Thisisit

Hi everyone,
I have the opportunity to study for a semester at University of Otago in Dunedin next January to March, and once done with a few courses my professor will be leading a field course around the islands.
I found the Cycling Otago website which has been interesting and it looks like a great area, good roads, velodrome(I think).

I was just wondering if anyone had any general information on the area(cycling or not), how do you like it, fun stuff to do, etc.

The funny thing is as soon as my Professor announced it and I went to an information meeting the first thing I did was look at the quality of cycling in New Zealand. Priorities right?

Thanks

Johnny_Monkey

When you say 'area' do you mean Dunedin, Otago, South Island, or New Zealand?

Thisisit

Specifically I meant Dunedin/Otago. During my time at the university I won't have much time to get anywhere off the South Island or out of the area.

Thanks!

Chris L

I toured the South Island in 2006. Around Dunedin your best riding options appear to be the Otago Peninsula to the East (hilly, but some really spectacular scenery and no shortage of quiet roads to explore). You could really go some spectacular places with an MTB there. You can ride the catlins coast to the South, again, very pretty, much flatter than the peninsula, but also exposed to some serious weather changes. It would probably have some potential for some weekend touring.

You could jump on a train to Middlemarch (or ride there) and ride the Central Otago railtrail. I did the section closer to Cromwell, and the gorge scenery was a worthwhile experience in and of itself. To the North you can ride out of the city on the "old highway" over Mt Cargill, and there is a world of riding on the north side of that. Some of the coastal riding in that area rivals anything else the South Island offers. Also check in with the local bike shops when you arrive to find out about other local routes. They're very helpful.

Finally, have a look at some of the coach services when you get a spare couple of days and want to explore other parts of the South Island. At least one coach company over there caters for cyclists and it's a worthwhile opportunity to explore a little more of what I consider to be the greatest riding on Earth.

Johnny_Monkey

Queenstown and Arrowtown are worth a visit. It would be quite a pleasant ride to Glenorchy from Queenstown. The road from Wanaka to Queenstown (through Cardrona) is supposed to be good as well but I'm not sure if it's all sealed.

Chris L

It was fully sealed when I went through two years ago.

Thisisit

Great, some good information!
I only ride road bikes(currently), and commute on a fixed gear so I'd probably be taking my road bike in some sort of travel case. I have also considered not taking a bike and buying a new one while I'm there since I may be in the market for a higher end road bike at the time, and the strong conversion to the New Zealand dollar.

Look like it should be an amazing time.

Thanks a lot!

bigtruck

I lived thirty plus years just south of Dunedin ( I am a kiwi )

Even though the NZ dollar is strong the bike selection is not a good as North America and I would still think
it would be cheaper to take your bike with you.

As said above there is some stunning scenery in and around the area.

The Velodrome is in Invercargill about 220 Kms south its only two or three years old and is the only indoor
Velodrome in New Zealand, Dunedin may have a outdoor one but I cannot think of it.

New Zealand drivers are worst than anywhere when approaching cylists , I can assure you so you do have to be wary of cars etc as some of the roads have no shoulders etc,

Lots of hills for climbing if you want or plenty of flat riding also

If there is anything else I can help you with send me a PM only to happy to help



PS , I hope you like Rugby & Cricket as its a sports Mad town/city

aby.lute

Hey! Are you planning to be at Otago Spring 2009? I am also going to Otago, this spring. I am trying to figure out whether to send my roadbike or buy one there. Either way I think it is going to be really expensive. Does anyone know of a good bike shop in Dunedin?

Thisisit

I'll only be here in Dunedin until February 20th, I'm currently doing the summer session at the university. After that I'm doing a bus tour with the group of students I came with, then doing some cyclo-touring on the north island.

The only shop I've really checked out is Cycle Surgery. Nice selection of bikes, different from what I see at home and very helpful staff. Their website is pretty close to instore selection if you want to check that out, https://www.cyclesurgery.co.nz/index....f42753f890fbb3 . I ended up buying a hard-case bike box and bringing my touring bike with me. Departing from Canada I had to pay $50 extra, and on my flight from Auckland through Wellington to Dunedin I had to pay an extra $30 to Air New Zealand, so keep that in mind I guess.

For anyone in the area, I'd love to do some rides with locals. I'm not the climber I'd like to be (since the biggest climb in my area is around 80 meters, but I'm doing my best. Had some amazing rides so far in my week and a half, Central Rail Trail weekend, and a few rides around the penninsula.