ARTICLES & BLOGS

Stuff.co.nz – Juliette Sivertsen – 19th April 2025

“Abigail Hannah set out with a new personal challenge – to hike the Old Ghost Road solo, her first hike by herself. The 27-year-old adventurer and podcaster from Auckland said it’s not for the faint of heart.”

Thepress.co.nz – Ben Kepes – 26th February 2025

“As I reflect on my annual trip to the Old Ghost Ultra, I see that it’s no longer just a race for outsiders. It has become a symbol of what a community can achieve when it embraces something new.”

Singletracks.com – Greg Heil – 24th February 2025

“The combination of 50 miles of bike-optimized, regularly maintained singletrack, stunning scenery, and comfortable backcountry huts with no road access whatsoever means that, yes, the Old Ghost Road is hands-down one of the best backcountry singletrack mountain biking experiences on the planet.”

Insidehook.com – Andy Cochrane – 17th January 2025

“Despite receiving a small fraction of fanfare of New Zealand’s Great Walks, the Old Ghost Road is perhaps the best singletrack in the country. A true hidden gem.”

Singletracks.com – Greg Heil – 15th January 2025

“The Old Ghost Road is an epic adventure ride that you’ll never forget. You need to be fit and skilled because it’s merciless.”

Wilderness Magazine – Kathy Ombler – 18th December 2024

“Bikers, botanists, birders, butterfly buffs; a multi-day tramp on a popular track reveals more than beautiful landscapes.”

Wilderness Magazine – Shaun Barnett – 19th April 2024

“Winter. Frost. Snow. Ghosts. Well, one anyway: Ghost Lake, which lies below, frozen and glistening, as we wait at Ghost Lake Hut for the sun to appear.”

Thepress.co.nz – Ben Kepes – 28th February 2024

“The Old Ghost Road stretches across 85 kilometres, serving as a point-to-point route for hiking and biking enthusiasts, spanning from Seddonville, north of Westport, all the way to Lyell. But beyond its physical attributes lies a narrative that resonates deeply with the essence of community building, albeit with a few twists and turns along the way.”

The Post – Peter Clough – 26th Feb 2024

“If you can see the mountain it’s going to rain, if not it’s raining already” is an apt saying about New Zealand’s weather.

It is “raining already” with no sign of easing as my wife Nanette and I drive up the Buller Gorge to start a five-day tramp along the Old Ghost Road.”

Pinkbike.com – Holly Duncan – 27th January 2024

“Hours can tick by slowly on big mountain rides through the dense bush, with each kilometre being crossed off by the rhythmic cadence of each pedal stroke.”

Stuff.co.nz – Regional reporter – 28th September 2023

“DOC staff have walked over 700km of the waterways in Kahurangi and while exact numbers of whio aren’t possible, staff are “highly encouraged” by the increase they have seen so far.”

Stuff.co.nz – Brendon Burns – 3rd June 2023

“At 85km, The Old Ghost Road is NZ’s longest continuous walk or mountain bike track and having just done it, I think it’s one of our great walks, even if not yet so designated.”

Where in the world: Bucket-list global adventures for 2022

Australian Geographic – Justin Walker – 6th April 2022

“NZ’s South Island is jam-packed with awesome mountain biking with a plethora of trail choices for all rider skill levels. The 85km Old Ghost Road, in the South Island’s north-west corner, is a true bucket-list adventure for experienced mountain bikers.”

Kiwi bike route stars in new book on world’s ultimate cycling trips

Stuff.co.nz – Jane Reddy – 14th June 2021

“People tend to think of mountain biking as being about quick squirts of energy and adrenaline, but this 85-kilometre crossing of the mountains behind Buller Gorge is the longest stretch of singletrack in the country and shows that mountain biking too can have a sense of journey.”

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The Top 5 Must-Ride New Zealand Mountain Biking Trails

57 Hours – Matt Kirke – 9th September 2020

“This once deserted miners’ road came back to life as an epic 85-km feat that will take you through forgotten landscapes following a thrilling singletrack.“

New Zealand’s Old Ghost Ultra: A Destination Race Par Excellence

Ultra Running Magazine – Matt Flaherty – 27 July 2017

Thirty thousand feet above the Pacific Ocean, flying eastbound, I reach into my bag for a book and a snack, and I feel something foreign. It takes me a second to place the hard, fist-sized object: a chunk of Granite from the Lyell Mountains of New Zealand’s West Coast…

The Best Mountain Bike Trail In New Zealand?

JustMTB – 29 September 2016

After many weeks of guiding last summer, could we really have found the best of the mountain bike trails in New Zealand?…

Old Ghost Road: Up there with the ghosts

Stuff – 22 May 2017

The town of Lyell once looked like a set for a western, with two-storey timber buildings lining both sides of a dirt street. Today, it’s a large green space bordered by State Highway 6 between Westport and Murchison and surrounded by thick bush…

Ghost ex Machina

Ground Effect – 24 April 2017

Since opening in 2015, the Old Ghost Road has rocketed to the top of every kiwi mountain biker’s must do, or must do again list. 85km of crafted singletrack through pristine bush and wicked geology from the South Island’s Buller Gorge through to the West Coast…

Old Ghost Road attracts attention

Wanganui Chronicle – 5 April 2017

The 85km Old Ghost Road, New Zealand’s newest long-distance track, is proving popular with Whanganui trampers since it was walked by a Wanganui Tramping Club party led by Graham Sutcliffe in late 2015…

Riding The Old Ghost Road

Luxury Adventures – 27 October 2016

At 85kms long the Old Ghost Road is New Zealand’s newest adventure mountain bike ride or walk located on the West Coast of the South Island. Read on to find out whether this old gold mining route that cost over $6 million to build, took 110,000 construction hours to complete with 17 bridges and 6 huts is worth travelling to this little known part of the South Island to experience?…

Under a Mokihinui Sun

Department of Conservation – 12 August 2016

The Old Ghost Road is one of New Zealand’s premier multi-day single track rides—it is also the youngest.

The Mokihinui-Lyell Backcountry Trust is the group behind The Old Ghost Road. The Trust was responsible for the construction of the track and the four new huts situated along the track..

New Zealand’s longest single track

Adventurers Travel Co. – 4 September 2016

The Old Ghost Road opened in Dec 2015 and is one of NZ’s longest single track rides @85Km. It’s a full on multi-day ride of technical grade 4 riding, big climbs and long downhills, impressive mountain ridge riding and excellent back country huts. Built by volunteers and by MTB’ers for MTB’ers! Adventurers tackled it with a group of friends and the verdict….. It’s UNMISSABLE!!

Epic Old Ghost Road ride features in Lonely Planet guide

Stuff – 17 August 2016

The Old Ghost Road bike trail has earned a place in Lonely Planet’s guide to the world’s “epic” bike rides.

The tourism guide spotlights 200 biking trails from around the globe including the Old Ghost Road trail, the country’s longest continuous single trail that runs 85 kilometres between Lyell in the Upper Buller Gorge and the Mokihinui River…

Bikepacking New Zealand’s Old Ghost Road

Hage Photo – 28 June 2016

Earlier this year we partnered with Yeti Cycles for a trip-based photo shoot on the latest addition to New Zealand’s Cycle Trail collection. The Old Ghost Road carves an 85-km route across the rugged mountains of the South Island’s West Coast…

Bikepacking the Old Ghost Road

Stealth – 18 May 2016

After making countless bags for riders going to ride the Old Ghost Road I thought I better go see what it was all about. After a few quick messages, master of the bike, Diggle said he was keen and able to take the time off to come with me…

Riding the Old Ghost Road

Licence to Ride – 6 May 2016

The Old Ghost Road is a great all weather ride. It’s also a trail that will soon be found on the bucket list of mountain bikers the world over. I recently spent a very soggy few days there, and came away planning for return visits…

The Old Ghost Road with Peak Leaders

Pink Bike – 9 April 2016

There is no shortage of riding in the South Island of New Zealand, from the trail riding of the North in Nelson to the Park in the South of Skyline Bike Park in Queenstown, you’ve got a lot to choose from! However, there is also ‘big mountain’ riding to be found and wanting to get a taste of some wilderness, myself, German riders, Max and Fabio, along with NZ native and fellow Peak Leaders graduate, Morgan Walker drafted up a plan to sample the ‘Old Ghost Road’…

West Coast’s Old Ghost Road forging region’s new identity

Stuff – 12 March 2016

The Old Ghost Road, New Zealand’s longest back country cycle trail, is helping forge a new identity for the West Coast with its founders hoping the region will soon overtake Fiordland as the premier wilderness destination…

The Ghost of Charming Denniston

Ground Effect – 10 March 2016

In the remote north west corner of the South Island,a long-forgotten gold miners’ road is drawing thousands of visitors…

Old Ghost Road trail

Radio New Zealand – 10 February 2016

Out of the swirling mist Jim appeared as if by magic, clad suspiciously in running kit, sneaking in a bit of ultra marathon training no doubt. To our amazement he instantly recognized a couple of MTB clones dripping from uphill sweat with bikes, helmets and riding glasses home to small droplets of low flying clouds…

Nelson refugees taking on alpine ultramarathon

Nelson Mail – 20 January 2016

Running an 85-kilometre alpine relay at 5am might not sound like a teenager’s ideal start to a Saturday, but a group of young Nelsonians are training to do just that…

Father and Son heli-bike The Old Ghost Road

New Zealand Cycle Trail – 14 January 2016

Bucket lists are hard. They are so subjective, based often on so many more factors than the ride or trail alone. Most of the trails and areas on my list are more about the total experience than a single trail and are influenced by the group of riders and friends I was with at the time, not to mention weather, which can often make or break a trip…

9 Places Sven Martin Says You Should Ride Once in Your Life

Vital MTB – 4 January 2016

Dreams and toil raise spectre of Old Ghost Road

New Zealand Herald – 19 December 2015

A ghost has awakened in the north-west corner of the South Island.

For the past nine years, a dramatic story has been unfolding in the staggeringly beautiful but remote and rugged Mokihinui-Lyell backcountry…

Bewitched by The Old Ghost Road

The New Zealand Cycle Trail – 17 December 2015

In the North West corner of the South Island of New Zealand the ghost of a long-forgotten Gold miners road has been exhumed, breathing life into a new mountain biking and walking track…

Biking out the back door and fishing out the front

Nelson Mail – 28 July 2015

“The Moki-what? The where? Don’t you mean the Mikonui?”

Ten years ago these were common responses if you talked about staying in a small West Coast settlement north of Westport and south of Karamea…