Otago Rail Trail

On Thursday 8th March Charissa drove me to Auckland Airport and I flew to Dunedin. This was one week later than planned due to a tummy problem. After leaving Dunedin airport I hitchhiked to Middlemarch to walk the Otago Rail Trail. The initial road I took from the airport was a quiet country road and I saw 3 cars in the first hour. Luckily the 3rd car picked me up and took me to Outram. I enquire there about purchasing camping gas for my stove but without luck. The 2nd ride from just outside Outram took me all the way to Middlemarch. Tricia the person who picked me up lives with her husband in Otago during the summer and in Queensland during the winter. On arrival at Middlemarch I enquired at the info centre about anywhere to purchase camping gas but was informed that nowhere sold it. I was in luck however as they had a large mostly full canister which someone else had left behind which I could have for nothing. The lady also advised me that there was free camping across the road on the domain. I set up my tent in a sheltered area near the rugby club rooms. All was well until 7.30pm when the local rugby club started to gather for their weekly practise and my tent was where they usually park. So there was me in my tent surrounded by utes! It did work out well though as not only did they invite me to use their showers but also invited me in for a beer or two after the practise. This turned into an hilarious night as they told outrageous stories. Unfortunately they are too much of an adult nature to repeat here.

The Otago Rail Trail follows the route of a former railway line for 150 km from Middlemarch to Clyde (or vice versa). Set up in 2000 it was the first rail trail in NZ.  Each day dozens and sometimes hundreds of cyclists use the trail. There are even sometimes fools who walk the trail. I was going to be one of those fools.

On Friday morning I set off from Middlemarch to walk the first 30km to Hyde. On leaving Middlemarch it was quite foggy. As the fog lifted views of the wide valley the trail runs through became visable. There are hills both sides of the valley. The countryside can be quite bleak and baron. There are numerous sheep farms. Scenes for Lord Of The Rings were filmed around here.

At the first road crossing I met Jane who was driving a van as support for a group of cyclists and she agreed to take my pack on to Hyde.  I made good time arriving about 3.30pm. Yes it was a Middle(sized)march My pack was at the Hyde cafe and I enquired there about tent sites and was told I could set up beside the cafe. Judging by prices charged elsewhere it was quite an expensive site @ $15 just for the site and use of the toilet, no kitchen facilities and $5 extra for use of the shower.

The following day I walked from Hyde & seeking Ranfurly 32 km away. I walked the first 10km then found a couple at a trail side car park in a house bus to take my pack on to Ranfurly. Due to the vastness of the view and country here it can get quite "samey" walking all day but I still enjoyed the walk. In the afternoon 4 of the cyclists going the other way all told me the same thing in different ways " oh your the walker, your pack has arrived safely in Ranfurly". Set my tent up at the Motor Camp in Ranfurly and in contrast to the day before it cost $13 for tent site and full use of kitchen and showers. A good clean and tidy facility. Met a couple in the kitchen Tony & Pam, ex dairy farmers from Taranaki  who both also used to work for the Dairy Board in Wellington. Pam was biking parts of the trail while Tony drove the van. They agreed to take my pack onto Oturehua the next day.

A later start next day due to getting up late after a restless night and looking around the Art Deco buildings before departing town. I met  the first walker I'd seen so far just before Wedderburn, a retired farmer now living in Queenstown who was born around this area. He has returned every year for the past 4 years and walked a different section of the trail. Not long after that light rain started to fall. At Wedderburn I met a couple and their teenage son who had stopped to eat lunch in the station building while driving back to Dunedin. They shared their thermos of tea with me This helped to warm me up and put a bit more energy into the walking. The day before a hot spot had developed on my left heel and it started to get worse on this afternoon and I had to keep stopping to put bandages and tape on it to prevent it becoming a blister. After Wedderburn the rain gradually set in and became persistent heavy rain. I arrived at the Oturehua Tavern  to collect my pack and dripped water through their bar. I was feeling cold and miserable as I booked into the Crows Nest backpackers after having walked 23km for the day. Annette the proprietor made me feel welcome and offered the use of a hot tub. Usually this cost $60 but as other guests staying in cabins had used it I could have it for nothing if I didn't mind using 2nd hand water. The tub was situated outside so I sat in a hot tub in the rain holding an umbrella! It did the trick and quickly warmed me up. Although I was staying in a dorm room I was the only one so literally had the place to myself until the people from the cabins came in for breakfast next morning.

Thank goodness the rain had stopped the next morning and headed for Lauder 23km away. Before leaving Oturehua I visited the local store which is the oldest continuously operated store in NZ and still has the original wooden shelves and displays of bygone products alongside today's products. I was unable to find anyone to take my pack on so carried it the entire day for the first time on the trail. Most cyclists I saw on the trail say hello or good morning or just wave, occasionally one will say something about me walking or comment on the views. On rare occasions one would stop and talk. On this day Alan an Argentinian riding part of the trail stopped to talk before going on his way. Later up the trail I met him again and he shared some of his lunch with me. We shared stories and he seemed quite interested in my walk. Alan will feature later in this blog. Walked through more scenic and rugged country today. Also walked through two 200m tunnels. When I arrived at Lauder I enquired at the cafe about tent sites and Shirley the owner said I could camp behind her cafe for no charge and she even left the cafe toilet open all night for me. This was in complete contrast to the cafe at Hyde and more like the friendly reception travellers receive on the trail. As I was sick of my own rice dinners I walked over to the pub to see what was available for dinner but as there was a large group who had just ordered I just had wedges rather than wait. I met and had a game of darts with Bruce who had been an insurance salesman until recently. He had been made redundant and with his wife had purchased the local Schoolhouse Bed & Breakfast just two weeks previously. I surprised to learn that the B& B has 24 beds, 23 of which were taken that night and this was the large group who had ordered dinner.

The next morning Shirley from the Cafe arranged for one of her staff to take my pack on to the Chatto Creek  Tavern some 19km away. I arrived there about 2pm and my pack at 3pm. In the meantime the proprietor Lesley had offered me to set my tent up in the pub garden. Initially I agreed but as it was early decided to push on and walk a few more kms. In the event I walked another 9km and unable to find any ideal camp sited set up beside the trail for the night after walking 28km. Met a couple in the morning who were also waking the entire trail but in the opposite direction. These were the only people I met who were walking the whole way. Unlike me they had pre booked B&B's and so were committed to a certain distance each day.

On my final day on the trail I was away at 8.30am, being short of water I had cheese,salami and rice crackers for breakfast instead of my usual porridge. 1.5km along the trail I found what would have been an ideal campsite for the night before, complete with toilet. I saw nobody from 5.30pm the day before until 9.30am when Ben cycled up behind me and pedalled alongside as I walked and we talked. He is a young guy from Whangarei who was recently been made redundant and had decided to come down and do the trail amongst other things. I walked 9km into Aleandra, booked into the Motor Camp set up my tent. Then walked the final 8km of the trail to Clyde. Ben was also at the end of the trail awaiting his bus back to Mosgiel. There was a nice sign in the shape of a train at trail end and Ben took my photo alongside it. I thought it strange that there was no similar sign at the start of the trail. Feeling a great sense of accomplishment after having walked the whole 151km in 6 days I walked into Clyde and ate a large lunch to celebrate. After lunch I walked around the historical part of Clyde and then walked a 12km trail back to Alexandra. This was one of my bigger days at 32km.

I bought fish and chips for dinner and was surprised to read in the out of date newspaper wrapping about a sad event. Last year I was following another blog Mikes Hike, Mike had walked over 2000km through the South Island with two dogs raising money for charity. The newspaper article related how one of the dogs had recently had surgery was in a cage in Mikes home when the house caught fire and the dog died.

Back at my tent I was tracked down by Alan the Argentinian who was staying in a different part of the same camp.

Yesterday was a rest day and I spent most of the day in the Alexandra Info Centre reading a book. I also went to the Library caught up with my emails and read the local papers. On the front page of the paper was a photo and story of the large train sign at the end of the trail I had been photographed at the day before and had been surprised it was also at the other end of the trail. Apparently the sign had only been officially unveiled a few hours before I got there and at the same time had also been unveiled at the other end.

Yesterday Alan and I caught a bus back to Dunedin where we are both staying at a back packers and tomorrow Alan will join me for two day as I restart my journey up the East Coast.