Visitors can’t get enough of Central’s cycle trails
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here’s no doubt the magnificent scenery and world acclaimed Pinot Noir are a draw-card for tourists and holidaymakers but increasingly, it’s Central Otago’s cycle trails described as some of the best in the world, swelling the visitor numbers these days. Central’s Destination Development Manager Antz Longman says it’s the cycle trails they hang their hat on. He says one of the newest, the Lake Dunstan Cycleway which opened a year ago was predicted to draw about seven and a half thousand visitors a year but in the first 12 months around 80 thousand people have cycled the trail.
Not for Amateurs “Cycling is a year-round attraction and the Dunstan track is a big catalyst for those wanting a shorter oneday experience,” Antz says. Graded at two to three, the 55 km trail links the towns of Clyde and Cromwell, running alongside Lake Dunstan, the Kawarau River and the Clutha, Mata-au. There's a midway fuel stop at a unique floating coffee cart which has now been joined by Burger Afloat, a popular floating burger joint. So popular, Antz Longman says some Cromwell locals actually bike out there simply for their coffee or burger fix.
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