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This cycle adventure is a 5 day/4 night guided tour on the Otago Central Rail Trail, a scenic and historic journey into the Central Otago heartland. You'll cycling 4 to 5 hours per day on a vehicle free trail with an easy gradient, traversing ever-changing mountainous, rugged landscapes, tunnels, viaducts, spectacular river gorges, old historic gold-mining villages and more.
You will soon to understand why Otago Central Rail Trail is favoured by so many cyclists. You can get a Rail Trail Passport, which can be stamped at every historic station you pass through. You will ride passing many beautiful Mountain ranges, Rock and Pillar Range, the Kakanuis, Rough Ridge, Raggedy Range, the Hawkduns and the Dunstan Range. But you won't have to climb any of them, because the trail follows an ...
You will soon to understand why Otago Central Rail Trail is favoured by so many cyclists. You can get a Rail Trail Passport, which can be stamped at every historic station you pass through. You will ride passing many beautiful Mountain ranges, Rock and Pillar Range, the Kakanuis, Rough Ridge, Raggedy Range, the Hawkduns and the Dunstan Range. But you won't have to climb any of them, because the trail follows an old railway line. You will ride through many charming historic townships, with cafés and restaurants showcasing the region’s fantastic food, wine and beer. Let your thoughts wander to the next meal, because great food, wine and craft beer are part of this amazing adventure.
You'll be supported with a local experienced tour guide and support vehicle while you are on the trail. The guides are passionate and knowledgeable about the trail and the area and this will all add to making this a tour to remember.
Accommodation is included each night at old historic hotels. You luggages will be transferred to accommodation. You only need to carry a daypack.
All meals are included for the duration of the cycling tours as noted in the itinerary.
The trip starts from Queenstown and concludes either in Dunedin or Queenstown.
The 'Lake to The Sea' Cycling 5D4N tour is a relaxed cycling tour for you to experience the iconic Otago Central Rail Trail.
Dates or itinerary don't fit? We are specialising in bespoke "tailor-made" luxury or private journeys. Please contact us for a "tailor-made" itinerary for your perfect adventure.
This tour is eligible to earn ONLYLUXE reward points.
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Cycling distance: 8 or 16km
Your adventure starts in Queenstown where you will be picked up from your accommodation at approx. 7:45am to travel to the depot where you will be fitted with your bikes. After a brief, start your cycling adventure. If you self drive, you can meet at the Clyde depot by 9:30am. We provide secure car storage if you self drive to Clyde.
Begin your adventure on the Otago Central Rail Trail in the charming historic township of Clyde. Here cafés and restaurants showcase the region’s fantastic food, wine and beer, while character accommodation makes you feel right at home. The town is built along the spectacular Clutha River, which powers the Clyde hydro dam.
Between Clyde and Alexandra, the trail takes you past vineyards and over an old wooden trestle bridge. For the more adventurous, there is the option of riding on the River Track to Alexandra along the banks of the Clutha River / Mata Au. This option adds 7km to your ride, but it is well worth it if time and energy allow. If you wish to explore further, the Roxburgh Gorge Trail follows the river into the gorge for 10km to Doctors Point. Alternatively, you can enjoy Clutha River cruise or Alexandra Wine tour both options departing 2.30pm.
Cycling distance: approx 36km
After Alexandra, Galloway Station is the first stop. Here the billy is boiled for morning tea with home baking. The next stop is lunch at Chatto Creek Tavern, an historic stone building. It is then up the easy gradient of Tiger Hill and down to your overnight accommodation in Lauder. Before dinner, at the Lauder Hotel, there is the option of a side trip with your tour guide to the historic gold mining towns of St Bathans and Ophir.
Cycling distance: approx 34.5km
The highlight of this day is the beautiful Poolburn Gorge, featuring tunnels and viaducts in a secluded rocky setting. The gorge then opens out to the vast expanse of the Ida Valley, made famous by the paintings of Graham Sydney. After a visit to the historic Hayes Engineering Works and Homestead, it is a short ride to the Oturehua Tavern for lunch. The Golden Progress Mine is just north of Oturehua, and then onto the highest point of the trail before stopping for the night at Wedderburn. Your guide will then take you on a side trip to Naseby to try your hand at curling and have a look through this old gold mining town. The evening meal is a traditional farm-style meal, at the Wedderburn Tavern.
The purple flowers you’ll see along the Otago Central Rail Trail are thyme, which grows wild across the hills and plains. Gold miners introduced the herb in the 1800s to flavour their food, and today local chefs continue the tradition. You can even buy thyme honey from local shops – it has a distinctive peppery flavour.
Cycling distance: approx 43km
From Wedderburn, the trail is mostly downhill to Ranfurly, the Art Deco Capital of Otago, for morning tea, before crossing the Maniototo Plains and on to the Waipiata Tavern for lunch. After lunch the day’s highlight is the section between Daisy bank and Hyde where the trail runs alongside the Taieri River, over the Capburn and Prices Creek Bridges and through the last tunnel before arriving at Hyde. The group will be transferred back to Waipiata for this night’s accommodation.
Cycling distance: approx 29km
On the way back to Hyde from Waipiata, there is a visit to Macraes Gold Mine. The trail from Hyde passes the site of the 1943 Hyde Rail disaster and on through the wide-open spaces of the Strath Taieri. There will be a morning snack along the way and lunch in Middlemarch. If time allows, we will take you on a brief sightseeing tour around the Middlemarch area before returning to our depot. For those travelling on to Dunedin the shuttle departs at 2.00pm, alternatively return transport to Clyde or Queenstown departing about 1.30pm.
Please contact us for group bookings or private departures. We can offer you a private departure if you have a group of 6 or more people.
- The departure point is Queenstown- Major commercial flights provide convenient access to Queenstown
We provide private car or helicopter transfer service. Please contact us to quote and arrange private transfer. E: travel@onlyluxe.com.au
Central Otago has the most distinctive climate in New Zealand, hot summers, cold winters and low rainfall. You can experience four seasons in one day on the Otago Central Rail Trail, so carry clothing sufficient to cope with a range of temperatures. Be sure to apply sunscreen no matter what the season as the sun can burn in even in colder months.Check out the local weather forecast for Alexandra.
Day 1: Cycle 8 -16 kmDay 2: Cycle 28 kmDay 3: Cycle 42 kmDay 4: Cycle 43 kmDay 5: Cycle 29 kmTotal: Approximately 150 km cycling
WATERExtremely low rainfall along most of the Rail Trail means drinking water is not as freely available as in other parts of New Zealand. Be prepared by taking plenty of water with you when venturing out on to the Trail. If you do run short, many businesses stock and sell bottled drinking water.COMFORTTo avoid getting saddle sore we recommend you do some regular biking before your tour. During the trip, you can help avoid soreness by easing up off the saddle each time you are going down hill. If you do get saddle sore try bland creams such as Vaseline, or commercial products such as Chafe Ease.TOILETSThe tour will allow time for toilet stops at frequent intervals when you stop for meals and snacks. There are also quite a few trailside toilets and you would be advised to carry a small supply of paper or tissues for use in these. WHAT TO BRINGChoose which items are necessary for your tour:- Shoes - sneakers, gym shoes, trainers, bike shoes etc with good solid soles (not bare toes)- Comfy shorts, track pants (no heavy seams). Bike shorts are a worthwhile investment- Polypropylene clothing- Sunscreen, hat, Lip balm and sunglasses- Cell phone (bear in mind there is no signal in some Central Otago areas)- Camera- Windproof/waterproof jacket- Torch (for tunnels)- Water bottle our bikes have bottle cages that hold a 750ml bottle; you can purchase these at our depots- Bike Gloves- Casual eveningwear if required- If you have any special medication, please remember to pack with you day gear on arrival.WHAT YOU WILL BE SUPPLIED - Cycle equipments: bicycle, helmet, repair kit, panniers, odometer and trail documentation- Spare inner tube, tools, puncture repair kit, and pump. Your guide will also have repair equipment.MEDICAL FACILITIESWe will supply first aid pack which will be located in the support vehicle.
Onlyluxe Travel acts as travel agency and work with different tour operators.Payment DetailAll pricing is in Australian dollars and are quoted on a per person twin share basis. A supplementary price is available (see below). Bookings are not confirmed until full payment and the signed Booking Form has been received by Onlyluxe Travel.A non-refundable 30% deposit is payable within 7 days of your booking, with the final balance due 60 days prior to departure. If a booking is made 60 days or less before departure, the full payment is payable immediately. Last minute bookings are payable before arrival. Failure to pay on time may result in automatic cancellation of a booking with cancellation penalties payable to Onlyluxe Travel. If you pay by credit card or PayPal a surcharge will be added to the total price.Single SupplementAll accommodation is twin share. Single guests will share with someone of the same gender. If a single room is demanded, a supplementary price of will apply. The supplementary price refers to our quotation and needs to be stipulated at the time of booking.General Cancellation Policies- Outside of 60 days monies will be refunded less 30% of full fee- Within 60 days prior to arrival all monies will be forfeited- No refunds will be given in the event of non-arrival, any unused services or unused nights due to flight or weather disruption- We strongly recommend guests protect themselves with travel insurance and medical insurancePlease Note: Cancellations must be advised in email and will take effect from the date they are received.LiabilityThe participant agrees to indemnify Onlyluxe Travel, and its servant, tour operator and agents, in relation to any liability, loss and damage which the tour operator, or its servants and/or agents may incur as a result of the participants, negligence or misconduct during the tour.Smoking is not permitted on the bus, or in tents or in other accommodation being used by tour operator at the time that a trip is being conducted.Child PolicyPlease consult travel consultant on age limit.Changes to ItinerariesLocal conditions may necessitate changes to sightseeing, walking and driving routes, camping and accommodation locations. While every effort will be made to provide the services and experiences as offered in our brochure, on our website, and in our trip letters, we reserve the right to vary your itinerary. In the event that we are forced to change your arrangements, substitute arrangements of a similar standard will be provided. The tour operator will not be liable where interruptions to itineraries are caused by weather conditions, technical problems to transport used by the tour operator, industrial action, political or civil commotion or other circumstances beyond our control. We refer you to the conditions regarding travel insurance.Changes in PricesWhile we will do its utmost to honour its pricing unforeseen circumstances may mean that prices may be subject to change without notice.Pre-Existing Medical Conditions and Age LimitsYou need to advise Onlyluxe travel and the tour operator on any pre-existing medical condition, mobility impairment and/or disability that might reasonably be expected to increase the risk of your requiring medical attention, or that might affect the normal conduct of a trip and the enjoyment of other trip members. Onlyluxe Travel and the tour operator may require an assessment of your medical condition from a qualified medical practitioner. If you fail to adequately notify the tour operator of any pre-existing medical conditions and/or disability, the tour operator reserves the right, at its reasonable discretion, to cancel your participation in a trip at any time, including after the commencement of your trip, with no right of refund if your medical condition, mobility impairment and/or disability could be reasonably expected to affect the normal conduct of the trip and the enjoyment of other trip members.Cancellation by The Tour OperatorThe walks take place in very special wilderness settings. The tour operator is at the mercy of nature in all her beauty and all her fury. The tour operator will under no circumstance knowingly place at risk the health and well-being of our guests and guides. In the case of natural threats, acts of God and the like (e.g. bushfires, impassable snow, etc) the tour operator may need to cancel a walk with very little notice. In some cases, this can occur after the walk has commenced. The tour operator reserves the right to cancel any walk up to 60 days prior to departure if a minimum of 4 walkers are unable to meet for a tour. If the tour operator needs to cancel for any reason, the cost of the walk or any other costs associated with travel to the designated pick up point, overnight accommodation, meals, etc will not be covered by the Onlyluxe Travel and therefore we strongly recommend travel insurance be taken out prior to travel.Force Majeure'Force Majeure' means (without restriction) any event which Onlyluxe Travel or its third party providers could not, even with due care, foresee or avoid. Force Majeure covers events such as, but not limited to, adverse weather conditions, fire and all similar events beyond our control. In the case of Force Majeure Onlyluxe Travel will not accept liability, and reserves the right to change and cancel trips.EvacuationsIn rare circumstances, due to injury or unforeseen illness, the tour operator may need to evacuate you from a remote part of the walk. Helicopter evacuations are expensive and in most cases will be at a cost to the customer.For Australian residents, under the Australian Government Medicare Act, it is prohibited for any domestic travel insurance product to provide any financial reimbursement with regard to ambulance or air ambulance services. We therefore strongly advise our customers to take specific ambulance cover through their health insurance provider. Evacuation cost will not be covered by the Onlyluxe Travel and therefore it is also strongly recommended that our customers take out travel insurance to cover (amongst other things) the costs associated with evacuation.Travel InsuranceIn view of the heavy cancellation penalties applied to cancelled reservations in certain circumstances, we strongly recommends suitable travel insurance be purchased at the time the holding deposit is paid. We recommend insurance cover that covers any loss which may be suffered due to cancellation. We also strongly recommend comprehensive travel insurance against loss of baggage and medical expenses.