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At 103 The Store in Roxburgh, Otago, cyclists click-clack up to the counter, their cleats tapping a rhythm that is the soundtrack of this trip. After hours cycling the high cliffs of the Roxburgh Gorge Trail, where purple thyme hugs the jagged rock face and every sharp turn requires the confidence of Cadel Evans, satisfied riders stretch out their legs, order coffees or cold drinks, house made cinnamon-drenched scrolls, savoury scones, or a slice of New Zealand’s famous lolly cake while they wait for their shuttles.
Cycling the Lake Dunstan Trail.Will Nelson/Tourism Central Otago
I’ve barely seen another person on the trail all day, but by 4pm even the slowest cyclists have arrived, and The Store is a hubbub of cycling stories ranging from sore muscles and stiffness to the spectacular scenery.
I’m tackling three of the five Nga Haerenga Great Rides of New Zealand that criss-cross Otago from my base in Clyde, a charming historic mining town 85 kilometres from Queenstown. New Zealand is a country of scenery and superlatives, and this part of Otago is up there with the best. I’m looking forward to mountains and valleys, lakes and rivers, high plains and farming country, but I’m hoping this slow exploration on two wheels will help me get to know the people and places better too.
That’s a common goal, says Bike it Now co-owner Kathryn “Fletch” Fletcher. “Everyone who goes out on the trails comes back with stories; the people they meet, the things they’ve seen,” Fletch says, as she sets me up with a bike, helmet, safety kit and water bottle.
Talking trails at Bike It Now!Geoff Marks
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It’s a promise that’s fulfilled as soon as I get on the shuttle bus from Clyde to Auripo. Our driver just happens to be beloved former New Zealand cricketer and coach Warren Lees, and he tells us rollicking tales of the history of the region, pointing out the places we should return to such as the still-operating historic post office (with a tiny jailhouse out the back) in Ophir that’s almost unchanged since its construction in 1886. There are stories about cyclists who get lost and the best places to stop for a coffee or lunch along the trail. He never mentions cricket once. Locals may tell me they love Central Otago’s silence, but it’s clear they are also quite fond of a yarn.
Time for a break.Will Nelson/Tourism Central Otago
The rail trail is a good place to ease into cycling. Like all rail trails it follows the path of a former rail line, in this case the Otago Central Railway, which opened in sections from 1889 and ran for 152 kilometres between Clyde and Middlemarch until 1990. It’s flat, smooth and accessible for all ages and abilities. I’m only cycling the 55 kilometres from Auripo back to Clyde, but many people choose to make it a three-day-tour, booking accommodation, restaurants and luggage transfers in advance to make the journey seamless. On this route, the thrills are less about navigating cliffs and more about experiencing the tunnels, bridges and trail-line that carve a path through the gold mining and farming history of the south, and stopping at the picturesque small towns along the way.
After a coffee and a homemade ginger slice at the Muddy Creek Cafe at the 20 kilometre mark in Omakau, the spring weather is so beautiful I skip lunch at the legendary pub at Chatto Creek and keep cycling until the sky abruptly darkens and the wind is so strong only the motor on my e-bike allows me to move forward.
Trails start and end in Carrick Winery in Bannockburn, Central Otago.Geoff Marks
It’s the perfect excuse to turn off the trail to Monte Christo winery, where cellar door manager Rebecca Cowley brings me an umbrella, then describes in vivid detail how intrepid Frenchman Jean Desire Feraud arrived in pursuit of gold and ended up establishing Otago’s first winery. Although the original 1864 vineyard eventually reverted to farmland, Feraud’s stone barn has now been restored and turned into a cellar door with indoor/outdoor tables, a huge lawn and a pizza van that is as inviting to passing cyclists as it is to connoisseurs of the winery’s award-winning pinot noir.
The cycle trails in Otago may include long stretches of untouched, spectacular nature, challenging hills and turns, high cliffs and deep gorges, but there are also enclaves of civilisation exactly where you need them. On day two I’m riding with experienced cyclist Geoff Marks from Tourism Central Otago on the Lake Dunstan Trail, and I’m surprised that after only 30 minutes’ cycling he suggests we take a break. He must know something I don’t.
As we turn a corner, an expansive lawn overlooking the Kawarau River meets the track, and there are already other cyclists sipping wine and lounging in front of Carrick Winery’s cellar door. Owners and local farmers Tony and Alison Cleland purchased the winery in 2021, the same year the Lake Dunstan Trail opened. With a pandemic cycling surge in full swing, they adapted to hikers and riders’ needs adding a pizza trailer, cafe and barbecue alongside the established fine dining restaurant. “We realised pretty quickly we were on to a good thing here,” says Tony.
A caffeine stop at Coffee AFloat.Geoff Marks
The Clelands weren’t the only ones creating new experiences along the trail during the pandemic. A further 10 kilometres along, after we’ve climbed high above Lake Dunstan along the twisting track, we cycle down to a cove where two small boats are bobbing in the water. “Is it time for an espresso?” Marks asks.
We park our bikes and step onto Coffee Afloat, a boat fitted out with a shiny machine. The brainchild of locals Richard and Jolanda Foale, Coffee Afloat was soon joined by Burger Afloat, offering burgers made from local venison. They also have bike pumps, picnic tables and there’s a trail toilet nearby. “We’re also the unofficial ambulance,” says Richard, and I can’t tell if he’s joking.
The cliff-hugging trail.
Back on our bikes, we leave behind the other cyclists drinking coffee. Soon, we’re riding so close to the cliffs, I have to tuck in my elbows so they won’t get scraped. A grade-three trail, it’s narrow, remote and often exposed. I have a near miss skidding on a corner, and realise Richard wasn’t joking about the ambulance. But the views over the lake and across the hills, a rugged landscape once crawling with miners, are majestic.
As the connection point for these three Great Rides, by late afternoon sleepy Clyde is busy with returning cyclists and hikers and the Post Office Bar and Restaurant is soon groaning.
Related Article
It’s hard to believe cycling could become more popular, but a few weeks after my trip, the Kawarau Gorge Trail – connecting Bannockburn to Gibbston and effectively linking all five Otago trails across 530 kilometres – is officially opened. In 2027, the gap in the Roxburgh Gorge Trail, now filled by a thrilling jetboat transfer connecting Doctors Point to Shingle Creek, will also be completed.
Rather than a recipe for overtourism, dispersing visitors across the region is a smart way to share the economic benefits, but it also opens up greater opportunities for the kind of slow travel that lets visitors get to know this part of New Zealand and the doughty people who live here better. As Fletch might have said, it’s the stories along the way that make the moment.
THE DETAILS
RIDE
Cycling is a year-round activity in Otago and three local Great Rides – the Otago Rail Trail, Roxburgh Gorge Trail and Lake Dunstan Trail – all end/start in Clyde, a historic mining town on the Clutha/Mata-Au River, 85 kilometres from Queenstown. Bike it Now in Clyde (also in Wanaka and Cromwell) offers bike hire, suggested itineraries, tours including accommodation and luggage transfers, and trail shuttles. See nzcycletrail.com
bikeitnow.co.nz
Related Article
STAY
The Olivers Collection in Clyde includes a brewery, cafe and restaurant and two restored historic luxury accommodation options with breakfast at The Lord Clyde and Olivers Lodge and Stables on Clyde’s main street. See olivers.co.nz
FLY
Virgin, Qantas, Jetstar and Air New Zealand fly to Queenstown from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Sixt car rentals are available from Queenstown airport. See sixt.com.au
MORE
centralotagonz.com
The writer travelled as a guest of Nga Haerenga Great Rides of New Zealand.
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