Overview
Experience the big skies and iconic landscape of Central Otago in this 5 Day/4 Night guided cycle adventure on the Otago Central Rail Trail. Ride a vehicle-free trail for 4 to 5 hours a day, enjoying relaxed rides on a trail with an easy gradient, stunning scenery, and Gold Rush-era history. Stay in old historic hotels offering comfortable twin/double share accommodation. Experience the engineering marvel of Poolburn Gorge carved with tunnels and spanned by viaducts, and soak up the sweeping views without worry knowing you have support vehicle while on the trail, and an experienced tour guide passionate and well-versed about the trail to make this tour an adventure to remember.
Details
Difficulty: 2
Departure Dates
| Month | Year | Day |
| October | 2021 | 26 |
| November | 2021 | 15 |
| February | 2022 | 21 |
| March | 2022 | 7, 23 |
| April | 2022 | 4 |
Start: Queenstown (7:4am)
Finish: Dunedin or Queenstown
Includes:
- Cycle equipment which includes bicycle, helmet, repair kit, panniers, odometer and trail documentation.
- One knowledgeable driver/tour guide to accompany tour party and for on trail support
- All en suite accommodation based on twin/double share
- Transport: Queenstown to Clyde - includes 9.00am hotel pick up
- All meals as specified (except the first night in Alexandra and lunch when you finish in Middlemarch) 4 morning teas and 3 afternoon teas
- Secure car storage if driving yourself to Clyde
- Sidetrips (Ophir, St Bathans and Naseby for Curling)
- Bus transport from Middlemarch to Clyde or Queenstown if required instead of the train (Hotel drop off).
- Taieri Gorge Train from Middlemarch to Dunedin (arriving at Dunedin Train Station at 2.30pm) **Clients are required to make their own way from the train station to their accommodation**
Accommodation
All accommodation is ensuite based on twin/double share
Optional Extra:
Alexandra Wine Tour (3hr wine tour visiting 3 local wineries on the first afternoon. Pick up and drop off from Asure Avenue Motels). Additional charge of $100 per person.
Pricing:
Cost per person twin share
October 2021- May 2022
- With bike hire: NZ$2,250
- Single supplement: NZ$345 (Min. of 2 people)
Minimum of 4 people per departure
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Overview
Experience the big skies and iconic landscape of Central Otago in this 5 Day/4 Night guided cycle adventure on the Otago Central Rail Trail. Ride a vehicle-free trail for 4 to 5 hours a day, enjoying relaxed rides on a trail with an easy gradient, stunning scenery, and Gold Rush-era history. Stay in old historic hotels offering comfortable twin/double share accommodation. Experience the engineering marvel of Poolburn Gorge carved with tunnels and spanned by viaducts, and soak up the sweeping views without worry knowing you have support vehicle while on the trail, and an experienced tour guide passionate and well-versed about the trail to make this tour an adventure to remember.
Itinerary
Open AllYour adventure starts in Queenstown where you will be picked up by our shuttle from your accommodation at 9.00am to travel to our depot where you will be fitted with your bikes, briefed on your tour then start your cycling adventure.
From Clyde you can cycle past vineyards and over an old wooden trestle bridge on the ride to Alexandra. For the more adventurous, there is the option of riding on the Clutha River Centennial Track to Alexandra which adds another 8km to your cycle ride.
The rest of the day is at your leisure. We can arrange a wine tour for you if you wish and you will need to advise your consultant at time of booking. (Extra charges apply) Alternatively if you want to do more riding, there is a good 20km ride (10km each way) on the Roxburgh Gorge Trail following the Clutha River to Doctors Point and back.
From Alexandra you bike to Galloway Station where we boil the Billy for morning tea with good old home baking. You then bike to Chatto Creek Tavern, an historic stone building which is where you will stop for lunch.
After lunch you cycle up Tiger Hill, an easy gradient of 1 in 50. From the top of Tiger Hill it is all downhill to your overnight accommodation in Lauder.
Before dinner, at the Lauder Hotel, there is the option of a side trip with your tour guide to the historic gold mining towns of St Bathans and Ophir.
The highlight of today's cycle ride is the beautiful Poolburn Gorge section featuring two tunnels and two viaducts. You then cycle through the Ida Valley farm lands past the Idaburn Dam, one of New Zealand’s few out door winter curling sites. A site visit to Hayes Historic Engineering Works, then there is a short ride to the Oturehua Tavern for lunch.
After lunch you'll cycle onto the Golden Progress Mine just north of Oturehua, then onto the highest point of the trail before stopping the night at Wedderburn.
Your guide will then take you on a short side trip to Naseby to try your hand at curling and look through the old gold mining town. The evening meal is a traditional farm style meal, at the Wedderburn Tavern.
From Wedderburn the trail is mostly downhill to Ranfurly, the Art Deco Capital of Otago for morning tea, then crossing the Maniototo Plains on to the Waipiata Tavern for lunch.
After lunch the days highlight is the section between Daisybank and Hyde alongside the Taieri River, crossing the Capburn Bridge, the Price’s Creek Viaduct and the last tunnel before arriving at Hyde.
We will transfer the group back to Waipiata for night’s accommodation.
After relocating group back to Hyde from Waipiata, today it is a short ride and slightly downhill with views of the Rock and Pillar Ranges and the Hyde Railway Disaster Memorial. We provide a morning snack along the way. For those traveling on the Taieri Gorge Tourist Train trip to Dunedin we will arrive at the Middlemarch Railway Station in time for you to depart by train at 1pm. Transport back to Queenstown by bus can also be arranged if required.
Cost per person twin share
October 2021- May 2022
- With bike hire: NZ$2,250
- Single supplement: NZ$345 (Min. of 2 people)
Minimum of 4 people per departure
Itinerary
Open AllYour adventure starts in Queenstown where you will be picked up by our shuttle from your accommodation at 9.00am to travel to our depot where you will be fitted with your bikes, briefed on your tour then start your cycling adventure.
From Clyde you can cycle past vineyards and over an old wooden trestle bridge on the ride to Alexandra. For the more adventurous, there is the option of riding on the Clutha River Centennial Track to Alexandra which adds another 8km to your cycle ride.
The rest of the day is at your leisure. We can arrange a wine tour for you if you wish and you will need to advise your consultant at time of booking. (Extra charges apply) Alternatively if you want to do more riding, there is a good 20km ride (10km each way) on the Roxburgh Gorge Trail following the Clutha River to Doctors Point and back.
From Alexandra you bike to Galloway Station where we boil the Billy for morning tea with good old home baking. You then bike to Chatto Creek Tavern, an historic stone building which is where you will stop for lunch.
After lunch you cycle up Tiger Hill, an easy gradient of 1 in 50. From the top of Tiger Hill it is all downhill to your overnight accommodation in Lauder.
Before dinner, at the Lauder Hotel, there is the option of a side trip with your tour guide to the historic gold mining towns of St Bathans and Ophir.
The highlight of today's cycle ride is the beautiful Poolburn Gorge section featuring two tunnels and two viaducts. You then cycle through the Ida Valley farm lands past the Idaburn Dam, one of New Zealand’s few out door winter curling sites. A site visit to Hayes Historic Engineering Works, then there is a short ride to the Oturehua Tavern for lunch.
After lunch you'll cycle onto the Golden Progress Mine just north of Oturehua, then onto the highest point of the trail before stopping the night at Wedderburn.
Your guide will then take you on a short side trip to Naseby to try your hand at curling and look through the old gold mining town. The evening meal is a traditional farm style meal, at the Wedderburn Tavern.
From Wedderburn the trail is mostly downhill to Ranfurly, the Art Deco Capital of Otago for morning tea, then crossing the Maniototo Plains on to the Waipiata Tavern for lunch.
After lunch the days highlight is the section between Daisybank and Hyde alongside the Taieri River, crossing the Capburn Bridge, the Price’s Creek Viaduct and the last tunnel before arriving at Hyde.
We will transfer the group back to Waipiata for night’s accommodation.
After relocating group back to Hyde from Waipiata, today it is a short ride and slightly downhill with views of the Rock and Pillar Ranges and the Hyde Railway Disaster Memorial. We provide a morning snack along the way. For those traveling on the Taieri Gorge Tourist Train trip to Dunedin we will arrive at the Middlemarch Railway Station in time for you to depart by train at 1pm. Transport back to Queenstown by bus can also be arranged if required.
