An awesome undertaking
Ithink I’ve found the closest thing to heaven in New Zealand. I’m in the middle of the mountains, surrounded by soaring cliffs, riding the country’s newest cycle trail. I’m not a cyclist by nature, so it feels like someone has unleashed a jackhammer on my derriere. In my ideal world, I’d love a moment to get off my bike, stretch the muscles and enjoy a hot coffee, but I’m in the middle of nowhere. That’s not going to happen.
Hang on. What’s that? I’m like a shark with blood when it comes to caffeine. Am I picking up the smell of freshly roasted beans, or am I in a state of ‘‘depresso’’ and my mind is playing tricks?
My legs start cycling faster.
Around one more bend, I screech to a halt. Floating in the Cromwell Gorge, at the base of an enormous cliff, is a coffee shop. It’s called Coffee Afloat, but it should rename itself nirvana.
I’m on the new Lake Dunstan Trail, a remarkable feat of engineering connecting the Central Otago towns of Cromwell and Clyde. The 55-kilometre trail opened early last month, after years of planning and construction.
This is no simple trail. It weaves along the cliffs of Cromwell Gorge, with the lake on one side and soaring cliffs on the other. At first glance, it looks like building a cycle and walking trail here would be impossible, but engineers were determined. And, as I’m about to find out, their solution is spectacular.
We’re starting the trail at Highlands Motorsport Park, outside Cromwell, where bike-hire company Trail Journeys has a depot.
I don’t suggest you bring a city bike that’s been gathering dust in the shed; rent one that’s designed for this trail – and go electric, but more on why that’s essential later.
After a quick induction on using an ebike, including how to use the ‘‘boost’’ feature, we head towards our first stop.
Just a few kilometres along Lake Dunstan, we park at the Cromwell Heritage Precinct. After the Clyde Dam was finished in the early-1990s, which formed Lake Dunstan, the old town was flooded, and a selection of heritage buildings were moved to a new lakefront location.
The heritage village is now home to cafes, artisans and art galleries, and it’s the perfect spot for breakfast or a quick coffee. But as picturesque as the town is, you haven’t seen anything yet.
Next, we head towards the gorge, passing a few vineyards at Bannockburn, the region’s winegrowing area. We cycle up the side of a hill to discover we’ve ascended to a wine lover’s heaven: we’re at the gates of an organic winery. You can jump straight off the trail and on to a bean bag for a glass of wine overlooking the lake.
Once you’re back on your bike, the trail weaves around the edge of the vineyard before heading towards Cornish Point, where you can look directly down the gorge. Gazing down the long narrow valley, with water on one side and towering cliffs on the other, only one question comes to mind: how on Earth did they make a cycle trail through here?
A few minutes later, the answer becomes apparent. To get around granite cliffs, which extend hundreds of metres into the air, engineers strapped cantilevered platforms to the side of the rock. It’s one of the most advanced bike tracks anywhere in New Zealand.
We continue along the gorge before that feeling hits my brain: is that the smell of caffeine? Then, just around a corner in the middle of nowhere, I come to a complete stop. There are 15 people sitting around enjoying a coffee in front of a floating cafe.
Owners Jolanda and Richard Foale had quite the journey starting their business. The pair run a scenic helicopter company in Cromwell, which was heavily reliant on foreign tourists. With reduced flying after the borders shut, the couple wanted to pivot and couldn’t go past the proposed cycle trail. It was missing a cafe, but nobody could figure out how to make it work: it needed to float.
Now, every morning (provided the weather isn’t horrific), the Foales motor in a small boat to their solar-powered coffee barge to start the grinder.
It’s by far the most popular stop on the trail. Seventy cups of coffee had already been sold by the time we arrive at lunch time. Sitting down next to the silent lake enjoying a hot drink surrounded by peaks is one of the best feelings.
I am also procaffeinating (procrastinating with coffee). There is a huge hill after the coffee shop, and I am enjoying my drink pretending it will go away.
Remember I told you ebikes are essential? The reason is that the hill is steep with a stunning switchback that towers into the air. I move my ebike to turbo, shift down to a low gear, and get to the top without raising a sweat. Thank you, electricity, that was easy. And my power is probably generated from the nearby dam – a beautiful circle of life.
The trail then takes its time weaving back towards the lake, with spectacular elevation offering bird’s-eye views of the gorge. The next remarkable feature is an 85-metre suspension bridge known as Hugo Bridge after the late Hugh Green, whose charitable foundation paid for its construction.
At the other side of the bridge, as I’m taking photos, I get chatting to a retiree cycling the track with a bike that looks like an F-18 fighter jet.
I ask if it was electric, to which she replies, ‘‘yes, my name is Emily’’. Pointing to herself, she says with a smile, ‘‘it’s an ‘E’ bike’’.
Feeling a little guilty that someone about twice my age is just using her legs, I steer the conversation in another direction. ‘‘Is this the best bike ride you’ve done in New Zealand?’’ I ask.
‘‘You know, I’ve cycled all around the world, and it doesn’t get better than this,’’ she says.
After the bridge, it’s an easy ride back towards the water, where the trail eventually widens. Before long, we reach the Clyde Dam and its historic mining town. Many of the hire companies run a shuttle here so you can be driven back to Cromwell (definitely recommended), or it’s possible to bike the return journey in a day, although it will be a long trip if you’re not an experienced cyclist.
In the next few years, I’m confident this trail will become the Roys Peak of bike riding – it will be everywhere on social media.
Best get in before all the foreign tourists eventually return and fall in love with it too.