Old Ghost Road – Cycleways NZ

Long time Mountain Biker Marty Anderson shares his tips for an epic trail.

All photos © Outside the Square Creative

If you’re up for your next big adventure, shoot The Old Ghost Road trail straight to the top of the list. An unforgettable 85 kilometre journey through deep wilderness, the trail is Aotearoa’s longest single track adventure, and was once home to a long forgotten mining route. You’ll traverse deep bush, gruelling climbs, rocky trails, long, winding downhills and alpine ridges in the ride of your life.

The trail is not only special because of its vastness, its origin story is enough to make you pack your bag and book your own multi-day adventure today. The track, which was once dense bush with overgrown mining “roads”, is only here thanks to the dogged determination of three men who saw its epic potential for an immersive experience in nature and history.

The ideas guy, the one with the connections, and the seasoned bushman came together to create a trail that reimagined a long forgotten part of our history. The idea grew wings, and 26,000 volunteer hours later, the original tramping track emerged as a world-class, multi-day single mountain bike and walking track, and a bucket list trail for local and international pedallers.

The track connects the old dray road in the Lyell (Upper Buller Gorge) to the Mōkihinui River in the north, crossing Kahurangi National Park, Newton River and Lyell-Radiant Ridge conservation areas and reaching an elevation of 1500 metres above sea level. Tough uphill climbs are rewarded with jaw dropping 360 degree views of vast wilderness and long downhill stretches that sweep through deep native bush.

The tracks are not for the faint hearted, rocky in some parts with tight corners to navigate and steep drop offs along the alpine ridges, but the challenge is well rewarded with magnificent, uninterrupted wilderness. There’s little cell reception along the track, offering a true connection to the wild nature of this ‘middle of nowhere’ spot.

Our friend, collaborator and long time customer, Marty Anderson has completed the track five times. He’s seen it all, faced brutal weather and learnt the hard way about what to pack.

“It's hard to put into words the feeling of the trail, there’s a mystique to it,” Marty explains and it keeps him coming back for more. Having completed the trail on an analogue bike and e-bike, Marty knows what it takes to make the most of this awesome ride, and he shares his intel with us here.

This trail is for experienced riders.

“It’s not for beginners,” says Marty, if you're only familiar with wide, smooth trails like the Central Otago Rail Trail, the Old Ghost Trail isn’t the next step. You need experience with single-track riding, balance, and rough terrain, even on an e-bike.

That said, an e-bike can level the playing field, making it more accessible if you’re worried about your fitness, and allows you to carry more gear with less effort. But before taking on the Old Ghost Road, make sure you’ve spent some time on single track trails like The Traverse track in the Christchurch Port Hills, there’s a level of balance and concentration and technical know-how needed on the rough, single track terrain, even on an e-bike.

Build up your endurance for long uphill stretches, the first part is gentler but as you progress there are more serious climbing sections.

Prepare for riding narrow ridges, they’ve installed wire fences along some of the more precarious parts now, but there are still plenty of steep drop offs and ridge lines to navigate.

There’s no side routes out, once you’re on the trail, the only way out is on your bike, or by chopper. It’s a challenging ride but your efforts are more than rewarded. The long and flowing downhills through deep bush and the views that go on forever from alpine ridges are absolute magic.

There’s a knack to packing.

“Packing will make or break your trip,” laughs Marty. “When I think about my first trip to Old Ghost trail five years ago, I bungee tied my sleeping bag to my handlebars and it did nothing but move around for three days straight,” he recalls.

You want your mind on the trail and to be connected to the awesome experience you’ve been planning for, not worrying about adjusting your sleeping bag every five seconds.

“Five years later and I won’t do the trip without my Aeroe Spider rack gear on my bike. A lot of hut talk is often about gear, and I could have made commission for the amount of riders who have asked me about it on the trail,” says Marty.

The Aeroe Pod and Spider Rack units ensure everything is stable and stays in place. When you’re on the bike for hours at a time, concentrating on a downhill or making those big uphill climbs, you don’t want your strength wasted on adjusting your sleeping bag bobbing around on your handle bars. It makes a stunning journey, really tough.

Cycleways’ Old Ghost Road gear checklist.

Gear distribution is crucial.

Think about how you’re packing your bike too, and make sure you’ve got the right balance. If you overload your back wheel, your front wheel slips. You’ll find yourself having to constantly lean forward to balance your bike, it takes extra exertion and you’ll find the trip tough having to physically balance your bike for 85km of changing terrain, if you’ve got the distribution wrong.

If your bags are too big at the front you can’t see on the downhills,” he warns. There’s a lot of chunky rock and precarious trails on the ridge, you want to be able to see your front wheel clearly to avoid a fall.

Bike tips.

Don’t forget about the extra weight on your shocks. After you’ve loaded your bike up, add more air into your suspension to prevent bottoming out with the extra weight. “I’ve done that once or twice on earlier trips, and trust me it’s not fun, “ says Marty. Pack a shock pump to balance the extra weight you’re carrying.

Protect your bike from dust and grit. “I use protective tape now on multiday trails to prevent grit getting under your bags and damaging my bike’s paintwork,” explains Marty.

Make sure you know basic bike maintenance before you hit the trail. You’re truly in the middle of nowhere, deep in the back country so if your chain breaks you’ve got a long, uncomfortable walk ahead of you. Know how to repair a chain in case of emergencies.

“I highly recommend tubeless tyres for this trail.” It’s rocky terrain and there’s a strong chance you’ll pinch a tube. If you do have tube tyres make sure you’ve got a patch kit and know how to use it.

A seat dropper post is a must… make sure your bike has one of these so you can lower it for descending safer, and more enjoyably.

What to pack.

“There are four modern huts along the route. They’re well equipped and double-glazed with fires going,” Marty notes. You don’t need to bring a heavyweight sleeping bag, pack a lighter one, as you’ll be warm in the huts.

The huts also have cooking pots, pans and coffee plungers so you only need to bring food. I’ve even seen people chopper food parcels in, if that’s your thing.

Make sure you’ve got your first aid kit, emergency beacon and plenty of light layers for any type of weather. You go from deep bush to alpine ranges so you want to be prepared if you encounter the elements - you’ll almost definitely encounter rain.

Take the weather seriously.

“Any type of weather can hit, and we’ve been through it all,” Marty says. It’s a real slog if the weather is bad, so I highly suggest monitoring the weather before you go - if a weather bomb is on its way, don’t go. I know it’s tempting to just say - let’s do it, especially after all the preparation and planning, but I promise you it’s not worth it.

It's a point to point trail, and there are no side routes out, so you're committed! Battling sleet and rain for 85 kilometres is no joke. They offer free of charge date changes, so if it’s weather bomb type conditions, rebook. It’s magical up there, you want to make sure you’re experiencing the Old Ghost Road in the best way possible.

The Old Ghost Road: How to prepare & essential gear