OTAGO CENTRAL RAIL TRAIL

'The Otago Central Rail Trail' is a 150 kilometre walking and cycling track in the South Island of New Zealand. It runs in an arc between Middlemarch and Clyde, along the route of the Otago Central Railway.

Contents

History

Location

Trail walking/cycling

See also

External links

History

This railway line was completed at the turn of the 20th century, and provided a link between the gold towns of Central Otago and Dunedin. The portion of the railway line from Middlemarch to Taieri remains, known as the Taieri Gorge Railway. The Otago Central Railway operated for 83 years and closed in 1990. The New Zealand Department of Conservation saw that the route had potential as a recreational facility, and bought the formation after the rails and sleepers had been salvaged.

Location

The trail starts at Middlemarch in the east, loops north through the spectacular countryside of the Strath Taieri and Maniototo before heading west into Central Otago, finishing at Clyde, close to the banks of the Clutha River.

Trail walking/cycling

To enjoy the scenery, the engineering involved in building the railway and the towns and people along the way, 5-7 days should be allowed to walk the Trail, and 3-5 days to cycle it. The Trail starts at 201 metres above sea level in Middlemarch and rises to its highest point of 618 metres between Oturehua and Ranfurly. It then descends to 170 metres at Clyde. It passes through three tunnels and over 68 bridges. A torch is advised for the tunnels. The path is well maintained and signposted. Toilets are available at several points along the trail. It passes through some spectacular scenery, traversing the Rough Ridge mountain range, and crossing several major rivers.

The trail passes through or by several small towns and some have cafes and shops. Mountain bikes can be rented from outlets in Alexandra and other towns. Some of these cycle shops will also provide transport for riders and bikes, and move luggage. The trail is very popular, and accommodation should be booked well in advance. The Otago Central Rail Trail Charitable Trust, which administers the trail, suggests that the walk can be done in six stages, with breaks at Chatto Creek, Lauder, Oturehua, Ranfurly, and Hyde, though not all of these have accommodation facilities readily available.
The Otago Central Rail Trail Charitable Trust has a website and publishes a leaflet that provides detailed information on the route, and advertisements for businesses providing services to users of the trail. There are visitor information centres in Alexandra, Cromwell, Roxburgh, Ranfurly and Dunedin.

See also

★ Little River Rail Trail, a similar, smaller rail trail in Canterbury established along the route of the Little River Branch

★ Waipiata

External links

Otago Central Rail Trail website

★ New Zealand A-to-Z Guide Rail Trail page

★ Details of the Middlemarch end of the trail

★ Railways of New Zealand: Otago Central Branch Railway

★ Two English tourists' experience of the Rail Trail

★ Guide to the Otago Central Rail Trail

★ Rail trail accommodation

★ Account of day on rail trail

★ Accommodation in the Ida Valley section