Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(2 Harvey St, Omakau; mains $8-16; 8.30am-7pm Mon-Sat, 10am-7pm Sun)
Take a break from
the Rail Trail at this friendly spot festooned with old radios. Cafe treats include all-day
breakfasts, pasta, pies and ice cream, or you can grab a burger or fish and chips from the
takeaway counter.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Alexandra
POP 4800
Unless you've come especially for the Easter Bunny Hunt or September's NZ Merino
Shearing Championships, the main reason to visit unassuming Alexandra is mountain
biking. It's the biggest Rail Trail settlement by far, offering more eating and sleeping op-
tions than the rest of the one-horse (or fewer) towns on the route. It's also the start of the
brand-new Roxburgh Gorge Trail.
Alex, as it's known to the locals, marks the southeastern corner of the acclaimed Cent-
ral Otago wine region. Of the dozen wineries in the immediate vicinity, only a handful
are open for tastings. These are detailed on the
Central Otago Wine Map,
available from
the i-SITE (
Click here
).
Sights & Activities
Walkers and mountain bikers will love the old gold trails weaving through the hills; col-
lect maps from the i-SITE. The
Alexandra-Clyde 150th Anniversary Walk
(12.8km,
three hours one way) is a riverside trail that's fairly flat with ample resting spots and
shade.
Central Stories
MUSEUM
(
www.centralstories.com
; 21 Centennial Ave; admission by donation; 10am-4pm)
Central
Otago's history of gold-mining, winemaking, orcharding and sheep farming is covered in
this excellent regional museum which shares a building with the i-SITE.
Roxburgh Gorge Trail
MOUNTAIN BIKING
(
www.roxburghgorge.co.nz
)
Opened to considerable fanfare in 2013, this well-constructed
cycling and walking track was intended to connect Alexandra to Roxburgh Dam. As ac-
cess through some of the farmland in the middle section wasn't successfully negotiated,
riding the 'full trail' requires prearranging a 13km ferry trip ($95) through the local in-
formation centres. Once you add on the noncompulsory track-maintenance fee ($25), it
