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!!