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Full Trucker

Full Trucker

Frikkin newb!!!
Feb 26, 2003
11,140
8,780
Exit, CO
According to the brochure, it seems that mountain bikers can expect a "mixture of long steep climbs, narrow trail, poor traction and difficult obstacles to avoid or ride over."







Uuuuhhhhh... I'm in. :D
 
ICEBALL585

ICEBALL585

Bacontard
Sep 8, 2009
6,819
2,081
.:585:.
Full Trucker said:
According to the brochure, it seems that mountain bikers can expect a "mixture of long steep climbs, narrow trail, poor traction and difficult obstacles to avoid or ride over."
Click to expand...
Sounds fun except for the steep climbs part. My climbing endurance is rather sh*tty.
 
johnbryanpeters

johnbryanpeters

Hero
Sep 27, 2001
36,816
18,392
Making moss sad in New Haven, Vermont
The old ghost trail is on the northwest corner of New Zealand's south island.
Christchurch (south island) or Wellington (north island) are the nearest major airports.
The trail runs between Lyell, NZ to Seddonville, NZ and is 82 KM/51 miles long.

Roads at either end:
67 runs east-west north of Seddonville
6 runs east-west south of Lyell

Weather:
http://www.fourcorners.co.nz/new-zealand/seasons-and-climate/
Summer: December-February
Autumn: March-May
Winter: June-August
Spring: September-November

Airfares are formidable. Best (based on January 1 departure for a week) seems to be $2,200 from JFK.
 
Full Trucker

Full Trucker

Frikkin newb!!!
Feb 26, 2003
11,140
8,780
Exit, CO
If you fly into Wellington, you'll have to take the ferry across to the south island, and it was over $100NZ for a single vehicle when I was there in 2009 IIRC. Either Wellington or Christchurch is probably a day's drive to Old Ghost Road, Wellington being closer but the ferry takes a while. When I visited, my gal planned the trip and set up a price alert for airfare. We ended up with $700ish r/t airfare in and out of LAX, then another $200 for the r/t between there and Denver. Keep an eye out, you might get lucky.
 
johnbryanpeters

johnbryanpeters

Hero
Sep 27, 2001
36,816
18,392
Making moss sad in New Haven, Vermont
Full Trucker said:
If you fly into Wellington, you'll have to take the ferry across to the south island, and it was over $100NZ for a single vehicle when I was there in 2009 IIRC. Either Wellington or Christchurch is probably a day's drive to Old Ghost Road, Wellington being closer but the ferry takes a while. When I visited, my gal planned the trip and set up a price alert for airfare. We ended up with $700ish r/t airfare in and out of LAX, then another $200 for the r/t between there and Denver. Keep an eye out, you might get lucky.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'm still trying to get a handle on it - sounds as though there are a couple of segments that are in questionable condition, need some local input - out and back from Lyell until losing the trail seems most likely... maybe plan other rides elsewhere. Ain't nothing but a fantasy as of yet.
 
DaveW

DaveW

Space Monkey
Jul 2, 2001
11,622
3,132
The bunker at parliament
There are also light aircraft flights Wellington to Nelson.
http://www.air2there.com/
http://www.soundsair.com/
While your in that area probably also worth doing the Heaphy track which is now open to mountain bikes but currently only between May 1st and September 30.
http://heaphytrack.com/mountain_biking.html
http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/nelson-tasman/golden-bay/heaphy-track/features/heaphy-track-mountain-bike-trial/
This guy Tama is one of the ones who just did the Ghost road ride and well worth talking to if you want to ride either track he did a write up on the Heaphy here;
http://www.mfla.org.nz/stuff-learnt-from-mountain-biking-the-heaphy-track/
the gear list near the bottom of that blog would also see you well for the ghost road I suspect i'll get back to you on that).
 
6thElement

6thElement

Schrodinger's Immigrant
Jul 29, 2008
17,241
14,717
/adds to his research for the riding trip later this year
 
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ButtersNZ

ButtersNZ

Monkey
Jun 6, 2013
176
10
Keep an eye on here if you do visit and want to keep costs down

https://www.transfercar.co.nz/

You can occasionally get free rental car, camper, van etc with paid fuel and ferry tickets and free days to do what you want in exchange for relocating them. They just need $1 a day for insurance.
 
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StiHacka

StiHacka

Compensating for something
Jan 4, 2013
21,560
12,508
In hell. Welcome!
DaveW

DaveW

Space Monkey
Jul 2, 2001
11,622
3,132
The bunker at parliament
So not far away from the ghost rd is a couple of new tracks.
The Paparoa and linking to that is this track The Pike memorial track to comemerate 29 local Miners killed in a mining accident.

This vid does a great job of showing just how hard that terrain is to work in.
Fucking epic and then some!

 
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