Safety & Weather

The Old Ghost Road traverses rugged and remote terrain ranging in altitude from near sea-level to more than 1300 metres. Weather can change very quickly and should never be taken for granted.

Before embarking on your journey, we recommend checking the most up-to-date forecasts. Two good sources are MetVUW and the New Zealand Metservice’s mountain and/or rural forecast.

For a great summary of key planning and preparation matters for tackling The Old Ghost Road, see the below video from the New Zealand Mountain Safety Council. Whilst the focus is on mountain biking, much of the content applies to any mode of travel.

The Mountain Safety Council has some additional great guides for planning and undertaking trips in New Zealand’s backcountry. Their Backcountry Mountainbiking Guide and their Multiday Tramping Guide are excellent resources that explain how the Outdoor Safety Code’s simple 5-step checklist for staying safe in the outdoors relates to these activities. We recommend these resources are consulted and applied before you embark on a journey along The Old Ghost Road.

The trail status page on this website provides the latest known information about track conditions.