My partner and I cycled the Central Otago Railtrail with "Off the Rails" in April 2011. We were very fortunate to have beautiful, if frosty, weather! The trail itself is a great experience, passing through superb scenery and very well integrated with the history of the area. I can throughly recommend Off the Rails as a service which makes it all easy by arranging pick up at the start, bikes, lunch/dinner stops, transport and accommodation. Their service is very friendly, thoughtful and attentive; the accommodation (we stayed in the cottage in Ranfurly) is of a very high standard. The options of visits to local attractions and places of interest (eg curling in Naseby) reflect the emphasis that "Off the Rails" put on delivering a great Central Otago experience.

Spectacular scenery, lovely staff, wonderful experience to travel 150 km on bikes.
Trail needs rehab in areas, bikes disappointing but adequate.(I should have done more research).The reason I went with a company was to assist with a breakdown as I was on my own. Although I have had considerable long distance biking experience I'm not a confident mechanic. Could have probably got help from fellow travellers if needed. Didn't need any assistance in the end but this was not what I expected.
For those with biking experience who enjoy planning a trip a more independent trip would be very easy. Really enjoyed informative and delightful staff.

All credit to bot Johns , Joan(s) and Sam for the superb service they offered during our trip. As employees they couldn't do better and the company should be proud of them and the way they provide insightful, patient knowledge to people on this trip. Friendly, supportive, good sense of humour, "nothing was a problem" attitude was well received by us at the end of a long day in the saddle. Accommodation not quite what we were expecting-comfortable but basic-think we even encountered the hopsital ghost one night!
Trail itself is demanding-hills not really steep-they were designed for trains but the uphill slogs on gravel surfaces do take effort and concentraion. The long boring straights on Day 2 (just before lunch and the big trek up hill )were not inspiring or motivating. Glorious weather and tail winds added to the superb scenery on view. A range of ages and fitness levels on our trip but John met all needs with his cheerful, caring attitude.
Think going from Queenstown to Dunedin is the way to do this trail-the winds were definetly in our favour!

Once you get over the pain in you backside from the cycling you will look back at this adventure with fond memories. 150km of cycling through scenic Central Otago on old Railway roads. Make sure you get some practice in first (it helps with the bum pain) I didn't and I really struggled some days. But your fitness doesn't need to be amazing to do this.

We did it as a package (the nice easy way). The bikes provided were good, but we should have asked for the Gel seat covers on the first day. And leave you shocks on, it may use up more energy but it will save you bum and joints a world or hurt.

We went at a snails pace and took around 7.5hours on our longest day (taking lots of breaks and a long lunch). Food on the trail is surprisingly good. Upmarket pub style. Beware that the track can get both very hot and very cold (pack for both)

Our guide John Livido was incredable, an old Farmer who has lived in these parts for ever, and knows every bit of country side and its best stories, showed us an incredable time. Make sure you go Curling in Nasby (a real highlight). He checked up on us throughout our days on the track and fixed any punctures (which was very reasurrung as we had no idea how to fix them). He really made the tour for me (to be honest some of the biking I could have lived without).

We stayed at a cute cottage with 2 others. Good beds and nice not to need to pack up each morning. Joan the house mother baked cake for us to take for morning tea and made us very welcome. Plus the other Joan (John's wife) gave me some homemade cake she had that was dairy free as a treat. Southern Hospitality is a real treat!