Roxburgh to Paerau via Lake Onslow

For a large part of this route there's not much in sight that grows any higher than the top of your riding boots with the exception of a few stunted pine trees at the side of Lake Onslow, no doubt planted in the hope that they'd provide a little shelter in this otherwise very exposed countryside.  At the Paerau end of the ride you pass through  paddocks littered with standing rocks. Most unusual country.

Click here to link to the route map in Google Maps

This is one of several rides that converge on Paerau (also known as Styx, or The Styx) in the Maniototo. If you start from Roxburgh you can  choose at Paerau to turn right and head along the Old Dunstan Road to Clarks Junction and Middlemarch, turn left and and follow the Old Dunstan Road to Galloway and Alexandra, or continue ahead up the valley to Ranfurly and Naseby.  And from Naseby you can head north on a series of gravel road rides that take you on to Albury in South Canterbury.  A gravel road rider's paradise.

This 76km ride runs across very exposed, open country. It's closed during the winter, and is has several sections that become puggy and difficult following wet weather at any time of year. There is very little in the way of help available along the route, little traffic, and cell phone coverage shouldn't be counted on, so take care.  Having said that, it's one of the highlights of our 80,000 km of motorcycling around New Zealand, and we made the journey in April 2009 with no problems at all, in spite of it having snowed in the area the week before.  A check with the locals before you set out would be worthwhile.

From the Roxburgh end you climb up from Roxburgh East to the plateau, (light green route on the map) or if you prefer head further down the valley and approach the route from Millers Flat (darker green section on the map). Either way you end up on a plateau above Roxburgh with views of the Old Man Range to the west, and rolling open land to the north-east towards Lake Onslow.

The landscape features open, rolling ridges and shallow valleys.

The road surface was mostly well-formed tracks on hard clay, and easy riding.

There are however, sections where the clay becomes soft and puggy, in places for the full width of the roadway, and care is needed. In places the pug has dried leaving a hard rutted surface - all good challenges for the gravel-road rider.

This is the only photo we have that shows the pug - it's an insignificant example but you'll get the idea. Imagine it across most of the road, and extending 20 or 30 metres along the road. We were riding adventure bikes (Suzuki DL650 V-Strom and Kawasaki KLE 500) and had no problems at all, but I think we were fortunate with our timing.

Lake Onslow is a bleak place.  There are a few cribs / batches  near the side of the lake, and no other amenities.

We spotted a  fisherman on a boat out in the lake. Bleak place.

The road from Lake Onslow to Paerau continues in the same open, wind-swept country until you begin the descent down towards Paerau.  Here the landscape is littered with large rocks standing  in the paddocks.

The road winds down to the flats, then continues on to Paerau on some of the best gravel roads we've ever ridden - wide, smooth surface, and with little loose stone.

This a trip like no other. If you strike suitable weather and road conditions you'll see landscapes we've not seen anywhere else in New Zealand.

Old Dunstan Road Alexandra to Paerau

We have very few photographs of this trip, and Google Maps is very uncooperative as far as showing the route is concerned, possibly because it's a pretty marginal road in places, and is closed for a good part of the year. But it's a great, if challenging, ride, and forms one leg of the trio of rides in the Maniototo through very exposed and scenic countryside.

We made this trip on October 2007.

Click here for a link to a route map I created by telling Google Maps I was planning to walk the route rather than go by car!  And then Google refused to let me save the route to My Maps, so I had to settle for a screen shot.  Click on the map below to see a larger version.

To re-create the route in Google Maps choose Alexandra, Central Otago, as your start point, choose the option to show the walking route,  and choose Paeroa as the destination. And then one more step: drag the route so it follows the Old Dunstan Road as far as it's shown on the map.  That should do the trick.

We navigated this route using my now rather dated Navman ICN520 which knows its way across this country just fine.  It was very handy when we came to un-signposted intersections, unfailingly pointing us in the right direction for the next leg of the journey.

There are lots of gates to open and shut.

The road surface varies considerably. In places there's good hard flat clay, and easy riding. In other places you ride over exposed rock slabs, or boggy water sodden pug, often in small patches. The side of the road can be deceptive - what looks like firmer ground can be a dry surface over wet mud.  IN some places we were reduced to less than walking speed - allow plenty of time.

The weather can change quickly on these exposed hills. In summer it can be scorchingly hot, and at other times it can be bitterly cold. I imagine a heavy rain would make parts of the road very slippery.  We were fortunate that the road was relatively dry when we made the journey.

This ride can be combined with one of the other Maniototo Rides to start (or end) at Roxburgh via Lake Onslow, Clarks Junction via the Great Moss Swamp, or Ranfurly via Patearoa.

Skippers Road to The Branches

A spectacular 70km return journey into the heart of early Central Otago gold-rush country.

The ride starts at the junction of Arthurs Point Road, Malaghans Road and the Coronet Peak Road and twists and winds through the Skippers' Canyon and alongside the historic Shotover River to the Skippers settlement and on to the end of the public road at The Branches. Most rental car companies won't allow their cars to go on this road.

We rode this route in fine weather in April 2009.

Click here for the route map in Google Maps.

The first section of the ride is a 4.5 km climb up the sealed Coronet Peak Road to the intersection with the Skippers Road.  From this point on the road is unsealed, and in many places narrow and winding with blind corners.

The surface on this part of the road is sound, but there are several blind corners. Slow and careful riding is the order of the day.

Once you're over the hill, so to speak, there are plenty of interesting historic spots to check out as you work your way up the valley.  Much of the road is good easy riding, but in places there are steep banks on either side of the road ...

... places where the river and road compete for space ...

... and a few fords to negotiate ...

On the other hand, there are very picturesque stretches of road ...

... stunning views ...

... and buildings from days long gone.

About 18km from the start of the ride there's a turn off to the left to The Skippers Bridge, Skippers Point, and the Mount Aurum Conservation Area where there are several historic buildings and a nice safe spot to park the bikes and stretch the legs.  There's a parking area at the end of the road, and a track from there further on to the old buildings. Several of the buildings are open to the public and have interesting historic displays.  Well worth visiting.

The road continues another 15 or so kilometres to the The Branches Station where the public road ends.  The Station gates are just beyond the green paddock in the picture below (click on the picture for a larger image) ...

The road apparently continues on private property through The Branches Station.  We stopped at the gates to The Branches Station, but would be tempted if we were to make this trip again to check out the possibility of continuing on further up the valley.

There's some challenging riding on this trip - some narrow sections with no guard rails and steep banks falling away to the valley below, lots of corners that need careful negotiation, and places where the road surface is muddy and slippery.

But it's a beautiful ride, one of the best days motorcycling we've had. Well worth the effort.