I think it was Tiger Hill that did us in. The winding s-bend, cranking slowly and mercilessly steeper, stretching between Chatto Creek and Omakau.

My partner Grant and I were cycling the Otago Central Rail Trail from Clyde to Middlemarch, following the former railroad, zig-zagging up through barren countryside.

It was a cloudy February day, the first of our three-day 150km cycle, and already legs and bums were aching.

The steepest section, Tiger Hill, was engineered on a 1/50 gradient by railway workers more than a century ago, to get trains up and over the hill.

It was hard going, but luckily the scenery was distracting.

Dancing purple and yellow foxgloves waved to us, as we ground uphill. Raggedy Range, aptly named, was to our right, the Dunstan Mountains swept along our left.

It was an alien-like landscape of great beauty, with large thistles growing along the track, and towering rock formations blanketed with lichen.

We had hired mountain bikes from a local tour operator, and tucked a change of clothes and windbreakers into the saddlebags, along with essentials such as sunscreen and digital cameras.

Our bags were transported between our accommodation stops by Catch-A-Bus, so we were travelling light, spending the night at Lauder then Ranfurly before taking the shuttle back to Clyde from Middlemarch on the third night. Each day would see us cycle about 50km at leisure to stop along the way at scenic spots or small towns.

The scenery changes along the route, through mountain ranges and over old rail bridges, with views down into gorges and rocky rivers. Much of it looks like something out of a Grahame Sydney painting.

There are grassy plains of sheep, and small towns with just an old pub and hotel, some more than a century old, breaking the isolated landscape.

In 1990, the railway was closed, and it is now a public reserve, managed by the Conservation Department (Doc) and can be used year round by mountain bikers, walkers and horse riders. No trucks, motorbikes or cars are allowed on the trail.

The Otago Central Rail Trail, the longest of its kind in New Zealand, was first mooted by Doc in the 1990s, and opened in February 2000.

Building of the original railway began at Middlemarch in 1891 and finished at Clyde in 1907, taking 16 years to construct. For more than half a century, the Otago Central Railway was the economic lifeline for Maniototo and Central Otago, carrying milk, rabbit skins, supplies and people between isolated rural areas and Dunedin.

Although some cyclists have done the trail in one day, most do it in a more leisurely three or four days, staying at bed and breakfast establishments on or near the trail.

You have to book ahead though, as the trail is popular from spring through to about Easter, and there are limited accommodation options.

Tour operator Bill Theyer says 80 to 90 per cent of trail riders are New Zealanders, but the number of both domestic and international cyclists are increasing each year, as word of the rail trail spreads.

"The beauty of the trail is it is safe," says Theyer. "You get people aged from eight to 80 doing it, often three generations of one family."

He says cushioned seats and cycles with a suspension are essential for a comfortable ride.

You can start at either the Clyde or Middlemarch end, and both directions seem similar on a map, climbing to a peak of 618m above sea level midway, which is about 450m of riding uphill from Clyde (at 170m above sea level).

In truth, the track's gradient is slow and gradual, designed for trains to pull heavy loads over the hills, and you don't need to be especially fit to cycle the rail trail.

However, we definitely had tender rear ends after three days of six to seven hours cycling daily, and if I did it again, I'd take an extra day. For those less fit, experts recommend four days to do the trail, as bums generally can't handle more than four hours at a time on a bike seat. Five to seven days are better for those who want to visit towns and sights along the way.

We started from Clyde, and quickly made our way past Alexandra and into the remote, desolate hills.

At each of the 18 train stations, there are red-painted replicas of New Zealand Railways Department emergency phone boxes, containing a stamp machine for stamping your Otago Central Rail Trail passport. You pick a passport, $10, before you start; they are a great souvenir for recording progress along the trail, and giving a sense of achievement.

Coming into Lauder, the 44km mark and our first stop for the night, we passed deer farms, glorious bucks with mighty antlers watching our slow progress.

We stayed the night in Lauder Railway School B & B, an historic 100-year-old schoolhouse, and had a massive roast dinner at the old Lauder Pub across the road, yarning with the locals until the wee hours. Retiring to bed, tired, we felt like naughty school pupils of old, with bottoms feeling like they had had 100 whacks from the paddle.

A good night's sleep made all the difference, and we cruised from Lauder along the Manuherikia River, over the massive No 1 Bridge, 110m long and 14m high, with lofty views.

Then came the two Poolburn Gorge Tunnels, one of the highlights of the trail the first 230m long, the second 201m long.

We strapped on our headlamps, and tried to bike through, singing and yelling as we rode, the acoustics amplifying our voices. In the middle, it was so dark that, despite the torchlight, it was difficult to maintain balance.

The next bridge, the Poolburn Viaduct, is the highest on the rail trail, 37m above the river. Plaques along the route and at each station offer information and photographs, so there is a chance to stop and soak up the history and the views. The bridge took three years to build, with piers and abutments made from schist quarried from local rock.

We stopped at the Oturehua Tavern for lunch, one of many good pubs on route, offering sandwiches and beers in outdoor gardens.

After another uphill slog we finally got to the highest point, just out of Wedderburn, and cruised downhill at speed, the wind in our hair.

However, before we got too comfortable, a southeasterly gale meant, despite the downward angle, we had to pedal hard to get to Ranfurly. Our hands hurt from gripping the handlebars, and we happily headed to the local hotel for dinner, then to bed.

In the morning, we enjoyed good coffee and a hearty bacon and egg breakfast at the E-Central Cafe, before setting out on our last day on the bikes.

The wind had picked up, the sky was grey, so we put on the windbreakers. The weather throughout the three days seemed variable, the first day was bakingly hot, and we got sunburnt despite lots of sunscreen, and then it got freezingly cold and windy the same day, making layers and winter gear essential even in summer.

We stopped for lunch at the Otago Central Hotel in Hyde, a beautiful historic building, that served up hot chocolate with marshmallows to ward off the windy chill and brilliant toasted sandwiches.

We got chatting to a group of six women from Dunedin and West Otago, a group of mothers and friends in their mid-30s on a "girls' trip". They were all wearing t-shirts saying the Pink Ladies, one of many small groups of cyclists having a blast.

"You need to take a sense of humour and a support crew," advised Maree Crowley-Hughes from Riverton, one of the Pink Ladies.

"You get a bit of a sore bum, but you enjoy it, take the scenery in and meet people.

"That's what it's all about."

As we hopped back on the saddle for the last 27km, the final stretch seemed to fly by, soaking up the scenery and the new-found friendships.

At the end of it, exhausted and triumphant, the two-hour return shuttle bus from Middlemarch to Clyde felt like cheating.


By KATE MONAHAN - Waikato Times