Central Otago Trails - the best?

[paulj]

I have lived in Central Otago now for about seven years, and prior to that spent holidays etc in the district. My family(s) have roots going back to the gold rush era and sadly I buried my daughter here in Cromwell in 2005.

Post DR650 purchase in 2006, I looked around for trails and in particular, pictures of the various areas – Duffers, Obelisk, Old Dunstan Road etc etc .. not much on the web, but there are lots of 4x4 experts about, so I gleaned what knowledge I could from them – also some trail bikers (those guys are a bit extreme for me!). Still not a lot of pictures to whet my appetite – so, wait for the riding season and go do something about it.

Now that me and Barney Purple, have dug dirt together over a lot of tracks and trails – and I confess, not a lot elsewhere in the country – I am going to lay down the challenge, that Central Otago has the best adventure trail riding in New Zealand.

Why?

High altitude tracks
Varied terrain – mud, rivers, gravel, rock
Great climate – get well up on the tops and you can see forever
Paucity of locked gates, Keep Out, Private Property etc etc
Motorbike friendly landowners, farmers, cockys …
Huts, bivoucs, pubs, campsites …
Far enough away from the seal for a real sense of adventure.
Lots of ‘through trails’ – no going back the way you came.
I live in the middle of it, about 20 minutes from the Nevis tops – enough said.

I have put up a few pics here http://www.thespians.org.nz/cotrails to give you some idea and perhaps persuade you to ride this way sometime – not an appropriate domain name, that’s another ‘life’ of mine.

They are a mixed bag, some crap ex cell phone camera, some quite good and many missed altogether – once I get my leg over, it is bloody hard to stop and take a goddam picture – I’m getting over that as the pics I have bring back good memories.

I have captioned a few, annotated and scrawled some directions on others. Some are big buggers - hope you enjoy them

PaulJ

PS – DR 650’s are bloody good bikes …
PPS – Waikaia is spelt Waikaia!

[deanohit]

I did enjoy the Nevis Crossing last time I was down there even if I was in my truck!

Truly a beaut place down there, but Marlbrough is the area for me, I found so many trails in my truck down there, gotta go back on the bike and do them all again some time now.

[Transalper]

I have lived in Central Otago now for about seven years........
Now that me and Barney Purple, have dug dirt together over a lot of tracks and trails – and I confess, not a lot elsewhere in the country – I am going to lay down the challenge, that Central Otago has the best adventure trail riding in New Zealand. ....

Oh goodie, a new guide, you set it up, we will ride it with you.
Average weekend adventures could be we ride to you Friday after work, you show us an Adventure, we ride home Sunday in time for work Monday again.
Longer weekends are harder to do and would be few and far between (for me anyway). Oh yeah, am a bit stuffed till late January now.
Cheers
TA.

[merv]

Loved Nevis Road when we did it last year with my Bro'.

I already posted the pic of Mrs merv on her XT going through one of the many fords here http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/at...9&d=1151233333

Here's my XR on the Nevis Road too http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/at...2&d=1151025593.

This shot was at the top of Carrick range at over 1,300 metres above seal level http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/at...7&d=1149317060

Wish I could stay down there longer and explore many more of the tracks.

[paulj]

Oh goodie, a new guide, you set it up, we will ride it with you.
Average weekend adventures could be we ride to you Friday after work, you show us an Adventure, we ride home Sunday in time for work Monday again.
Longer weekends are harder to do and would be few and far between (for me anyway). Oh yeah, am a bit stuffed till late January now.
Cheers
TA.

Sheesh - takes me a week to get over one of these - no - not really. At last I'll get a few pics of me in the bogs or on my side!

In the process of setting up a road/rally navigate by the stars type thing Dunners/Monowai mid Feb. The club reckoned 85k of gravel was too much so I cut that bit out but I can easily resurrect it. Xcountry, Cromwell <> Monowai - now I'm thinking ...

[Transalper]

....At last I'll get a few pics of me in the bogs or on my side!

You might just get video if I'm there.

....The club reckoned 85k of gravel was too much so I cut that bit out...

Which club are we talking there? What did they want instead of gravel?? Please don't say tarseal.

I'm planing to do the Capital Coast Adventure ANZAC weekend so thats April 25 to 27 out too.

[cooneyr]

Stop it - your torturing us. I'm with TA, keen as mustard to do a weekend trip around the place. Been through many of the tracks down in the area by 4x4 twice (two separate summer road trips).

Anzac weekend out for me as well. Really keen to do self supported i.e. carry tents, cookers etc over nighter

Have you got any ideas for a rough route?

Cheers R

[Delphinus]

Also keen to join you. Dunedinite here.

[clint640]

I am going to lay down the challenge, that Central Otago has the best adventure trail riding in New Zealand.

No argument from me on that one. Should be down again next year for another dose, might inspect some more of North Otago this time.

Cheers
Clint

[GaZBur]

Hi Guys.
Had a heap of fun with my DR already but no Adventure rides yet. I will be up central sometime mid Jan and would love to tag along with someone who knows what its about and how not to get lost, so long as they don't kick up too much dust of course
Nice pics guys - you got me keen.

[paulj]

Have you got any ideas for a rough route?

Cheers R

The Duffers <> Piano Flat is fairly rough - at least the way I ended up doing it! Rock shelves, waist deep bogs, muddy uphill sections, and a drop off so steep I was sledging ol Barney downhill for a while. It was a foolhardy thing to ride alone, although there were a few MX lads up there too if I really did it bad, otherwise it would be a farmer with a crawler to recover me.

I have GPS waypoints for this section - the section Duffers <> Obelisk is very indistinct and has numerous cross trails to confuse further (BTW Duffers is the Nevis Saddle with Bannockburn). IMHO the section from Duffers to Obelisk is dry dry weather only - deep water filled ruts, slippery as hell with bog tussock and boulders.

I am working over a Friday <> Sunday trip of a bit more "gentleness" for starters - Friday after work to Lawrence Motor Camp (Dunners folks could come out through Mahinerangi), Saturday early, up to Lammermoor <> Lammerlaw, on through Aisla Craig into the ODR, up Serpentine and out via Long Valley and Poolburn or Onslow.

Which club are we talking there? What did they want instead of gravel?? Please don't say tarseal.

Tarseal! - Sorry - but I do understand their predicament. For large 1400cc+ road bikes (some starting with "H..." - all nice and shiny) and others with she who must be obeyed two up on $25k+, riding on gravel would be tricky, and as you will see from my flyer, we're old farts! (dammit).

There are clubs about catering for MX riding etc - however my preferred approach is more xcountry adventure trailing with a reasonable degree of technical riding thrown in - a thermos of coffee and a sandwich or two in the pack and all day ahead of me. No racing for moi.

Attached here is a flyer for the trip mentioned above - if it's to your taste, then this style of riding can be adapted to the back country too, in fact that was where I started before getting hobbled to the seal.

[Transalper]

The Duffers <> Piano Flat is fairly rough - at least the way I ended up doing it! Rock shelves, waist deep bogs, muddy uphill sections, and a drop off so steep I was sledging ol Barney downhill for a while. .....

Right, mental note, when going to ride with this man remember to wear ya knobyst tyres and take the smallest front sprocket/biggest rear combo.

[cooneyr]

The Duffers <> Piano Flat is fairly rough........

I'm not surprised - that is the Whitecoomb Road which from memory is rated as a 5 heavy 4x4 track in Ken Siblys books. Again from memory that is the hardest 4x4 track in the south of the South Island!!!!! Was wondering how bad it really is but I think for a weekend trip it sounds like a bit much.

.....I have GPS waypoints for this section - the section Duffers <> Obelisk is very indistinct and has numerous cross trails to confuse further (BTW Duffers is the Nevis Saddle with Bannockburn). IMHO the section from Duffers to Obelisk is dry dry weather only - deep water filled ruts, slippery as hell with bog tussock and boulders.

I am working over a Friday <> Sunday trip of a bit more "gentleness" for starters - Friday after work to Lawrence Motor Camp (Dunners folks could come out through Mahinerangi), Saturday early, up to Lammermoor <> Lammerlaw, on through Aisla Craig into the ODR, up Serpentine and out via Long Valley and Poolburn or Onslow......

This route from Lawrence north then west sounds good. How long do you think this would take? I think we could spare the some of Sunday morning to do a little bit more - do you recon there is anyway we can work in a bit of the tops between say the Mt Benger Road and the Obelisk with possibly a side trip to the Potters Huts. I know the views from up there are awesome and last time I was through it was a little challenging but wouldn't be too bad (bogs/wet rutts were not to difficult for an old landy ). Maybe we northerners could do that (south to north) on our way to Alex from which we could do the Lindis or cut back to Danseys to head north.

I think maybe Duffers saddle is a bit out of the way compared to the rest of the tracks you mention? Pitty we don't have a another day so we could do the Nevis!

Cheers Ryan

[bvaut]

Yep truely excellent,

Beautiful country down that way and certainly magic place to ride. I will be heading that way for a few weeks in March/April 08 to do a few more trails down this way so i will be definately be in contact to find some of these majic places and trails. Till then i can only dream of this area.

[PLUG]

just passed through there on me way to & from the BURT ... down over the Danseys - Clyde/Hawkburn Rd/pylon track & the Nevis ... back the Nevis - Thompsons track/Rise & Shine Rd & Danseys ...

the golden O's got it all for me ...