NZ Day 23. Biking the rail-bike trail from Auripo to Alexandra!

Saturday dawned…sunny!!! and we headed off from Clyde to our 10am meeting at Altitude bikes in Alexandra for a day’s cycling. We were fitted up and the bikes loaded onto the car and we were driven out to our start point on the Otago Central Rail Trail at Auripo for our 42 km ride back to Alexandra. The section we were to bike is ~45kms and ALL DOWNHILL!! It’s also possibly the most interesting section of the route. We hit two tunnels and a viaduct in the first hour as the track wound through a gorge. The scenery was fascinating in its variety as it went from snow topped peaks, through autumnal changing foliage to farmland. The valley in which we started is one of only two in the world which drain from the centre, not one of the ends!

At the beginning of the bike trail

One of the 3 tunnels

Light at the end of the tunnel

Looking down on some other trail users. Their greeting: ‘jump, do it’

By the time we got back to Alexandra we were feeling the effects of the trail and Randi left me alone to cycle out along the Roxburgh Gorge trail for 10kms and back. Again, lovely scenery along the side of the gorge. Its an arid landscape, but a fast trail.

Coffee stop along the trail

Side ride to the old buildings in Ophir

Lunch stop overlooking the trail

One of the bridges. Note the wooden trusses

Roxburgh Gorge

Sampling the local cuisine!

Back into Clyde for the night and pizza out, gluten free!. Blues Vs Hurricanes on the TV, game in Dunedin so we missed that one by one day :( Blues seemed to be getting hammered by half time so we headed home for bed.