We spent three nights in a small town called Ophir, estimated population 50. Not joking. Why Ophir? Largely because our hosts’ friend was kind enough to let us stay in her historic cottage because she is away for extended periods. Who are we to say “no” to free lodging in a place that is one of the country’s most authentic and significant settlements from its gold mining days?
The town sprouted quickly and became a commercial center, and just as quickly petered out. Its 31 historic buildings are preserved, including Heather’s property, known as Elm Cottage, which dates back to early mining days, and which also has a stone barn that was owned by two brothers who built horse-drawn cottages. Fascinating, right? Our favorite town feature was the Daniel O’Connell Bridge, built in 1880 of wood and rebuilt with steel in 1905.
We used Ophir as a base to explore the area’s gold mining history and vineyards. We ventured out to St Bathans, another gold mining settlement to hike around Blue Lake and see the historic Vulcan Hotel, established in 1869, and a great place for refreshment after a hike.
We also explored the larger towns of Clyde and Alexandra. It was great to celebrate Adam’s 56th birthday with dinner at The Old Clyde Bank, now a restaurant. We visited several local wineries, nearly all of which are so small that their “tasting rooms” consisted of the viticulturalists’ back porch, the kitchen/great room, or a small basement lounge room. It was very different from the more commercial wineries in Blenheim. Adam’s favorite was Judge Rock, likely due to the vineyard and wine names. Our favorite was RuRu, operated by two Dutch immigrants who were super friendly. One slick commercial winery had just opened, Monte Christo Winery, which has historic roots and terrific wines, but the contrast with the smaller operators was night and day. Hopefully it won’t change the wine experience in this area.
We rented mountain bikes and rode the riverside trail between Clyde and Alexandra before continuing on to do part of the Roxburgh Gorge Trail, ultimately circling back along parts of the Otago Central Rail Trail. We rode 40+ kilometers. While Adam and I had e-bikes, Jeff went old school. He was only sorry during the last 8 kilometers or so. It was a beautiful ride.
As you can see, at one point we had to dismount and walk the bikes due to the narrow and steep nature of that part of the trail. Quite the adventure.
Alexandra has a unique feature – a clock up on a hill, which presented another hiking opportunity. But first, to get to the base of the hill where the clock is, you have to cross the Shakey Bridge (yes, that it literally its name).
This entire area was new to us and we had fun exploring, especially with the good weather.
One more adventure with Adam to come,
Shana & Jeff
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