Back roads made in motorcycle heaven

Blue Lake in St Bathans is a highlight of the motorcycle trip. PHOTOS: SUPPLIED

Regardless of whether you ride a cruiser, adventure, classic or sports bike, this trip will take you from the ocean to the alps and will have you grinning from ear to ear all the way.

Before embarking on the wonderful motorcycling back roads of Central Otago, this route takes you off the beaten track straight away as you head south from Oamaru alongside the azure blue waters of Kakanui beach and the Pacific Ocean.

Oamaru, your starting point, is well worth exploring before you start your engine. The largest town of the Waitaki District, with a population of around just 14,000, gives you an idea of just how rural this region is.

This cute little town boasts a high street full of buildings with bright white limestone Victorian architecture, and an original heritage precinct where you can discover shops, galleries, craft breweries and distilleries.

Positioned perfectly between the two, an old Victorian grain warehouse is now the home to Steampunk HQ, an amazing and quite unique steampunk museum housing an eclectic array of weird and wonderful rusted art pieces, plus a tantalising light show.

For nature lovers, there are also two penguin colonies in Oamaru, and each night at dusk you can watch rafts of native little blue penguins coming ashore to roost.

Watch out for the penguins in Oamaru.

You could be forgiven for thinking that you had gone back in time some hundred years on this route. Heading inland, you enter a land of scenic beauty made up of big blue skies, ancient mountain ranges, fast-flowing rivers, and vast areas of sheep-filled farmlands and grasslands. By 1863, this area had become inundated with prospectors when gold was discovered.

As you explore this wonderful region, you’ll be able to see remains of days gone by in the form of historic villages, rusty old gold mining machinery, relics, and old sluicing sites. Gold mining in this region still exists today and you’ll be riding through New Zealand’s largest gold mine that has created a large landscape reminiscent of a moon-landing movie, situated around Macraes Flat. With multiple detours for exploration into Otago’s pioneering past, this fabulous ride finishes at Cromwell, your gateway to the glorious Southern Alps.

Start your engines!

Keeping away from the main State Highway 1 and following a few back roads, follow Beach Rd south of Oamaru. Beach Rd, as the name suggests, provides an absolute beachfront ride with the coast with its golden sandy beaches to your left and incredible views out to the Pacific Ocean. When you reach the seaside settlement of Kakanui, glide around to the right, following signs to All Day Bay and Dunedin. Follow Waianakarua Rd to rejoin State Highway 1.

Turning left on to State Highway 1, a ten-minute ride will bring you to Moeraki Boulders, a popular tourist attraction and a great place to stop and walk along the beach to view giant stone spheres which were exposed from the cliffside due to erosion. They now scatter the coastline and make an impressive sight at low tide. Kick down your stand and grab an ice cream at the cafe here overlooking the ocean.

Waves lap the Moeraki Boulders at Moeraki.

Leaving Moeraki Boulders, check out the detour via Horse Range Rd if you have the time.

Alternatively, follow the stunning east coast until you reach Palmerston, where you will turn right on to State Highway 85, following signs to Ranfurly.

Riding inland through rural farmland for the next 15km, cresting a hill and a sweeping bend, turn left on to Macraes Rd, following signs to Macraes Flat. The road begins to climb, with some fabulous curves looking out over the Otago vista. The undulations and long, sweeping bends, coupled with great visibility, mean you can open the throttle and enjoy riding this road safely at pace.

The landscape changes rapidly, from an untouched world to a huge earthmoving site plunging down some 200m into the huge opencast pit of OceanaGold, the largest modern-day gold mine in New Zealand. Further on at the township of Macraes you can learn more about the gold rush era, how it affected the area, and even book tours of the gold mine itself.

With the Lammermoor Ranges in the distance, continue along Hyde-Macraes Rd with a grin on your face, enjoying the serpentine arteries of the Otago back roads until meeting up with State Highway 87 at Hyde.

Head north on State Highway 87, weaving in and around the hills before reaching the comparatively flat landscape of Kyeburn and rejoining State Highway 85.

Jagged mountains dominate the Central Otago skyline.

The incomparable Maniototo region of Central Otago boasts the impressive Hawkdun and Mt Ida mountain ranges and vast open grassland plains.

Meaning "plains of blood" in te reo Māori, Maniototo refers to the flowing red tussock that once surrounded the area.

Arriving at Kyeburn, turn left following signs to Ranfurly.

There is a fuel station here if you need to topup and quaint art deco architecture lines the zigzagged main street. Further north along State Highway 85, the historic Wedderburn Tavern is a great place to kick down your stand for a bite to eat. Built in 1885, this tavern was a welcoming watering hole for coaches and travellers and has an interesting history if you have time to stop.

Staying on State Highway 85, enjoy several hours of non-stop biking bliss via continuous sweeps and bends, with scenic vistas wherever you look.

Check out the detour to St Bathans and Blue Lake or the Ida Valley if you have the time.

Passing through small towns of Lauder and Chatto Creek will take you through to Alexandra and into the stunning wine country of Central Otago. Turn on to State Highway8, following signs to Cromwell. Five-minutes ride further along, follow the sign to veer off into historic Clyde township to check out this stunning historical location and the engineering marvel of the hydro dam as you depart on your way to Cromwell.

Approaching your destination, the ride alongside the mighty Clutha River that flows through the gorge into Lake Dunstan is simply breathtaking. Depending on what time of year you’re riding, these surrounding, imposing ranges may be dusted or covered with snow as the altitude increases and you cross over the bridge into the beautiful town of Cromwell.

Why this is such a great ride

This route is off the main tourist drive around the South Island. Multiple back roads will keep you off the main route for much of the way, and these empty ribbon roads intertwine the Central Otago countryside.

Detour 1 — Horse Range Rd

An alternative shortcut to avoid State Highway1 is to turn off right, three minutes after Moeraki Boulders. Follow the sign to Trotters Gorge on Horse Range Rd. This is a 5km shortcut of narrow country lanes through Trotters Forge Scenic Reserve. This road has no road markings or safety barriers and should be navigated with caution.

Detour 2 — St Bathans

This detour makes for quite an adventure as you leave State Highway85 at Hills Creek and turn on to the St Bathans Loop Rd. Start off on a country lane through farmlands and over the Manuherikia River, until you reach the tiny historic gold-mining village of St Bathans. Park up at the Blue Lake carpark to explore this fascinating area with its historic constable’s cottage, post office, blacksmiths and bank.

The Vulcan Hotel and pub was first built during the gold rush era of 1869 for the prospectors and their families who settled here in the hope of finding a fortune. Boasting a rumour of being New Zealand’s most haunted hotel, with its very own ghost, "Rosie", why not check in to Room 1 and test your bravery with an overnight stay.

Across the road from the Vulcan is the man-made "Blue Lake". Around 1873, gold digging was prominent in Central Otago and by the early 1930s miners had created a pit so large it became dangerous for the townsfolk. The pit was abandoned and began to fill with water. Water filtered by the surrounding quartz stone cliffs and minerals gives the lake an ethereal blue colour.

Leaving St Bathans, continue in the same direction on St Bathans Loop Rd, but be aware you may encounter a few kilometres of hard, compacted, gravel road instead of tar seal.

Detour 3 — Ida Valley

Shortly after Wedderburn, turn left on to Ida Valle-Omakau Rd, following signs to Ida Valley and Hayes Engineering. Enjoy almost 40km of empty ribbon road that weaves and wends its way over the Ida Burn stream all the way to Omakau. If you are interested in engineering and pioneering feats of New Zealand, there are several stops along this route.

Gilchrist’s Store, at the tiny 1890s village of Oturehua, and Hayes Engineering Works & Homestead showcase an unchanged era that’s history that has been restored and well preserved.

Continue along this excellent road that must have been made in motorcycle heaven, with long sweeps and excellent vistas. When you approach the small village of Ophir, turn left on to Swindon St before Blacks Hotel. This small detour will bring you to Ophir Historic Bridge. This marvellous piece of engineering is just one of many beautiful suspension bridges that used to straddle Otago’s mighty rivers back in the late 1800s. Quite a few remain today, creating interesting tourist attractions.

The Ophir Suspension Bridge, however, is still fully operational and quite a magnificent sight with its four tall piers made of solid schist stone on each corner. Ride over this piece of history before rejoining State Highway85.

Worth a look

Biker-friendly stops.—

Moeraki Boulders Cafe: 7 Moeraki Boulders Rd, Hampden
Waipiata Hotel: 29 Main St, Waipiata
Wedderburn Tavern: Wedderburn-Becks Rd, Wedderburn