The other day, friends from Sydney told me what they’re doing this summer. They’re sick of urban life; they want some wide open spaces. So, they’re flying to New Zealand to spend a week riding mountain bikes on a rail trail in Central Otago.
Photo by robertpaulyoung
The moment I heard this, I felt sick. I want to go with them. No, I mean I really, really want. I tell them so. They tell me I’ll slow them down; they say I’m hopeless on a mountain bike. I say okay, I’ll follow them on foot. To my surprise, they say this is possible, though it would slow them down even more. Did I say these people were friends? Make that “acquaintances”. And I'm sorry to be harping on about mountain bikes by the way, but Shanghai and Central Otago are poles apart, and I won’t be mentioning books or coffee chains today.
Anyway, I don’t know if you’ve been ‘up Central’. If I weren’t Australian, I’d admit to wanting to live there. (Shhh…you didn’t hear that!) The next best thing is a visit. Have a look at Otago Central Rail Trail and the Otago Rail Trail for more information. It is high on the “101 must do” list for Kiwis, compiled by the AA.
You can DIY the rail trail, or go through an operator to ensure that your transfers, accommodation and luggage are taken care of. My Sydney acquaintances assure me they won’t be biking with huge and unwieldy backpacks, but I know of someone who did, and who gladly endured it for the sake of having complete freedom. It's just a matter of deciding what suits you best.
If you're hitting the trail directly from Australia, you can fly into either Queenstown or Dunedin. If you haven't been to Dunedin, it's an interesting old city - why not give it a go? Whichever airport you choose, there’s a bit of travelling involved to get to the starting point of the rail trail, which is Middlemarch (at the Dunedin end) or Clyde (at Queenstown/Alexandra end) – but nothing too serious. That's a view of busy, bustling Middlemarch on the right. Have fun, and keep your eyes peeled for someone pushing their bike. That might be me.
Photo by PhillipC