After a couple of busy days in Queenstown, it was time to swap adrenalin-filled excitement for the peace and tranquillity of the Central Otago rail trail.
Stretched over 160km and climbing to 618m at its highest point, it was never going to be a strenuous ride. Nevertheless, I was alittle nervous about how much the family would enjoy it.
Would it be too boring for my teenage sons, would I still be married after three days of potentially cold and wet Otago autumn weather?
I need not have worried. It proved to be one of our best family experiences ever. The scenery was stunning and riding gave us the time to appreciate it even more, from watching the trout in the river below to the big cloud formations up above.
It is easy to see why Peter Jackson used so much of this country in filming for The Hobbit. It is truly unique.
The many viaducts, embankments and tunnels are testament to the sheer hard work, ingenuity and skill of the men who built this railroad with little more than picks and shovels.
They would be regarded as engineering feats even today with the modern equipment that we now have at our disposal. I guess they would never have imagined that the result of their labour would be thousands of people leisurely travelling along it every year by bike.
The real highlight was the opportunity to simply talk to each other and share a lot of laughs with the amazing people we met along the way. Country cafes and pubs now replace the once-busy little railway stations, usually marked by 30 or so bikes parked outside. As most of them are hire bikes it was useful to leave your water bottle on them to make sure you left on the right one.
The hotel meals of blue cod enjoyed with a Central Otago Pinot Gris were also another experience not easily forgotten.
The youngest cyclist we saw was four and the oldest were in their seventies. Accommodation ranged from tents to luxurious B & Bs. So as long as you are reasonably fit, the ride caters for every age and budget and provides a great Kiwi experience that in my opinion should not be missed.
