Central Otago Rail Trail

Just outside Alexandra we had a first okay2stay' experience. We stayed on John's premise of his Como Villa winery. He was expecting to wake up at three to protect his baby grapes by spraying water and freezing them in. We understood we would have to get ready for another cold (freezing) night. Apart from some electricity for the heating, we also choose a bottle of his good wine to face the cold. Pierre bought it after some wine tasting. He has a little museum aka tasting room. The ideal place and time (bedtime) to ask the kids to keep quiet,  don't touch anything and wait for mum and dad to be ready with tasting the pinot ;-) in one of the world's most southern wine regions.

The next day, carefully picked out as the sunshine day of the week, we had made the reservation with the lovely and well organised people from shebikeshebikes to 'taste' a small portion of the great Central Otago Rail Trail. This 150km trail follows the trackbed of the former Otago Central Branch railway line and, quoting the rough guide, "includes modified Rail bridges and viaducts, beautiful valleys and long agricultural plains."

So we did the 30km round trip to the Poolburn Gorge and had a great day. First sunny day, first full day outside! This is what I expected and I enjoyed! Amélie played the little motor to Pierre s bike, complaining with humor that it is the world upside down that a five years old had to push her dad on a bike...
I had mat and bill behind me in a kind of croozer  (with luckily an extra seat for the inevitable eye-grabbing and arm biting twinmoments). Carrying the 40/50 extra kg of kids, was making me by times philosophycal about why women get the heavy tasks in life (because we are stronger than men, says Amélie) and by times just simply regretting a little electrical motor to the bike. It didn't help that, returning the bike at the shop, the lady said they had a brand new electrical bakfiets in the office ....