Otago Central Rail Trail

The Otago Central branch line ran from 1907 until 1990, and when it closed the corridor was bought for public use and opened as a trail in 2000 - the first of its kind here and the model for the national cycle trail network that followed. It is 152 kilometres between Clyde and Middlemarch, and because it follows a railway grade it never exceeds about two percent, which makes it accessible to riders who would not attempt anything else. The engineering is the interest: the Poolburn Gorge viaducts, tunnels through schist, the Taieri Gorge cuttings. The landscape is dry Central Otago - schist tors, thyme-covered hills, big open sky - and the small towns strung along it, Ophir, Oturehua, Ranfurly, Wedderburn, live off the trail now. Central Otago has extreme temperatures: over thirty degrees in summer and hard frosts in winter.

History

The Otago Central Railway was completed at the turn of the 20th century and linked Central Otago with Dunedin until it closed in April 1990. The Department of Conservation bought the formation beyond Middlemarch after the rails and sleepers had been salvaged, and the trail's success helped launch the New Zealand Cycle Trail, which it joined in 2012 (Wikipedia, Otago Central Rail Trail).

The main sights

• The viaducts and tunnels - Poolburn Gorge and the schist cuttings.
• The railway grade - never steeper than about two percent.
• The Central Otago landscape - schist tors, thyme, and open country.
• The trail towns - Ophir, Oturehua, Ranfurly and Wedderburn.

When to go

October to April. Summer afternoons exceed thirty degrees with no shade; winter brings hard frost and ice in the cuttings. Book accommodation ahead in peak season - the towns are small.

What to expect

Long and open with very little shade and few water points between towns. Easy gradient but the distances are real. The surface is compacted gravel, not sealed. Wind can be constant.

Nearby

Clyde and Alexandra are at the western end; the Taieri Gorge Railway connects at Middlemarch.

Key facts