Old Ghost Road

The Old Ghost Road is an 85-kilometre trail on the West Coast of the South Island, following the line of a gold-era dray road that was surveyed in the 1870s but never finished. Reopened in 2015 after volunteers linked the old route across the ranges, it is now one of New Zealand's premier backcountry trails, shared by trampers and mountain bikers.

The path climbs from Lyell in the Buller Gorge up through regenerating forest to the exposed Ghost Lake and Skyline Ridge tops, then descends the wild Mokihinui River valley to Seddonville. Walkers usually take three to five days, while bikers ride it in two to three, staying in well-built huts such as Lyell Saddle, Ghost Lake and Specimen Point that must be booked in advance. Highlights include the airy Skyline stairs and long ridge traverses at around 1,300 metres.

Difficulty is moderate but committing. The trail is remote, with no road access between the ends and long gaps between huts. The tops are fully exposed to storms, and river sections can be affected by heavy rain. Trampers need full self-sufficiency; bikers require solid technical skills for the narrow, exposed upper sections.

The main season runs from October to April, when huts are serviced and the tops are generally clear of snow. Even so, West Coast weather is fickle and can close in fast. Combining goldfields history, deep rainforest, alpine ridgelines and a river gorge, it packs an unusual range of scenery into a single continuous route through country that had lain silent for a century.