Old Ghost Road

Miners began cutting a dray road between Lyell and the Mokihinui in the 1870s and abandoned it when the gold ran out; the northern half was never built. A community trust found the survey line on old maps and, between 2007 and 2015, completed it as a trail - eighty-five kilometres from Lyell through beech forest, up onto open tussock tops above the bushline at around 1,300 metres, past the Skyline Ridge and Ghost Lake, then down the Mokihinui Gorge to Seddonville. It is the longest single-track trail in the country and is graded advanced: exposed sections with steep drops, a notorious set of switchback steps below Ghost Lake, and no exit points in the middle. Riders take two to three days, walkers four to five. Six huts along the route must be booked in advance and fill months ahead for the summer season.

What you actually see

• The tussock tops - open ridgeline at around 1,300 metres.
• Ghost Lake - the high point of the route, with a hut above it.
• The Mokihinui Gorge - the long descent to the coast.
• The old dray road - the 1870s survey line the trail follows.

When to go

November to April. Huts book out months ahead - reserve before planning anything else. Weather on the tops changes fast in any month.

Honest expectations

Graded advanced: exposed drops, technical descents, and no bail-out points once committed. Not a beginner trail despite being called a cycle trail. Huts are basic and must be booked. Shuttles between the two ends need arranging separately.

Nearby

Westport and the Buller Gorge are at the ends; Reefton is south-east.