Dark skies lay ahead of us on the drive up to Murchison for the Start of The Old Ghost Road. A check with the weather forecast revealed a cold front rolling in from the west. Rather than ride in the cold and wet with no views, we opted to postpone our reservation for the Old Ghost Road huts and car shuttle. Fortunately, we were allowed to do both, with some penalty in cost.
After a night in Murchison, we turned east and headed to Hanmer Springs, away from the weather.
It turned out to be a good decision. The weather was great in Hanmer Springs, and we spent 2 nights there. We rode the local trails on the first day, and then the St. James Cycleway to a hot spring on the second day.
Tip: Try the lamb at Number 31 restaurant in Hanmer Springs
When we returned to start The Old Ghost Road, we had great weather as well, so the decision and cost to postphone our start was well worth it. We began our ride up through old forests, littered with interesting bits of mining paraphernalia, across high alpine ridges and passes, and finally out through a narrow river gorge. The scenery was both varied and stunning. Mix that in with interesting riding, including having to carry our bikes down 200 narrow and steep steps, and you have the formula for the best of all the long trails we rode in NZ. If you only have time to ride one long trail in NZ, this one is probably it!
We rode the OGR over 3 days, and spent 2 nights in the huts. The first night at Ghost Lake Hut was completely empty, except for us, but the following night at Specimen Point Hut was completely full. We were the only bikers, with the rest being hikers.
Our 3rd day was a short ride out through the narrow, but scenic, Mokihinui River gorge, getting to our car that had been shuttled up at about 10am.
We spend the next week or so riding in and around Queenstown. Our last visit to Queenstown was some 30 years ago, on our honeymoon, and a lot has changed. For one thing, its a lot more crowded, and so we based ourselves just outside of downtown Queenstown in Frankton. Frankton has its own restaurants and stores, so we didn’t feel the need to go downtown that often.
Tip: Try the Brisket at the Meat Preachers, Frankton.
We spent our last week in NZ riding a few more Great Ride Trails around Queenstown. The Coronet Loop was Awesome! I’d say it was the best one day ride we did in NZ. The Queenstown Trail was a bit overgrown, with some detours. Welcome Rock wasn’t bad, but the climb up to the start was pretty big, and I woudn’t do this again unless I had a 4-wheel drive vehicle that could drive up to the start of the trail. The Lake Dunstan Trail was a nice rest day ride.
Then, it was a long drive back to Christchurch to the motel where we kept our bike bags, for our last night before flying home.
Tip: Consider flying into Queenstown instead. Queenstown is a little more central, and a little closer to more of the Great Rides.
Photography Notes
My main setup is the compact and lightweight full-frame Sony a7c with the sony 28-60mm kit lens, and a tiny Samyang 18mm lens. Occasionally, I would swop out the 28-60mm lens for a Samyang 75mmf/1.8 for a different look. The setup rides in lightweight pouches stuffed into my riding backpack, a 14l Mission Workshop Hauser. The Hauser is great because it’s so fast to access with the velcro top, and the backpack is rain and splash proof. Current prices for the Hauser are ridiculous, but they normally have a sale around Black Friday.
Bikes and Other Gear
We both used Specialized Epic Evos on this trip. We found them to be the perfect bike fo the longer trails. Light enough to pedal uphill, and capable enough to handle the decents. We use Apidura Backcountry series bikepacking saddle and handlebar bags. They were tough and waterproof, I liked their Downtube Pack for my spares. I stowed 2 tubes, extra sealant, brake pads, derailuer hanger, spare valve, etc in there and strapped it to the bottom of my down tube, which was a good place for it as it was pretty heavy. It was bomber. It stayed put and stayed dry.
There are more trip photos on my Instagram.
Please comment below if you have any questions. Thank you!