It was a smooth flight and a rough landing before I arrived at my hotel in Dunedin very early yesterday morning. After only a few hours sleep it was daylight so I got up and headed off looking for a Vodaphone store to get travel sims for my phone and iPad.

Mission accomplished it was back to the hotel, where I spent the best part of the day assembling the bike and attaching the bike bags.

The weather forecast has not been looking good. The north of the country has been swiped by the tail of Cyclone Debbie, and there has been heavy rain and flooding. The bad weather is expected to extend to the south today and heavy rain and strong winds are predicted.

So it was with some trepidation that I awoke this morning to the sound of the wind, and looked out the window at a wet world.

But by the time I had breakfast, packed, loaded and was ready to roll the rain had all but stopped and I reached the railway station still relatively dry.

The ornately tiled interior is a sight to behold.
 

 
 The trip through the upper gorge was stunning but it was difficult to photograph with light rain falling.

The train only runs to Pukerangi on week days, so I had a 20km ride to my overnight stop at Middlemarch - the official start of the Otago Central Rail Trail.

I set off in light rain and straight up a hill - paying my penance for sitting in the train all morning. But the hill was soon crested and the rain stopped. I rode through a strange landscape of eerie limestone outcrops, and with the wind gusting behind me reached Middlemarch by early afternoon. I'm staying at the Strath Taieri - a cheap and cheerful country pub, and after a warm shower I'm ready for a cold drink.