Day four: A downhill glide into Middlemarch! We awoke thinking, “This is the final day…make every moment last! Please be sunny! ” We were delivered to our bicycles which were still safely under the pine tree and cycled through the Taieri River Gorge. On the trail we scared some sheep, crossed the longest bridge on the trail and soaked in the beautiful blue sky. Downhill is definitely easier than uphill. Thank God! And of course, a headwind for the last 6 km. Perfect!

More sheep!

Coming up the trail.

Stunning landscape!

The view just never stops.

On the home stretch and the sun is shinning.

And, we're done!!

So we did it. We endured, we enjoyed and we celebrated. Well kind of, hard to find any open cafes or restaurants on a Sunday night in Middlemarch. So we got “takeaway” food at the local cafe. When we told the owner we were getting on the Taieri River Gorge train to Dunedin the next day, she offered to deliver our car there for us. She did not know we were taking the train back the next day, but the Kiwis are just like that. Love it here.

Four days, almost 170 kilometers. Lots of memories. Almost too much fun 🙂

Day three: We thought the rain would move through during the night, but it poured as we were delivered to our bikes.

Well, it started out cold and threatening to rain...

Really? I really did not want to start in the rain. I mentally could adjust as it came in, but a wet ride to start with!? And God must have read my mind because it just stopped! Just as we finished reattaching our panniers. Yay! No rain and down hill and a shorter day in the saddle. A lovely pedal through happy cows and sometimes loose sheep, a flat white at a local cafe, a break on the side of the road for a little rain that went through …a lovely day.

...but, it stopped raining and ended up a nice ride.

We called our host at Waipiata, 12 km before his pick up spot, and Peter got there just after we did.

108 km done, 42 km to go tomorrow.

What a character! Peter had us leave our bikes, laid on their side on the edge of the trail under some pine trees. We took our panniers and jumped in his car for a 20 minute ride to his family farm.

The farmhouse was a hoot...

...view out the front door...

...the living room...

...we quickly took over the front porch...

...attempting to fish again...

...ended with sitting under a tree enjoying the peaceful sound of rain on the river.

The real rain came in later that day. Too bad because Peter’s property is right along the beautiful Taieri River…perfect for fishing. Bob carried his fishing pole with us on the trail so did not miss trying his luck, even in the down pour. No fish but that doesn’t seem to diminish his fun.

Dinner on day three was a BBQ prepared by Peter and his partner. Grass fed steaks cooked to order, lovely salads and even ice cream. Just an example of how everyone gets in on the opportunity to provide some hospitality and make some money. Peter was a character and his farm was a lovely place to rest up for our final day.

We saw this last year and said; "We want to do that!

What’s the best way to see an area? On a bike! After cycling 169 km (105 miles) through beautiful farmland and meeting and enjoying the locals we can say we really know this part of New Zealand.

The beauty of the Otago Trail Ride is that the Kiwis took a railroad line that is no longer being used and managed to provide over a thousand jobs for local farmers- effectively saving many small communities who then stepped up to provide accommodations and food for the thousands of people who come to ride.

Here we go...! Only 170 kilometers to go.

Our ride was booked through Shebikeshebikes, one of several operators who help with the legwork of setting it all up. It was daunting trying to decide where to stop each day and what our food options were. We carried our lunch most days and picnicked along the way but dinner plans were very necessary as these small towns (and sometimes that word is a stretch) bring in extra staff or stay late to make sure cyclists get fed. And not all of these communities have enough beds for everyone so some savvy business folks even arrange to pick you up at the trail stop and deliver you back the next day.

Each day was a unique ride and full of new experiences. We will let the pictures tell the story but also provide a brief summary of the days.

Day one: Our journey started at a lovely little cottage aptly named Plum Creek Cottage in Clyde. Basically a small three bedroom house set up for guests. And we had it all to ourselves! It was hard to leave its many comforts, including wine and brownies as a welcome, to get on the trail. Maybe it was really fear of so many miles ahead!

After picking some plums and pears, with permission, we took off down the wild side of the Mighty Clutha River. We chose to ride the anniversary trail along the river ( the wild mountain bike side) and were rewarded with a spectacular start to our ride. It was so fun to go zipping up and down the turns in the filtered sunlight. Oh joy!

Here we go...

A beautiful start to a four day ride.

The views just never quit.

The day ended with the longest climb of the ride in an afternoon headwind. Why is it that there is always a headwind and never a tailwind? Contemplating this pressing question helped keep our minds off our rear ends and legs that were slowly hitting their limits.

Ice Cream Stop!

Pretty well maintained trail.

Sometimes the trail got a little smaller.

Lunch on the trail.

We stopped by the ShebikesHebikes headquarters that is located in Omakau, our first stop, for a minor repair on a clamp and ended up getting better handlebar settings installed on both of our bikes. And we got to put names with faces of some of the folks we had been communicating with to plan the trip. They came out with big smiles on their faces as pleased with our first day as we were!

Highly recommended. They were awesome!!