A journey schemed up many months ago, finally the time and weather
aligned and we embarked on a classic Dunedin local cycle tour. Departing
work promptly on Friday afternoon, our route lead us out of Dunedin
over the slopes of Mt Cargill and the North Otago Coast Road to camp at
the Karitane River mouth. Awakening to a still day on Saturday we
pedalled west on the Karitane to Middlemarch road, new territory for all
of us. Our anticipation was well rewarded with hard hill climbs,
beautiful valleys, expansive tops and some great descents. 60km of
riding and 1300m height gain saw us drop into the plains of the Strath
Taieri and the sleepy town of Middlemarch. A great day of riding.
Camping aside the Taieri river was a brilliant way to draw the day to a
close.
With a cold southerly change forecast we rose early and hit the rode,
a steady climb for 2.5 hours brought us to Clarke’s juntion hotel, a
haven for many storm stuck travellers in the past and also for us today
as the rain began. Fortunately it subsided temporarily and we travelled
on, enjoying some flowing downhills to Outram just as the skies opened
once again in a great deluge. Wet but warm we indulged in some fine fish
and chips before enjoying the last stages over the Taieri Plains and
over Three Mile hill into Dunedin City once again. An absolutely
brilliant cycle journey, perfect for a summer weekend, days hard earned
but not too big, straight out of the office and onto the bike!
