Two Sleeps to go and we are off on our Rail Trail bike tiki tour of the Maniatoto.

Did you know??

“The Rail Trail can be walked, cycled or horseback ridden and has the advantage of no cars or hills and is free. You can take as little or as long as you like to complete the Rail Trail and with so many great places to see along the way, it is well worth taking a leisurely tour. There are numerous small towns along the Rail Trail that all contain their own unique history and attractions for you to explore, and most come fully equipped with accommodation and satisfying food at the end of a long day. The Rail Trail itself provides a wonderful and unique insight into railway engineering of the early 20th Century with fantastic bridges, viaducts and tunnels to see and explore. The Rail Trail is also very flexible in that if you have little time, day trips can be made as access to the Rail Trail is easy from the main highways.

History
The Otago Central Rail Trail follows the 150km long Otago Central Branch Railway Line from Clyde to Middlemarch through the Central Otago, Maniototo and Strath Taieri regions. The railway line was constructed between 1879 and 1921 and was used for 83 years. It travelled 235km, from Wingatui, 12km south of Dunedin, through to Cromwell in Central Otago. It was closed in 1990 due to diminishing usage, from the increase of cars and decreasing truck restrictions. The Taieri Gorge Railway Limited bought 60km of the railway line for excursions from Dunedin to Middlemarch, while the rest was taken over by the Department of Conservation and opened in February 2000 as the Otago Central Rail Trail.” ( Otago Central Rail Trail website)