Cycling the Central Otago Rail Trail, New Zealand

Cycling the Central Otago Rail Trail

Did I save the best for last?  Yes, I did.  We had time for only 17km of the 150km, Central Otago Rail Trail, but it was the highlight of our New Zealand trip for me.  The weather was perfect for great photo shots, cool peddling, easy grade and colorful country side. Everything was PERFECT for a life time experience.

We were ready for this adventure.  For two days we ducked in and out of little villages, farms and taverns that have came alive since the birth of the rail trail.  But then, we were in a motorized vehicle. Now, we could get the actual feel of the landscape. Outfitted in new bikes,(with horns .....that is important) we joined the natives and visitors alike, on the Central Otago Rail Trail.   Over 40,000 bikers and walkers use this trail annually. Everything is provided for the tourist that wants to make a 4 to 5 day vacation of this experience,  from the "where do I lay my head" to "what is available for lunch...or dinner....or snack".  Luggage is  carted from small hotels, (like the picture above) to cottages such as on the Penvose Farms, pictured below. .

There are kitchen-nets to fix your own meals on or historic brick kitchens with fireplaces and two-foot thick walls that hold in the cold and heat, that can serve you up homemade soup with fresh baked bread or fine dining.  Oh! the food.  Bikers can eat all the yummy goodies that car sitters can't because they just burn it all up on the trail.  That's what we told ourselves. It didn't work but we enjoyed some wonderful home cooked meals, some fine dining complete with local wines and attacked the problem of clothes not fitting, later.

The Central Otago Rail Trail follows the former railway line from Clyde to Middlemarch.  It is cold in winter, hot in summer but the scenery is wonderful all year around.  There are short loop trails that take you into historical gold mining territory. That's where the train use to go.  Picnics are a favorite for the natives and they come out in family groups, bringing young and old alike.  We honked our bike horns at a group of friends doing a Sunday fun ride.

Central Otago has two trails that soon will become part of "Nga Haerenga" the New Zealand Cycle Trail.  This national project will build a network of world class cycle trails through the very best country New Zealand has to offer.  The Roxburgh Gorge Trail is 34KM long and takes you into the preserved mining relics area.   The Clutha Gold Trail is 75KM taking you into the Beaumont Gorge along the mighty Clutha Mata-au River.  Both trails fitness rating is: Beginner.

For more information make tracks to: www.cycecentralotago.com 

Submitted by: Bernadette Heath, photographer and writer, Janet Webb Farnsworth, writer of "Grandma Needs a Four-Wheel Drive, Adventure Travel for Seniors".  Web page: www.grandmaneedsafour-wheeldrive.com

Danseys Pass Coach Inn, Central Otago, New Zealand

Timmy, at Danseys Pass Coach Inn

There were great sights to view, on the road to Danseys Pass Coach Inn.

Just getting there was exciting. We were out in the country, on a gravel road with bridges that crossed creeks and ravines draped in the pest plant called "broom". The sky was partly cloudy which made for photo opts around every bend.   

The Dansey Coach Inn is locked up at night but the key is left in the door, on the inside.  Who would enter, the possum, stray sheep, neighborhood goats or the old watchdog.  They all live in and around the Inn and are cared for by the inn keeper. This is their home, just as it was ours for one peaceful nights rest. Next door is a reserve for quiet time or camping or picnicking. It's that kind of a place where one can rest the body and soul for a little while. Dinner was served by the inn keeper and it was delicious. Entertainment? Yes.  A local poet of around 80 years young presented some of his creative work.  Dansey Coach Inn is a place I would like to vacation to for more than just one night.......try a month or two. 

                                                                                                                            

                                                                                     

web page:www.danseyspass.co.nz

Submitted by: Bernadette Heath, photographer and writer, Janet Webb Farnsworth, writer for "Grandma Needs a Four-Wheel Drive, Adventure Travel for Seniors."  Web page: www.grandmaneedsafour-wheeldrive.com

Taieri Gorge Railway, Otago Central Railway, New Zealand

Taieri Gorge Railway

We started at the end of the line at a wide spot in the road called Pukerangi, which means "HILL of HEAVEN". At this point the rails were 250m above sea level.  Pukerangi wasn't always the end of the line.

The railway started in New Zealand's first city, Dunedin in 1877.  Forty-four years later the rails into Cromwell were completed.  This railway played a major part in the development of Central Otago by transporting thousands of tons of farm produce and fruit, and hundreds of thousands of head of livestock.  The train carried supplies up the valley at night and heads of livestock back down on their return trip into Dunedin to be transported else ware. Construction of the Clyde Dam required the closure of the section of line between Clyde and Cromwell.  The dam was completed in 1990 and the line officially closed April 30, 1990.

Wild Broom cover the hills reaching down into the Taieri River.

 According to the information handout we were given on the train as we rode from Pukerangi to Dunedin, the rail itself travels further northwest to Middlemarch but we were not on that train.  Our train was for tourist wanting to enjoy the Taieri Gorge in all it's spring glory.  When speaking to the natives, the intruding plant, Broom, is a nuisance.  Road crews spray broom trying to control its spreading but according to what we saw in Taieri Gorge, they are loosing the battle.  There were a number of us with cameras clicking along in overdrive, that appreciated all the color and beauty radiating from broom. 

Broom in its spring glory.
 Information on the Taieri Gorge Railway: Website.  www.taieri.co.nz

Submitted by: Bernadette Heath, photographer and writer, Janet Webb Farnsworth, writer of "Grandma Needs a Four-Wheel Drive, Adventure Travel for Seniors"  www.grandmaneedsafour-wheeldrive.com 

Clutha River, Central Otago, New Zealand

Ruins of the dinning hall of a mining camp along the Clutha River

The cruise  trip down the Clutha River was like going home.  All those man made rock walls, built up against large boulders along the banks of the waterway reminded me of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah in the United States.  

Clutha River

Janet and I have a book out " Rock Art Along the Way".  Research for that book took us into may places that looked like the ruins along the Clutha River. There was one large difference:  the Southwest ruins dated back as far as 2,000 years where as the Otago Valley ruins dated back to the gold rush days of 150 years ago.  Oh, there is also another small difference.  The Southwest of the US didn't have a year round running water supply available. 

Steve Toyer, owner of Clutha River Cruises, boarded our small group on his licensed pontoon boat and gave us a delightful afternoon of gold mining history.  Just as our weather was treating to dump rain on us, so it must have been for the gold miners back in time. Some kind of shelter was necessary and there were mountains of rocks around.  With large boulders fused into the earth already, all they had to come up with was two or three additional rock walls, some kind of roof covering and they were out of the rain. Supplies came into camp via wheelbarrows. Some mining groups were more efficient than others. The Chinese had a long history of "how to do the job" and they built their mining operation accordingly.  Their ruins are in better shape today, because of it.  

Our very well informed tour guide, Steve Toyer

 

  

www.clutharivercruises.co.nz

 

 

 

               Submitted by: Bernadette Heath, photographer and Writer, Janet Webb Farnsworth, writer for "Grandma Needs a Four-Wheel Drive, Adventure Travel for Seniors.  www.grandmaneedsafour-wheeldrive.com

Rotorua, Rotorua Museum, New Zealand

Rotorua, on New Zealand’s North Island, is built entirely in the crater of a volcano.  Its 67,000 residents live on an active geothermal area that produces  about 80,000 TONS of water flow daily. These wonderful waters  were used in Rotorua’s famous Bath House talked about in the last blog. 

When the Bath House was closed in the 1960s, it was re-invented into the Rotorua Museum of Art and History.  It is one of the best places to understand the geology of the area and to learn about the culture of the Maori people.

My first stop was the cinema that provides an imaginary trip 13 km into the middle of the earth.  Using both scientific and Maori legends, the story of the dynamic and ever changing earth beneath Rotorua is explained.  I had to keep telling myself this is just a movie when the eruption of Mounta Tarawera came on the screen.  This volatile eruption covered entire villages and changed the landscape forever.  The surround sound provided realistic noises and then my chair began to vibrate wildly.  My first impression was that I was in an earthquake and a volcanic explosion was imminent, but it was just the movie.

In another section of the museum, the story of theTe Arawa  (Rotorua’s first inhabitants) people is dramatically displayed.   Traditional love stories, the migration of the people, more on that volcanic eruption of Mt Tarawera are included along with the feats of B Company 28 Maroi Battalion,

Next adventure is downstairs to the Mud House Basement.   Here, you can see what this part of the old Bath House looked like in 1908. The rooms are quite gloomy and the smell of sulfur permeates the basement, but it is a fascinating trip back to the original Bath House.

From the basement we climb to the Roof With A View.  With its Elizabethan architecture, the roof has many complex angles and intersecting gables, but it is the view that impresses me.  I look in all directions and see a distant skyline.  This is the rim of the crater that holds Rotorua and the surrounding geothermal area.  From the Viewing Platform, it is easy to see the extensive grounds of the museum.  A brochure guides you to 20 stops along the Cultural Heritage Trail around the museum.

Rotorua Museum provided me with a overall view of the history and geology of the area and was a great start to my stay in Rotorua.

Website: www.rotoruamuseum.co.nz

Submitted by:  Janet Webb Farnsworth, writer and Bernadette Heath, photographer/writer of ‘”Grandma Needs a Four-Wheel Drive, Adventure Travel for Seniors.”  www.grandmaneedsafour-wheeldrive.com.