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Travel from Dunedin to Queenstown in a way few visitors ever experience. Your adventure begins aboard the iconic Taieri Gorge Railway, one of New Zealand's most spectacular rail journeys. Wind through dramatic river gorges, cross towering viaducts, and journey deep into the remote landscapes of inland Otago before arriving at Pukerangi. From here, the Central Cycle Trail Co. team will transfer you into the heart of Central Otago, where you'll join a carefully curated section of New Zealand's original Great Ride. Enjoy lunch at the historic Hayes Engineering Works in Oturehua before riding through the spectacular Poolburn Gorge. Follow the route of the old railway through hand-carved tunnels, across iconic viaducts, and through the wide-open landscapes that have made the Otago Central Rail Trail famous around the world. The adventure concludes at the legendary Chatto Creek Tavern, where you can relax with a meal, local Pinot Noir, or a well-earned pint before your comfortable transfer to Queenstown. Combining rail heritage, cycling adventure, stunning scenery, and genuine Central Otago hospitality, this is an unforgettable way to experience the region in a single day.
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Travel aboard the iconic Taieri Gorge Train, one of New Zealand's most spectacular rail journeys, crossing dramatic gorges and historic viaducts.
Enjoy lunch at the historic Hayes Engineering Works, where rural Kiwi ingenuity helped shape life in Central Otago.
Ride through the breathtaking Poolburn Gorge, famous for its hand-carved tunnels, iconic railway viaducts, and rugged schist landscapes.
Soak up the vast open spaces, golden tussock country, and big skies that define the heart of Central Otago.
Finish at the legendary Chatto Creek Tavern, a true Central Otago institution and the perfect place to celebrate an epic day of rail and trail adventure.
Relax and enjoy a seamless transfer to Queenstown, taking in the changing landscapes from Central Otago to the Southern Lakes.
This landscape is a unique one and it requires bikes that can adapt to its geography. This is where we come in. Our specialist New Zealand cycling pro has designed bikes that are perfectly suited to take on everything the trails will throw at you. Our extensive cycling know-how is the secret to building bikes that can adapt to every rider’s needs. Check out our bikes below.
We had an absolute blast! Loved every minute of it. The accomodations were all outstanding, every place had its own charm and uniqueness. Breakfasts were all fab! The meal and Woolshed at Kokonga, curling, a spa under the stars at Inverlair, and complementary espresso coffee at Pitches among the many, many highlights. It was an extremely memorable experience with many laughs along the way, making memories with a fabulous bunch of friends. Thank you so much.
We had the most wonderful time doing the "Rail Trail in a Day"! The Central Cycle Co team were all super friendly, informative and efficient. We even got to ride a little extra at the end of the day, as we chose the rail trail to return to Clyde instead of the river loop and the friendly lady at the shop said, “Well if you are up to some more riding, why not go for just another 3 or 4 kms so that you can see the beauty of the river loop section”. We were so grateful for her generosity as the river truly is spectacular. The whole rail trial offers some spectacular views and ever-changing landscapes. It was also super cool to have the opportunity to go through 2 historic tunnels as well as over many historic bridges. My partner is an engineer, and he was like a kid in a candy store looking at all the old construction and marveling at the historic engineering methods. I on the other hand, I was particularly fond of interacting with the friendly donkeys at Chatto Creek and both of us just repeated the phrase “wow, it’s just so beautiful” multiple times throughout the day. If you are comfortable on a bike and up to a 56-60km bike ride, we cannot recommend this ride highly enough. Even though the trail is long, all of the riding is super easy, as it is relatively flat with no steep climbs. It is an amazing way to take in the scenery while you just cruise along on your awesome e-bike. It was by far one of our favourite activities on our summer trip to the South Island.
What a great experience in Central Otago! Had an awesome day cycling the Dunstan Trail. The company we went with were great. Staff were super friendly and knowledgeable as well professional. Highly recommend not only doing this trail as part of the Central Otago cycling options but this company. We were lucky to have a great sunny day, not too hot.
The trip was excellent and all your arrangements worked seamlessly. You sent us to great accommodation and tasty meals. A highlight for me was the Peters Farm homestay. Enjoyed it so much I am going to bring my wife and stay there for a week. I had a mountain bike which far exceeded my expectations in quality and condition. Gears worked perfectly, it was just the right weight and was a joy to ride. Congratulations on offering such a good experience.
Thanks for everything. We really can’t say enough good things about Central Cycle Trail and the people we have met who work there.
Couldn’t rate these guys highly enough. Within a couple of hours they had organised 3 day itinerary which included bike hire, accommodation, bookings for meals, transportation of our bags each day and transport to where we were starting. It was awesome. The trail is wonderful, beautiful scenery, great places to stay on the way - totally recommend the crows nest in Oturehua!
Just returned from a great holiday cycling the Otago Central Rail Trail. Superbly organised by Central Cycle Trail Co. Can highly recommend the company if you are thinking of doing the trail. We were a party of 6. Grandparents, parents, a 13 and 9 year old. We paced ourselves over 5 days. The scenery was spectacular and the peace and quiet of the trail took you away from the hustle and bustle of life.
We completed the Otago Rail Trail with a group of ten. I couldn’t fault a single thing 😀. The scenery was stunning. The bikes were brilliant. The accommodation served our needs perfectly. The transfers to and from the trail and the daily bag transfers ran like clockwork. Nothing was too much trouble for Central Cycle Trail Co. - they clearly wanted us to love it as much as they do! And we did. Even our kids aged 10 to 15 rated it a 10/10 holiday!! Highly recommend.
We travelled to South Island is October, I’ve always wanted to do some of the rail trail but with a 9 month and 4 year old - I wasn’t sure it was realistic. These guys were great, they gave us an itinerary suitable to us (mostly flat, scenic and lots of spots to stop), the gear was all in good condition (we hired a chariot, bike seat and panniers as well as the bikes), there was no stress and it turned out to be a great day. Thanks guys!
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