Imagine if Dunedin had a cycle trail so exciting, so dramatic and so compelling that people the world over would want to ride it. A world-class destination ride.
With dramatic drops, dark tunnels and towering viaducts the Taieri Gorge, from Hindon to Pukerangi, could be part of such a ride.
With scenery reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings with its craggy hills, rocky outcrops and steep river valleys, the trail takes you on a journey into wild and rugged beauty.
The trail itself has many secrets and stories to tell those who travel its winding paths.
To cap it all off this ride has a gentle gradient and wide corners making it accessible and rideable for the vast majority of people, especially with the advent of electric bikes.
The big bonus is the people of Dunedin could ride it free all year round.
The new Lake Dunstan Trail is a great example of the pulling power of a dramatic ride. Set amid a similar backdrop and having an exciting overhanging cycleway with dramatic drops, this trail is tracking at 62,000 visits by cyclists and pedestrians in its first nine months of operation.
The economic impact is estimated to be between $10million and $12million in its first year of operation. This, during a lockdown, and little visitation from Auckland and no international visitors.
Gone are the barriers of mobility issues, the need to be super fit, the fear of steep hills and headwinds. Here to stay is a whole new way to travel, so close to nature you can smell it, slow enough that you can stop and breathe it in and gentle enough that you do not wake up crippled with pain.
The Alps to Ocean Trail is 300km long and its economic benefit to the Waitaki and MacKenzie country region is more than $27million a year and climbing year on year. It has been named one of the top 50 destinations in the world.
With plans to link Queenstown to the Dunstan trail, the Queenstown to Dunedin Trail would be about 300km long and draw tens of thousands of cyclists across Central Otago to Dunedin, creating a similar economic benefits for the region, with Middlemarch being one of the biggest single beneficiaries.
The bonus for Dunedin is many would stay a minimum of one night and explore our beautiful Harbourside cycle ways, mountain biking trails and our many historic and wildlife attractions. Cyclists stay longer and spend more than your average tourist, at between $260 and $300 a day. Hypothetically, if the trails attracted 40,000 cyclists a year to Dunedin for one night, the minimum spend would be $10.4million or $20.8million for two-night stays.
Best of all, in creating a cycle trail we create a free asset for the people of Dunedin to explore and have adventures on. This is sustainable low carbon domestic tourism. This is also a product that increases people’s physical and mental wellbeing and connects them to nature and the outdoors.
Could we have two iconic attractions — Dunedin Railways excursion trains the Seasider/Taieri Gorge and a world-class cycle trail connecting to the Otago Central Rail Trail and a Coastal Ride that links to Oamaru?
We have some decisions to make on an asset that belongs to every Dunedin resident — the Taieri Gorge Railway.
We love our iconic train trip on the Taieri Gorge — which only goes as far as Hindon.
Could we build a cycle trail going up the river from Outram Glen to Hindon, then on the dramatic rail line from Hindon to Pukerangi then on to Middlemarch, linking to the Otago Central Rail Trail? A world-class cycle attraction that would bring economic gain and jobs to Dunedin and all the rural towns across Central Otago?
These are hard questions but they are the ones we have to consider as a city.
The world and the way people want to see the world is changing. We have to make good long-term decisions that will benefit our children, young people, families and individuals of all abilities, ages, cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds. Creating a city where people want to visit, study, work and play.
We need good data and information around economics and growing trends to help us make wise decisions about an amazing asset that belongs to the people of Dunedin.
