Starting route 04 with a full tank of fuel from the Mobil fuel station in Omarama and heading west, you are instantly on the Lindis Pass Alpine Highway.
The dramatic Lindis Pass links the Mackenzie Basin with Central Otago. The actual pass crosses a saddle between the valleys of the Lindis and Ahuriri Rivers at an altitude of 971 metres above sea level. For many months of the year, you can expect to see snow in this mountainous area - often down to the roadside. Adjacent to the highway is the Lindis Conservation Area, here snow tussock grassland dominates the landscape.
The pass is the highest point on the South Island's state highway network, and the second highest point on the New Zealand state highway network, after the Desert Road (SH 1) in the Central North Island. Just before the summit is a lookout point that offers great views of the road that has snaked its way through the pass.
The Lindis Pass is one of the most beautiful roads in the whole of New Zealand, so enjoy it while you're here.
Leaving the summit, you'll pick up the the Lindis River as you both make your way to the Clutha River.
The Clutha River or Mata-Au in Maori is the second longest river in New Zealand and the longest in the South Island. The Clutha River is known for its scenery, gold-rush history, and swift turquoise waters. The damming of the river at Clyde for hydroelectric power and to provide water for irrigation for nearby stone fruit orchards and vineyards has swollen the section of river that you first encounter into Lake Dunstan. You'll follow the sparkling water of the lake and river for the next 47 kms.
You can cross over the river/lake and head into Cromwell by using Deadman's Point Bridge.
Deadman's Point holds a unique place in the history of the Clutha River, and of the Lowburn / Cromwell area. Here, the full force of the river suddenly converged into a narrow chasm at the beginning of the infamous Cromwell 'Gap'. Here, the first bridge spanned the river, and here countless gold-miners crossed and re-crossed en-route to their diggings, witnessing raging floods, and occasionally death in the vortexing waters of the 'Point'. Today, the 'new' Deadman's Point Bridge stands high above the flooded 'Point', and few people who drive over it realise the significance of either the name, or the location.
There are shops and cafes in Cromwell but I have suggested a coffee stop a few kms further on at Clyde.
Just after Deadman's Point Bridge is a lookout known as Bruce Jackson Lookout. This has great views over Lake Dunstan and where the Clutha and Kawarau Rivers meet. Info boards relay the history of the area and some ruins from the flooding of Old Cromwell Town can bee seen from the lookout.
A little further on is the Goldfields Monument Lookout, another great place to view of the Clutha as it makes its way along the Cromwell Gap (Gorge). The name Clutha is taken from the Gaelic for Clyde after a mighty river in Scotland. There was a large influx of Scottish immigrants to South Island in the mid 1800s and many got the gold fever and ended up in these goldfields and left their mark.
A shining example is the colonial town of Clyde. After stopping for a picture at Clyde Dam, the historic town of Clyde is next, with superb examples of colonial architecture built with schist stone from the surrounding hills and valleys. Little changed from the 1860''s when gold was first discovered in the mighty Molyneux river (now named Clutha), this caused 10,000 miners to pour into this wild unknown country. When the gold was gone many of these miners turned back to their trades leaving us a legacy that no amount of re-construction or re-creation can replace.
Today a walk through Clyde takes you past timeless cottages, hotels, churches and the post office from an era when as the gold town, Dunstan, Clyde dominated the district. A visit to the Vincent County and Dunstan Goldfields Museum and the museum extension will satisfy all those in search of the history of the area and its buildings with the fascinating stories of the goldfield pioneers. I have suggested a coffee stop here so enjoy the history.
Leaving Clyde you cross over the Clutha using the Earnscleugh Bridge. A single carriageway, through truss bridge with stone piers and abutments. The piers and abutments date from the first bridge across the Clutha River at Clyde, built in 1874. The bridge was originally a suspension bridge but floods twice destroyed the suspension structure.
You cross back over the Clutha again a few kms further on at Alexandra using the New Alexandra Bridge.
The new bridge is situated adjacent and just upstream of the old bridge. It is a steel truss arch bridge opened on 5 July 1958 and cost £261,000. It was built to replace the old bridge. The old bridge was a single lane, which was insufficient to handle the increasing amount of traffic. The piers of the old bridge are clearly visible and there's a good place to take a photo on the other side.
Alexandra and Clyde owe their settlement to the discovery of gold from the Clutha River by the two prospectors, Horatio Hartley and Christopher Reilly in 1862. The goldfields monument in the Cromwell Gorge commemorated their spectacular find which precipitated the Dunstan Goldrush and enticed thousands of miners into the area. At one point the population of Clyde rose to 4 000, when it was known as The Dunstan. It's population is now around 880.
Clyde was initially established as the administrative centre of the Dunstan Goldfields, so much so that for many years Alexandra was bypassed even by the coach route which, on the Clyde/Roxburgh run, ran through the Earnscleugh/Conroys Gully on the far side of the Clutha River.
To overcome this, Alexandra's first Borough Council made strenuous efforts to have the Clutha bridged at Alexandra to replace the expensive, erratic and often dangerous punt. Great was the jubilation when the first bridge opened in 1882. The very first method of crossing the river was a packing case on a cable.
I've suggested a fuel stop here as fuel stations are thin on the ground.
You'll be heading in a northeasterly direction now, running up the southern side of the Dunstan Mountain Range before turning off for another historic town called Ophir. To reach the town, you'll cross over the Manuherikia River using the timber decked Ophir suspension bridge. Constructed between 1879 and 1880, this attractive structure is a characteristic example of Central Otago suspension bridges with schist masonry towers. As was the case elsewhere in the region, gold was the reason many people originally came to Ophir, a town initially called Blacks. Even when the gold industry began declining in the 1870s there was a relatively sizeable population in the Ophir district, and it was a key commercial and communication centre. As such, local people campaigned hard for a bridge to be built over the potentially hazardous Manuherikia River from the time the Vincent County Council was established.
Ophir was founded in 1863 and grew to become the biggest town in the Manuherikia Valley during the gold rush days, until the railway bypassed it.
Today, this small town is rich in historical buildings, including New Zealand’s oldest post office, and is a popular stopover for travellers on the Otago gold trail.
A quick blast on the straight road through the Ida Valley brings you to Ranfurly where I have suggested a lunch stop.
Ranfurly was established in 1898 as a railhead for the Central Otago railway line. At the time, the neighbouring gold rush town of Naseby was the main centre of Maniototo, but because the railway bypassed Naseby, Ranfurly gradually took over as the administrative and economic centre of the area.
In the early 1930s Ranfurly's increased status, coupled with several suspicious building fires, created a demand for a large number of new buildings. Art Deco was the architectural style of the time, and before too long Ranfurly was smartly outfitted with jazz-age buildings. This trend wasn't short-lived, because the local architect and builder continued to build Art Deco houses long after the fashion had faded.
After lunch it's all about the riding, you've seen breathtaking landscapes and historic sites, now it's time to enjoy the ride.
As you turn off of SH85 onto SH87, it's almost as if the next 80 kms have been designed for motorcycles to have fun. The SH87 travels through a superb open landscape with fast bends, arrow straight sections and some twistys thrown in, it's there for you to enjoy.
The route leaves the SH87 to use the George King Memorial Drive. A tight, narrow and twisty section of this road is used by NZ Motorsport as a hillclimb track, normally in March. You can avoid this 30 minute detour by remaining on the SH87 and picking up the route again at the Taieri River and follow it to the end of the route at a McDonald's in Dunedin.

Known as the Edinburgh of New Zealand, Dunedin wears its Scottish heritage with pride. Surrounded by dramatic hills and at the foot of a long, picturesque harbour, Dunedin is one of the best-preserved Victorian and Edwardian cities in the Southern Hemisphere. There is so much to see and do in Dunedin from the heritage buildings to the rare wildlife to the spectacular landscapes. Drive up the Otago Peninsula where the views are endless, and the beaches are beautifully rugged.
On Dunedin’s doorstep, you will also find incredible wildlife including the world’s rarest penguin colonies. On the beaches, you will find the fur seals and sea lions just lazing around and enjoying their natural habitat.
You may want to stay for a couple of nights to take it all in.
Accommodation in Dunedin ranges from elegant, Victorian-building hotels to cosy backpacker dorms to world-class luxury hotels. I have suggested a few in the links below, enjoy your stay.