Experience Central Otago

Cost $3,150 per couple

Arrive at Queenstown for the start of your “Central Otago Experience”.

Day 1.

In the morning you’ll be collected by Southern Lakes Spectrum and taken on a tour of selected wineries in the Bannockburn and Earnscleugh sub-regions of Central Otago. You will also visit The Big Picture, an award winning experience that includes an Aroma Room, an Interactive Wine Film and Tasting.

Please refer to Wine on the list of Activities for more information.

After a busy day of wine tasting you’ll be able to relax at your heritage accommodation in Clyde.

Day 2.

Today, after breakfast you will travel through the Manuherikia Valley and past the Ida Valley to Naseby. In the afternoon you’ve got the chance to qualify for the next Winter Olympics by spending time on the ice at the Maniototo Indoor Curling Rink, the only Olympic size facility in the Southern Hemisphere. Experience the historic Scottish game of curling first played outdoors in the mid 1800s by the goldminers on the dams and natural ponds of the Maniototo.

Please refer to Curling on the list of Activities for more information.

Afterwards, you can enjoy the hospitality and dinner offered by The Old Doctor’s Residence.

Day 3.

You’ll need a special breakfast today because it’s time to spend a day cycling a part of the popular Otago Central Rail Trail. The most spectacular section of the 150km ride is the 23km between Lauder and Oturehua or vice versa depending on the wind. From Lauder you cross the Manuherikia River on the trail’s longest bridge, pass through tunnels cut through the schist bluffs of the Raggedy Range and over the 37m high Poolburn Viaduct. There is spectacular gorge scenery and views of both the Manuherikia and Ida Valleys. And you may spot the rare New Zealand falcon here too. Then, just before you arrive at Oturehua you’ll pass the famous Idaburn dam where curling’s Annual Bonspiel is held…ice permitting. You can stop at Oturehua, or if you’re still feeling energetic, it’s only another 11km to Wedderburn.

Please refer to Rail Trail on the list of Activities for more information.

Tonight we suggest you have dinner at one of the two historic Naseby pubs, The Royal or The Ancient Briton.

Day 4.

After yesterday’s physical activity, today you can relax and be driven on a spectacular 4 wheel drive safari. Experience the magic of the Maniototo’s big sky and the rugged broad tussock-covered high country. You will visit the historic goldfields at Naseby, Mt Buster and St Bathans where the sluicing for gold formed a moon-like landscape and a cavernous hole which flooded to become the Blue Lake. The old main street that bustled with hundreds of diggers still boasts theVulcan, an old goldmining pub, Post Office, Gold Office and Public Hall.

Please refer to 4 Wheel Drive on the Activities for more information.

Back at The Old Doctor’s Residence you will enjoy a pre-dinner wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres followed by dinner in the formal lounge.

Day 5.

Today after breakfast, take a stroll around historic Naseby. There are a large number of fine old buildings to see including the grand Post Office which is one of only 3 buildings in the town with 2 storeys and the only one built of red brick, the Athenaeum, Masonic Hall, Courthouse, County Council Offices, the churches, and of course the two pubs. Surrounding the domain are a number of 100 year old trees which are said to represent the various nationalities of the miners who worked on the Naseby goldfield. The monuments and headstones on the graves at the Naseby cemetery make interesting reading and tell of the rich history of the town. In the afternoon you’ll travel to Middlemarch for the last part of your Central Otago Experience, a train journey of 77km over wrought iron viaducts and through the tunnels of the rugged, spectacular Taieri Gorge to Dunedin.
The building of this section of The Otago Central Railway began at Wingatui in 1879, and after surmounting the engineering and construction difficulties the gorge presented, the railway line finally reached Middlemarch in 1891.
Take note of the magnificent Dunedin Railway Station, an architectural and visually superb masterpiece, for which the architect George Troup received the Institution of British Architect’s Award.

Please Note:

• Breakfasts, lunches, dinners and your transport from Day 1 are all included except for dinner on Day 5. Wine and other café visits are not included.
• The price quoted for Experience Central is for a couple travelling together and is an indication only as it will depend on the activities that you choose.
• We have good contacts in Queenstown and Dunedin and can arrange accommodation there for you if required. These accommodation arrangements are not included in the price quoted.