conversations that we enjoyed with the innkeepers and guests from New Zealand.
Day 2: We rode 33 km from Hyde to Ranfurly with an elevation gain of 611 feet, with lots of uphills and a few welcome downhills. Best of all, we rode through the Upper Taieri Gorge today, through a 500′ tunnel, and across quite a few bridges. Whenever we stop our bicycles, and the wheels-on-gravel sound stops, the surrounding natural sounds come to life even more: birds chirping, lambs baaa-ing, flies and bees buzzing. We embrace a real feeling of gratefulness to ride this trail. Biking 22 miles on a gentle 2% uphill is nothing for cyclist warriors, but for retired 60-something people, it’s a real achievement.
Day 3: Ranfurly to Oturehua (O-tu-ru-ha) was a 27 km ride accompanied by a 750 feet elevation gain. After a sustained uphill section, when we reached the top of the trail (see photo) you should have seen the smile on Sue’s face as we afterwards coasted downhill at 25 km per hour through the Poolburn Gorge, across bridges, through tunnels, and across high terrain. Another marker along the way was the 45 degree South Latitude, half way between the equator and South Pole.
Day 4: We had a grand time mostly coasting down the trail, biking 24 miles with a 223′ elevation gain the other times. Ida valley is awesome, and the landscape changed today. It was greener, with open fields of sheep, cows, and trees. We visited the Hayes Engineering Museum where the Kiwi inventive spirit epitomized from Mr. Hayes was on display, including his wind-powered workshop with saw, grinders, drills, and lathes. After our visit, we also had two tunnels and two very long bridges to traverse along the way. One has to walk a bike through a pitch dark tunnel, or else it’s so easy to hit the sides.
Day 5: It was a really good four-hour ride to Clyde on a sparkling day. We only had Tiger Hill to conquer, an easy 250′ climb, before sailing downhill at 20 km/hr for a good 45 minutes on a beautifully long S-turn until we got down to the Chatto Creek. We love that kind of riding! ; ) Then it was on to the Manuherikia River and gold digging country in the 1860s. We stopped in beautiful Alexandria for refreshments, then, with dusty bikes and full hearts, we pulled into Clyde at 1:45 pm, and after taking a picture of us at the Clyde Trailhead we returned our bikes to Cycle Surgery (a highly recommended vendor for this activity).