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Published: February 12th 2010
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Well we headed to the Central Otago area of Southland with mixed expectations. On the one hand we had been told that the rail trail was a must see but after the slightly dissapointing Southern scenic route we held judgement. We needn't have, driving through to the Central Otago area we were immediately impressed with the town of Alexandra where we stopped for a beer or two on what was a schorching day. The surronding countryside had impressive tussock ridden grasslands and strange Tors (schist outcrops that have weathered less rapidly then the surronding rock formations) and evidence that this was an ocean millenia ago.
We drove to Clyde and up an innocent looking sign that pointed to a lookout, ideal for freedom camping! Ten minutes later of a steep climb we were slightly concerned but perservered. We were rewarded with great views of the Clutha dam (NZ 3rd largest hydroelectric dam) which loomed ominously over the townscape!!
The following day we picked our bikes up and were dropped at Wedderburn, near the central point of the rail trail (Lisa liked the idea of cycling downhill - cheats we are!). We were to do 80km of the 150km stretch
of railway that used to link Clyde through the Raggedy Range to Middlemarch. This was indeed an impressive feat being hand dug with picks and shovels from 1891 through to 1907. Whilst it was an ecominc lifeline to farmers and grain producers back then indeed it is now as the bike trail grows in popularity.
The inital stretch was uphill from Wedderburn to Oturehua past the highest point of the trail at 618m. We were to be greeted with a mixture of viaducts, Dams Gorge Tunnels and river crossings (see http://www.otagocentralrailtrail.co.nz) on our journey to Lauder where we were to stay for the night. On the way we stopped off at an old gold mining works (obviously) and also Hayes engineering works which was an amazing step back in time at the beginning of the 1900's. We also stopped at Gilchrests store, effectively a working museum showing products used before supermarkets donated by the local community and retaining the period interior from the 1899. It is based in Oturehua and also a popular location for bikers, no speed cameras here!
The night at the Lauder was a real step back in time, sipping ales with the local farmers at
the bar I got slightly drunk and ended up burning the midnight oil with Gerald the hotel owner. Lauder, population 11, was hardly what one would call bustling but it had a real rural charm long sice gone from most areas, long may it continue!
The following day with slightly fuzzy heads we cycled through to cycle through to Clyde via Omakau, Chatto Creek and Galloway stations. Chatto creek is home to a tavern from 1886 and is another beautiful pub that is a real step back in time.
A stop at Alex again for some refreshment it was tempting to go back and do the rest of the rail trail, however we decided to cheat and drive the stratch from Wedderburn to Middlemarch. The most interesting town on this route was Ranfurly which was an art-deco gem which owes its existence to the railway cutting across the Maniototo plain, the local builder had continued to construct in the art-deco style long after others had finished doing so. It was nice to tour this one on foot but we have fond memories of the rail trail and the Central Otago area!!
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