The Old Ghost Road

In the North West corner of the South Island of New Zealand a ghost is awakening. A long-forgotten gold miners' road is being revived as a tramping and mountain biking track.

Connecting the old dray road in the Lyell (Upper Buller Gorge) to the mighty Mokihinui River, then joining the Charming Creek Walkway and the Denniston Plateau, the 160km Old Ghost Road traverses virgin native forest, tussock tops, spectacular coastal escarpments and forgotten valleys.

Working with the New Zealand Cycle Trail project, the volunteer-driven Mokihinui-Lyell Backcountry Trust is partnering with  West Coast entities to make the Old Ghost Road a reality. It’s almost as if the engineers from the 1870’s knew we were coming. Gradients on the circuit rarely exceed four degrees. The spirits of the old miners and track builders are inescapable. No less than seven ghost towns populate the route - the Old Ghost is a 160 kilometre-long outdoor museum.

As a full circuit, the Old Ghost Road is a work in progress. Portions, such as the Charming Creek Walkway, are already favorites with walkers and mountain bikers. At Denniston, superb walking and cycling track networks abound.

This website – and the works of the Mokihinui-Lyell Backcountry Trust – focuses on the deep backcountry sectors currently under development. We invite you to join the journey.

Our volunteers and supporters know that each generation grows up in an increasingly urbanised environment. The connection to the land dims. Here, on the Old Ghost Road, heritage, wilderness, accessibility and storytelling come together in an unforgettable way.

See the latest updates on The Old Ghost Road: