Mountains to the Sea

Your adventure starts in Queenstown where you'll be picked up at 9:00am to travel to Clyde and get fitted with your cycle and briefed by your tour guide. This day is for yourselves, so time to check out the shopping in Clyde and Alexandra or visit the many attractions in the area. After Clyde we cycle past vineyards and over an old wooden trestle bridge on the ride to Alexandra. For the more adventurous, there is the option of riding on the Clutha River Centennial Track to Alexandra which adds another 8km to your cycle ride.

Today you arrange your own meals, accommodation provided.

This morning we bike from Alexandra to Galloway Station where you enjoy morning tea with good old home baking. With a full stomach we bike to Chatto Creek, twice crossing over bridges on the Manuherikia River. You will reach Chatto Creek Tavern, a historic stone building which is where you will stop for lunch. Once lunch is finished, we cycle up Tiger Hill, an easy gradient of 1 in 50. From the top its all downhill to your over night accommodation in Omakau. Sites of significant interest are the Daniel O'Connor Suspension Bridge and the Ophir Post Office which will be worth checking out in this old gold mining town.

We travel a short distance by bus to the historic gold mining town of St Bathan's and visit the old Vulcan Hotel returning to Omakau to dine in the evening at the Omakau Commercial Hotel.

Highlights of today's trip is the beautiful Poolburn gorge section of the trail featuring two tunnels and two viaducts all set in a secluded gorge. Cycle through Ida Valley farm lands past the Idaburn Dam, one of New Zealand's few out door wineter curling sites. Take a short visit to Hayes Historic Engineering works, then we ride to Oturehua for lunch at Oturehua Tavern. Once we have had lunch we will cycle on to the Golden Progress Mine and on to Wedderburn. Your guide will take you on a short side trip to Naseby to try your hand at curling and look through the old gold mining town.

This night we will stay at Wedderburn Cottages B&B.

From Wedderburn the trail is mostly downhill to Ranfurly, (the Art Deco Capital of Otago) for morning tea by the old railway station, then crossing the Maniototo Plains on to the Waipiata Tavern for a delicious lunch. After lunch the days highlight would have to be the lovely trail sections between Daisybank and Hyde alongside the Taieri river which weaves around the Rock and Pillar Range, crossing the stone Cap Burn bridge, the Price's Creek Viaduct and the last tunnel which is 152m long.

You arrive at the recently restored Otago Central Hyde Hotel, your overnight stop.

Today is a short ride which is slightly downhill sporting views of the Rock and Pillar, Taieri Ranges, and the Hyde Railway Disaster Memorial. For those traveling on the Taieri Gorge Train trip to Dunedin we will arrive at the Middlemarch Railway Station in time for you to depart by train at 1pm. The rest of the group will then return to Clyde by bus.