Tour of Otago, Stage 1 (Clutha River valley)
The Clutha River (Maori: Mata-Au) is the second longest river in New Zealand and the longest in the South Island. It flows south-southeast 338 kilometres through Central and South Otago from Lake Wanaka in the Southern Alps to the Pacific Ocean. It is the highest volume river in New Zealand, it is known for its scenery, gold-rush history, and swift turquoise waters. The spelling of the Maori part of the name is likely to be updated to Matau, while the river takes the English component of its name from Cluaidh, the Scots Gaelic name for the River Clyde in Scotland which runs through Glasgow. During New Zealand’s early colonial history it was officially known as the Molyneux from below the junction with the Kawarau River at Cromwell, that name given to it by Captain Cook.
Region: Otago
City:
Distance: 21.26 km
Elevation Gain: 553 m
Elevation Loss: 273 m
Difficulty: 395 (Moderate)
FIETS Index: 0.43 FIETS
Avg Grade: 1.46 %
Max cat climb: 3
Min elevation: 103 m
Max elevation: 395 m
Ride Category: Hilly