An Unpaved Paradise

In 1970 Joni Mitchell famously sang that “they paved paradise, put up a parking lot”.

Otago is quite the opposite.

It’s an unpaved paradise for cyclists, but it does offer the odd swinging hot spot - especially if pinot noir or craft beer is your thing.

Oh, and kilometre, after kilometre of glorious gravel trails...

If one trail can lay claim to starting New Zealand’s modern-day love affair with cycling, it’s the iconic Otago Central Rail Trail.

Launched in 2000, it was the country’s very first Great Ride, blazing a path for what would eventually become Ngā Haerenga – the New Zealand Cycle Trails – a full decade later.

The Rail Trail was borne out of tough times. Back in the 1990s, the rural communities of Central Otago were doing it tough. A downturn in farming meant small towns were losing shops, garages, post offices and even schools.

When the old railway line between Middlemarch and Clyde was officially decommissioned, the Department of Conservation in partnership with a newly formed trust set up by members of the Central Otago community took a bold step. They led a visionary project to transform the disused 152km rail corridor into a dedicated trail for cycling, walking, and horse riding.

Daphne Hull was one of the original members of the Otago Central Rail Trail Trust and is still a trustee to this day. “I remember the first meeting in March 1994 where it was made quite clear by the Chairman that there would be no payments to trustees, no reimbursements, it was all to be for love! We all agreed”, recalls Daphne.

“The story behind the Otago Central Rail Trail is really quite amazing. We had no one to follow. Every decision carried a challenge, but obviously the right decisions were made in the end”, she said.

After six years of determination and community effort, the Otago Central Rail Trail officially opened - ushering in a new era of multi-day, off-road cycling in New Zealand.

Back then Neville Grubb was the owner of a small bike shop in Alexandra. He was one of the first to seize the opportunity of packaging up tours for cyclists and founded the bike tour company Trail Journeys.

“The Rail Trail was a first for New Zealand”, says Neville. “Cyclists could ride for four days in a row without going on the road. It was a whole new perspective on cycling”.

However, not everyone thought it would be successful. Graeme Duncan, a third-generation farmer from Wedderburn was one such sceptic. Graeme readily admits that he was unconvinced about the trail’s potential, but credits his son for being particularly enthusiastic having seen similar projects overseas.

“The younger ones had more foresight than I did. In my generation, nothing had really worked, particularly in the 30 years before”, recalls Graeme.

The Duncan family now operate a thriving accommodation business with purpose-built cottages right alongside the trail which passes through their high-country farm.

Graeme has changed his tune somewhat too and reckons that “the Otago Central Rail Trail has been the biggest thing for the region since the gold rush”!

Today, multi-day and off-road cycling is perhaps better known by trendier monikers such as bikepacking or gravel biking, but by whatever name you call it, the Rail Trail was doing it first and continues to be one of New Zealand’s most popular rides with an established network of trail towns and tour companies offering bike hire, shuttle services and daily baggage transfers.  

Moreover, the Rail Trail has revitalised a quiet corner of the South Island, and it’s now the second-largest income earner after farming.

The success of the Rail Trail as a rural revival strategy did not go unnoticed.

In 2009 an idea emerged from the Government's Job Summit to create and build a network of cycle trails which would provide new ways for visitors to explore the country and help generate socio-economic and environmental benefits for rural communities. 'Nga Haerenga - The New Zealand Cycle Trail' was born.

The Government originally committed a $50 million fund to create a continuous touring route running the length of the country, and this funding was matched by an additional $30 million from local councils, community trusts and other organisations.

Although the ambitious plan to create a continuous bike trail the length of the country did not eventuate, more trails were conceived and constructed across New Zealand. There are now 23 Great Rides.

In Central Otago, the Rail Trail was the catalyst for two more Great Rides.

Roxburgh local, Rod Peirce, had ridden the Rail Trail with his brother. Although not much of a cyclist, Rod was inspired and thought that the Teviot Valley would benefit from its own bike trail.

Rod pressganged a handful of likely locals with a kiwi-can-do attitude into action and delivered not one but two trails in the Teviot Valley – the Roxburgh Gorge and Clutha Gold Trails. Opened in 2013, the two interconnected trails meander along the mighty Clutha Mata-au River between Alexandra and Lawrence. The Clutha Gold Trail was then further expanded by 63km in 2023 and now extends all the way from Lawrence to Waihola. The long-term goal is that a trail might one day reach Dunedin.

Murray Patterson, the current chairman of the trust which manages the Roxburgh Gorge and Clutha Gold Trails is quick to acknowledge not just the thousands of hours which volunteers commit to the trails each year, but also the local landowners.

“It’s important to recognise and acknowledge the support of all the landowners along the trails which have generously allowed access to their properties. Without their consent, there simply would be no trails”, says Murray.

Like the Rail Trail, the Teviot Valley’s two trails have provided an economic shot in the arm for local businesses as well as social benefits for the region.

“The trails encouraged a lot of locals back into biking, whilst others are out walking and running along the trail, so we’d like to think that the trail brings wellbeing benefits to the local communities. Trails are also bringing new business opportunities and economic benefits to the area”, said Murray.

In 2012, three feasibility studies were commissioned to assess the viability of a new network of recreational trails linking Queenstown, Wanaka, Cromwell and Clyde / Alexandra.   

The studies confirmed the wide-reaching socio-economic benefits that creating new trails would bring. So, in 2015 a number of community groups and trusts combined, forming the Central Otago Queenstown Trails Network Trust - which was a bit of a mouthful - and is now more simply known as Southern Lakes Trails.

This new entity signed a tripartite funding agreement with Central Government, Central Lakes Trust and the Otago Community Trust, with funds totalling $26.3 million for the development of three new trails.

First up, was the development of the epic Lake Dunstan Trail to connect Cromwell and Bannockburn with Clyde from where cyclists could join the Otago Central Rail Trail to Alexandra and then either continue along the Rail Trail to Middlemarch or follow the Roxburgh Gorge Trail through the Teviot Valley.

An engineering masterpiece traversing the rugged Cromwell Gorge, the 55km long Lake Dunstan Trail has quickly become one of the country’s most popular day rides with over 250,000 riders having experienced the trail since it opened in May 2021.