After more than a decade, the Roxburgh Gorge Trail is set to be completed.

In a statement released on Monday, the Southern Lakes Trails announced construction on the missing section of the Roxburgh Gorge Trail will commence later this year following the successful negotiation of a trail alignment agreement that had been years in the making.

The significant milestone was the result of three years of work between Roxburgh Gorge Trail Trust secretary Dr Barrie Wills, Southern Lakes Trails chief executive Janeen Wood and James Russell of Gorge Creek Station, as well as with Members of Parliament, Land

Information New Zealand (LINZ), and the Department of Conservation (DoC), to navigate past challenges and secure a positive outcome.

James said “Once we removed the clowns, the bullies, and well-intentioned people who didn’t fully understand the implications, all it took was the right people working together towards balanced solutions.”

Barrie has been involved in the trail project since its inception and has walked the land many times. Together with James, he identified an alignment which will provide a stunning and enjoyable ride through the gorge’s rugged terrain.

“After more than a decade of patiently working on maintaining the existing trail and planning to complete 'the Gap', it is gratifying to be working with the landowners to get that last 13kms constructed, ‘’ Barrie said.

“Much of it will be on the original alignment, passing interesting heritage spots and withmagnificent views across Lake Roxburgh/Clutha Mata-au River, including where the old 14 Mile electric dredge once operated. 

‘’Roxburgh Gorge trail has always had brilliant feedback from cyclists and walkers, the landscape, flora and fauna is special and we look forward to providing decades more of this great Central Otago experience to all”.

The Roxburgh Gorge Trail originally opened in 2013 with only the two end sections from Alexandra to Doctors Point and from Roxburgh Dam to Shingle Creek completed. The missing section has been bridged by Clutha River Cruises, which has provided a unique jet boat transfer for trail users. 

Once completed, the Roxburgh Gorge Trail will span 34 kilometres, providing a seamless link in the broader vision of a continuous cycling network from Queenstown to Waihola/Dunedin. The full network is planned to extend 280 kilometres to Waihola.

Janeen expressed her thanks to all who have given their support to this project, specifically the Miller family who farm the neighbouring property through which the trail traverses to complete the connection to Shingle Creek.

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