Photo: Mikes Holden Otago central Rail Trail Summer Newsletter 2018 We wish you a very Merry Christmas and hope to see you cycling here in the New Year or sooner! If you are planning a trip on the trail this summer be sure to read the tips and ideas on our website and check out some of the events and places in our newsletter below... Chairpersons Report Trail Conditions Water reminder Online Trail Survey Events and Activities o Hayes Engineering& Workshop Open Days o St Bathans Fete o Highlanders vs Waratahs o Lauder Ukelele o Rail Trail Duathlon Operator Profile: Cycle Surgery
What s the Trust being up to over the past year? We ve crammed a lot in, and we are grateful that the volunteer Trustees have given up so much of their time to assist the Trust work with others to advance projects. Have a look in our latest news section for the full Chairperson Report. Trail Conditions Any conditions to note are kept up-to-date on the Trail Conditions page of the official trail website. We update this site as we are advised by the Department of Conservation. Carry plenty of water... When you re preparing to cycle the trail, and in particularly in summer, please make sure you carry sufficient drinking water. There s generally a town every 30-40 km with dining facilities to refuel.
Online Trail Survey We'd love to hear about your holiday experience... If you ve cycled/walked/jogged the trail over the past 12 months we would like to know about your experience. We value your feedback and it only takes a couple of minutes - please click on the link to share your feedback: www.getsmartglobal.com/otag orailtrail Events & Activities There's heaps to see & do around the trail any time of year. To view the full range of summer activities and events check out the official the event section on our website. Omakau Trots 2 Jan 2019. Image: Jan MacKenzie Hayes Open Days Sundays, 6 Jan, 3 Feb, 3 March & 7 April 2019 Marvel at a fully operational 20th century engineering workshop and 1920 s villa and discover how genuine kiwi ingenuity and resourcefulness led to a remarkable home-grown industrial design that is still in us.
St Bathans Fete Sunday, 13 Jan 2019 The St Bathans Village Fete is held every year by the Cambrian St Bathans branch of Rural Women New Zealand. Market Stalls, Ghost Hunt, Games, Competitions, Food, Fashion, Family fun with entertainment available throughout the day. Highlanders Vs Waratahs Friday, 1 Feb 2019 Alexandra & Breens Construction hosts a Preseason rugby match between the Highlanders & the Waratahs at Molyneux in Alexandra. Lauder Ukelele Festival 2-5 Feb 2019 Waitangi Weekend will see the sounds of Ukulele s echo through Manuherikia valley with the Lauder Ukelele Festival. A variety of workshops and performances will be held over the 4 day festival. For full details visit the event website.
Rail Trail Duathlon 2019 Enter Now! 23-24th Feb 2019 The Rail Trail Duathlon is the flagship multi-sport event not to be missed on the Otago Central Rail Trail, NZ s original great ride, 23th and 24th February 2019. Image Clare Toia-Bailey Operator Profile: Cycle Surgery We ask a few questions about their services... "Our goal is to provide the best cycling experience in New Zealand!" Tips for people thinking about planning a trip on the Otago Central Rail Trail? Take your time! It is not a race, it is a holiday! Cycle Surgery Rail Trail is a local, family owned and operated business. Dave and Pip Thomson love cycling, love Central Otago and love sharing their knowledge and experience with clients. Dave, a New Zealand representative cyclist, has cycling in his blood. Using his knowledge of bikes and bike design, Dave s passion is now to design and build comfortable and reliable hire bikes suitable for New Zealand cycle trails. When cycling a 150km a reliable and comfortable bike is essential Cycle Surgery has the perfect bike for every customer. Pip has a Bachelor of Education, and like many teachers loves to organise EVERYTHING perfectly! Pip is usually the person behind the e-mails, at the end the phone or organising the day to day running of Cycle Surgery. Pip strives to make every clients experience seamless an end to end experience where all the clients do is turn up and enjoy their journey cycling through Central Otago.
Behind Dave and Pip, is the Cycle Surgery Team. A team who all have a common goal to provide every client with the best cycling experience! We chat to Pip Thompson about her & Dave's business, Cycle Surgery. What is something special you do you for your rail trail visitors? We are a family owned company with passion for cycling and Central Otago. The team at Cycle Surgery work extremely hard to ensure all our clients have an enjoyable and memorable Otago Central Rail Trail experience. There is not one thing special we do, but a number of special things to ensure our clients have an enjoyable Rail Trail holiday. From providing unparalleled customer service, designing and building our own Cycle Surgery hire bikes and working together with accommodation providers we are continually striving to provide our clients with the best cycling experience. Our clients arrive as customers but depart as good friends. What has inspired you to run your business in Central Otago? In 2000, New Zealand s first cycle trail was opened The Otago Central Rail Trail. Dave was living in Dunedin at the time, and saw the opportunity to hire bikes to visitors turning up to cycle the Rail Trail. Dave started with 10 bikes, hired out of a backyard shed in Middlemarch, today we have over 300 hire bikes and a successful Cycle Tourism Business. In 2008, I joined Dave at Cycle Surgery and this when we evolved from just a bike hire business to providing a full visitor experience. Today, 90% of our clients choose a Cycle Surgery Itinerary, where every aspect of their holiday is planned and booked for them. Making it easy we do all the planning so all our clients need to do is turn up and enjoy the ride. Tour Itineraries include shuttle transfers, accommodation, bike hire, bag transfers, off-trail activities, evening meals. Both Dave and I love cycling, love Central Otago and we love sharing our passion with our clients. Our goal is to provide the best cycling experience in New Zealand. Why have you chosen to support the Otago Central Rail Trail Trust? Cycle Surgery supports and works together with the Otago Central Rail Trail Trust and other operators on the Otago Central Rail Trail. To continue to grow and keep our trail great we all need to work together to promote our trail as one of the best cycle trails in the world. As Otago Central Rail Trail ambassadors and operators we all need to continually review and reflect on our businesses practices to ensure we are continually providing our clients with an exceptional cycling experience. What do you enjoy most about what you do? The people there is something special about people who want to spend their holiday cycling 150km through Central Otago. We love meeting our clients, talking to them and sharing our experiences. Any tips for people thinking about planning a trip on the Otago Central Rail Trail? Take you time! It is not a race, it is a holiday! Take time to enjoy the scenery, the history, the people and the places. Become part of Central Otago see it, smell it, experience it, cycle it!
More info about Cycle Surgery... or contact them via: P 03 464 3630 M 027 2904185 F 0800 292 534 I+64 3 464 3630 Einfo@cyclesurgery.nz Wwww.cyclesurgery.co.nz Cycle Surgery Rail Trail is a local, family owned and operated business. Dave and Pip Thomson love cycling, love Central Otago and love sharing their knowledge and experience with clients. Dave, a New Zealand representative cyclist, has cycling in his blood. Using his knowledge of bikes and bike design, Dave s passion is now to design and build comfortable and reliable hire bikes suitable for New Zealand cycle trails. When cycling a 150km a reliable and comfortable bike is essential Cycle Surgery has the perfect bike for every customer. Pip has a Bachelor of Education, and like many teachers loves to organise EVERYTHING perfectly! Pip is usually the person behind the e-mails, at the end the phone or organising the day to day running of Cycle Surgery. Pip strives to make every clients experience seamless an end to end experience where all the clients do is turn up and enjoy their journey cycling through Central Otago. Behind Dave and Pip, is the Cycle Surgery Team. A team who all have a common goal to provide every client with the best cycling experience!