Central Otago Rail Trail - 176 km's (109 miles) - 4 day cycle trail

Unbelievably, we are into our last week in New Zealand - still time for one final challenge though! On this one the hiking boots got a rest, as we hopped on the bikes to complete the 150km original 'Rail Trail'. As usual Team Yates packed in as many side trips as possible, taking our total to 176km's.

Having sold 'Holly' our beloved van/home, the rail trail, with B&B's along the route, was the perfect way to make the most of our final days. It was a welcome novelty to have a shower and a glass of wine at the end of each day! 

Originally a train line linking gold mining settlements in the area, this track has been converted into a tourist bike trail since 1990. Many relics from the old days remain, including stations such as this ladies' waiting room. Mel, speed daemon, waited for some ladies to arrive - Dave turned up eventually!

Much of the trail was over rough stone, resulting in pretty sore backsides during the first couple of days. The many bridges' wooden slats were so bumpy standing to ride across was essential! 

You may have noticed Mel is getting very cheeky in her old age, so she had some time in the local jail to reflect on her behaviour - it's not made a scrap of difference!

The town of Ophir has the oldest working post office in NZ.  It was just one of many cool old buildings that gave character to each town along the trail.

We passed through several long dark tunnels...

... they were pitch black so we needed to dismount and walk through via torchlight, constantly vigilant in fear of Shelob the spider!

Architectural features such as this viaduct provided points of interest to break up the rolling hills and valleys along the trail.

One of the highlights of the journey was staying at the tiny village of Naseby, home of the NZ International Curling Centre - unbelievably situated given the size of the village! 

We had a go - it's safe to say that we are unlikely to get a call up from the GB Olympic squad any time soon! Good fun though, and another first for Team Yates.

Dave tried the slide technique that the professionals use - he managed to stay upright but that's about  the only positive we can report on that one.

The following day it was a privilege to ride through scenery inaccessible by road.

Each evening we stayed in family-run accommodation, often the only establishment in the 'town'.

Hyde station signalled the last day of our rail adventure.

We made use of the leftover railway 'props' to take some snaps: 

We will give you a 'heads up' - Dave is Hyde-ing in this photo... so this is like Where's Wally? 

On reaching Middlemarch, the trail end, we took this obligatory photo and headed for a cushioned seat and a cuppa. Once again a fantastic challenge and a fitting way to end our NZ backcountry exploration.

To return to Dunedin we caught the scenic Taieri Gorge train from Pukerangi - it is listed as one of the top 10 train routes in the World.

Meandering through the gorge over rickety viaducts and through blackened tunnels it was a great ride.