Frankton to Gibbston - 24 January 2021

 

Chard Farm Vineyard

After a coffee and pastry treat at the nearby Boulangerie we decided to ride the Queenstown Trail to the Gibbston Valley.  The ride is classified as a Grade 2 to Grade 3 with a couple of rather steep hills to climb making it Grade 3.

 

On the Old Shotover Bridge

Looking up the Shotover

Shotover Delta

The ride took us from the Kawarau Falls to the Old Shotover Bridge.  It was lovely ride along the river bank which was well used by walkers and cyclists (of all ages). There was a bit of a climb onto the old bridge and then we stopped for a little while to admire the views .  Next it was on what they call the Twin Rivers Trail which would take us to Gibbston.  The first hill was quite steep and I found I had to stop once as I ran out of steam.  It was seriously irritating.  However the climb was relatively short and I was soon at the top.  Of course Bev cycled up it seemingly effortlessly.  The views along the Kawarau River were superb.  Then it was down a few switchbacks for a nice ride on slightly flatter terrain.

First significant climb

The next hill was a beaut.  It is called Thompsons Hill.  I really struggled up the first quarter of the hill stopping twice until I caught my breath and was able to then complete the rest of the hill.  Bev again showed her climbing prowess.  It was a nice ride down the hill although the wind was quite strong and one had to compensate for that. 

Almost my nemesis

We then turned toward Gibbston.  The track was relatively flat.  There is a rather amazing suspension bridge that goes over the Arrow River and is about 80m above the river.  The wind was blowing so hard that you could see the bridge moving.  However, Bev rode across it with only one minor scare.  A couple came along at the same time and he managed to lose his cap (not helmet) and his girlfriend (who was clearly doing the ride under sufferance) walked her bike across.  I did too but because I wanted to take some photos.  (Remarkably the girl’s partner managed to climb down a steep descent and retrieve his cap!)

 

The Swing Bridge that swung

Riding the Bridge

The track was relatively narrow as it skirted some bluffs until we came to the Kawarau Gorge Bridge from which people were bungy jumping.  We stopped to watch the crazy people leaping off the bridge.  Not something I would want to do – watching was enough of an adrenalin hit for us.  And of course for that price one would have several good bottles of Central Otago Pinot Noir!

Kawarau Bridge

Looking toward Gibbston along the Gorge

Our next stop was for a coffee at Gibbston Valley Winery.  It is a place that is really a tourist trap with the wines as the attraction.  It is not somewhere I would go again.  We then rode the next few kilometres to Peregrine Wines where we tasted several of their wines, which were very nice, managing to squeeze one or two purchases into our bike bags. 

Old woolshed Peregrine wines

We had arranged to meet our transport back to Queenstown at the Gibbston Tavern but there was a notice saying that the track was only suitable for those who were capable of Grade 5 tracks. As we were not at that level, we backtracked to Peregrine where we had noticed a couple of cycle vans.  We learned later that the  track to the tavern was close by and would have been fine but that there was a loop that is really only suitable for walkers (so we were told by an experienced mountain biker). 

 

It was an interesting ride and I would happily do it again now that I know what it entails although  I must say an e-bike for going up the hills would be very nice.

 

Distance covered 32km - Cycling time 2h 17mins

 

A bit of a goat track

Deer being nosey

Looking down the Kawarau River toward Frankton