We’re three days into our Otago Rail Trail cycling tour and I’ve just managed to snatch five minutes with some wifi coverage to blog.
We are Jan, me, Pam and Steve.
We went by 16-seater coach ( just the four of us with driver/ guide Joyce) from Christchurch to the first leg of the trail at Clyde. The scenery was spectacular on the drive with snow-capped mountains on the horizon and pristine blue lakes in the foreground.
The bus had a trailer with our bikes on it – comfortable mountain bikes with suspension forks and seat posts. The bikes were fitted to our preferences and we had a short ride around Clyde.
We stayed in a beautiful old house – Dunstan House (1862) – at Clyde with a great meal at the old post office and late drinks on the upstairs verandah of the house.
We started the ride the next day, 46 kilometres to Lauder. The trail follows a disused railway line.
“Gold was first discovered in Central Otago in 1861 and the railway was built during the ensuing prosperity. It provided an essential 
economic lifeline between Dunedin and the townships that had sprung up to accommodate the influx of people to the region.
Labourers and tradesmen worked with picks, shovels, horse-drawn wagons and explosives across difficult terrain. It took them from 1891 to 1907 to complete the Middlemarch to Clyde railway line. ”
We crossed the Muttontown Gully Bridge and went through Alexandra. There are amazing views and interesting historical sites. The tour planners make sure we have morning coffee stops, lunch stops and evening meals all sorted.
The going is tough in parts. The surface is gravel, mostly smooth, but with some rough bits that slow you down. We’ve been lucky with the weather, we’ve stayed dry and warm but we have faced some strong gusty sidewinds that can push you off track.
At a Lauder we stay at the old Lauder Railway School and eat over the road at the pub.
Today we went 34 km from Lauder to Wedderburn. We rode through a couple of spooky old rail tunnels, through some spectacular gorges and across the Poolburn Viaduct.
The scenery really is amazing.
We took a side trip after lunch to Hayes Engineering Works and Homestead “a heritage site consisting of a fascinating 1890s engineering factory, (still in working order), farm buildings and a quirky 1920s house and garden. This property was home to the remarkable and hard-working Ernest and Hannah Hayes.
New Zealand’s farming community is indebted to Ernest Hayes, a flour miller and farmer who invented and marketed products to improve farming life. His most famous invention – the Hayes Wire Strainer, designed and perfected in 1924 is still sold worldwide today.”
It sounds hokey, but this was absolutely fascinating. Hayes built windmills to drive his machinery, then used a water wheel to generate electricity for his factory and home. The machinery sheds are amazing.
Then it was back on the trail, with some hard climbing in strong winds. The last 11km was good – mostly downhill with a following wind. Our accommodation was in smart cabins on a farm at Wedderburn. One woman in another group was unlucky enough to come off her bike and dislocate her shoulder, so the ambulance turned up. She managed to make it down to the pub later.
So far so good. Fingers crossed for the weather tomorrow.
n. It was still pouring down, so we abandoned our next leg and got on the bus to head for our overnight stop at Waipiata. We’re in the pub, very pleasant place with a good evening meal.
