Friday 11th March: Brilliant sunshine, Overcast and very cold and 2°C to 9°C
Ranfurly to Dunedin: 62k bike, 3hrs 30mins, train dep Middlemarch 1pm arr Dunedin 3.30pm
Accommodation: Heriot Lodge Dunedin
2°C when we set out from Ranfurly
Cold overcast and barren
Hyde Cafe half way to Middlemarch
Coffee in the sun
Finished 150k in Middlemarch
End of Otago Trail at Middlemarch
Loading on to Taieri Gorge Train
Rocky rolling country Taieri Gorge
On the train
Dunedin Railways - end of line
Two highlights today. A magnificent cycle ride through the Taieri gorges and countryside for 62k then a fantastic train ride continuing on through the Taieri Gorge from Middlemarch to Dunedin.
Our day started at 6am - in the dark - and after a quick cup of tea, muesli and yoghurt, we're all out the front ready to start at 7.15am. It's freezing cold - close to zero - and after another layer of clothing is added, it's 7.30am when we leave. We need to ride the 62k to Middlemarch to catch the 1pm train to Dunedin. Helen decides to catch the bus to meet us at the train, knowing it could take us a long time if the wind is against us.
It's freezing cold. My nose is dripping ice, my hands are frozen, but the wind has dropped. Yesterday, the gale force winds in Otago forced the cancellation of several flights out of Dunedin airport - any wonder we were blown off the rail track. We hoot along at about 25kph - which is very quick on a mountain bike on a dirt track, but I'm still not warm.
The country side is very pretty, with the rail trail winding around the River Taieri and through Prices Tunnel that's about 90metres long. At 9.30am, we're at a place called Hyde and spy a little cafe by the side of the road that's doing a roaring trade in Lattes. It's warmed up slightly from freezing to very cold but my hands are still like blocks of ice. There's only 27k to go, and we're over half way so we have a leisurely coffee trying to warm up in a small spot of sunshine.
Back on the trail and zooming along around some of the prettiest countryside on the whole trail. It's overcast, and now about 5°C, but with a slight headwind that makes it hard work. Then at 12pm, we roll into Middlemarch and ride through the town to the Kissing Gate Cafe to meet Helen. The boys have a pie but I'm too tired to eat a pie just yet. The cafe is full of cyclists and tourists, and the 4 waitresses are run off their feet, so it takes 30 minutes to heat a pie - which Ian and Graham said was the best they'd had.
Riding on to the station, it takes 10 minutes to load our bikes onto the train and find our allocated seats either side of a table in the very old tourist train, decorated with original timber inside. It's the warmest we've been all day as we spread out with our rice crackers, cheese, last tomato and Grahams red. We're all dozy as the train rolls along through some very pretty country side, across viaducts and around the Taieri Gorge which many tourists have especially travelled on the train to see.
At 3.30pm we're in Dunedin - grey skies, grey buildings and still just 9°C. Back on the bikes and Milton leads us through the town then up and up a few steep hills that are so steep we all need to get off and push our bikes up to Heriot Lodge, a 3 bedroomed apartment we're we'll stay for the next 2 days.
It's nice and comfortable and the first thing is to shower and sit by the heater before meeting the others, Sean, Christian, Jeff and Helen downtown for a few drinks before dinner. Being Friday afternoon, the Octagon, the centre of Dunedin is packed with workers - all sitting outside in what we consider freezing. One wine and I'm looking to sit inside before Donna and I go hunting for a place for 10 people to eat. Most are either full or empty (probably expensive and not nice) but we find the Wig n Pig just down the road, a Hotel which is warm inside and has a large dining area and a menu with reasonably priced food.
Soon we've ordered and eating - Ian has Battered Cod and Chips, Graham has lamb shanks and I have a large medium rare Porterhouse steak with chips and salad. The walk back in the cold is brisk and the view of Dunedin lights from the top of our hill is a lovely way to end the day, and celebrate the finish of our hike/bike in New Zealand. We have two more days to sight see in Dunedin before our flight home.
Heriot Lodge Dunedin