The 150km Otago Central Rail Trail, from Clyde to Middlemarch, opened 13 years ago and the trail trust recently appointed Clare Toia-Bailey, of Earnscleugh, in a part-time role, 20 hours a week, as facilitator.
Trail trustee Daphne Hull, of Alexandra, said the increasing popularity of the trail and a boost in the number of online inquiries were the catalyst for creating the role.
Mrs Hull stepped down as chairwoman of the trust in last October. She said responding to inquiries on the trail's website took her more than 20 hours a week and it was time to employ someone to take over that responsibility and take a broader role, looking at new ventures for the trail and ways to generate revenue to enhance the tourist attraction.
''I'm excited about the possibilities with this job and the challenges of working on what is regarded as an icon of Otago,'' Ms Toia-Bailey said.
''I feel very privileged to be working on it and sharing that with everyone else.''
The Department of Conservation bought the former Otago Central rail corridor in 1993 and the development and management of the trail is a joint venture between Doc and the trail trust.
Ms Toia-Bailey started work a fortnight ago and her role includes working with stakeholders, including Doc and trail operators, to identify marketing prospects and opportunities to raise funds to develop and enhance the trail.
''This appointment's not in response to the competition provided by other cycle trails that are under development, but we can't rest on our laurels,'' Mrs Hull said.
''Some Australians who contacted me recently said this trail is regarded as the gold standard.''
Ms Toia-Bailey has three young children and her most recent role was as national property funding manager for the Playcentre Federation. Before that, she was based in Sydney, working as the facility manager for the Australian Football League, supporting community infrastructure and developing projects to promote the game.
''I bring to this role that ability to work with others and enthusiasm to get things done - both those jobs involved working with volunteers, which I'll be doing here too, and I'm a volunteer myself on various groups.''
She attended Otago University in the early 1990s, completing a physical education degree, and is passionate about the outdoors.
''I was sitting in a Sydney cafe in 2008 with a friend, talking about the rail trail and saying I'd like to do it one day and came over the following year and did it, which was fantastic. I think that planted the seed about how great it would be to live in Central Otago, and here I am now, working on the rail trail.''
Ms Toia-Bailey, based at the Alexandra Community House, is paid by the trail trust.
