South Island Mountain Biking itinerary

Travel on to the ghost town of Lyell in the Buller Gorge. Nearby Murchison is a good place to stop on the way for last minute supplies.

The Old Ghost Road trail is the most remote and challenging of all New Zealand's great rides. This itinerary includes the first section, the full trail takes 3-days and follows an old miners route from Lyell, deep into the wilderness along the Mokihinui River and on to Seddonville north of Westport. Ride the first part of the trail to Ghost Lake Hut, where you can spend the night or head back to Lyell and stay at the DOC campsite(opens in new window).  A track from the campsite to an abandoned stamping battery and historic cemetery makes an interesting walk to end the day.

Travel down the coast to Hokitika, where you'll find the area known as Blue Spur. During the New Zealand gold rush Blue Spur was home to around 2,500 people, today it is a hub for mountain bikers.

Built by local bikers for pure fun, the Blue Spur track is actually a network of tracks all within easy riding distance of Hokitika. With names like The Edge, Stags Drop, Bad Boys and Seesaw, the tracks each have a character all of their own. Spend the day trying out as many as you can. Be sure to finish with the Tunnels Track, which leads through an old mining tunnel.

If you have time, stay an extra day and explore the West Coast Wilderness Trail from Kūmara to Cowboy Paradise. 

From Hokitika, you'll travel south down the wild coast, past small towns, beautiful lakes and lush native rainforests to glacier territory.

There are two glaciers in this region, Franz Josef and Fox Glacier. Both are easily accessible. At Fox Glacier Village, you'll find a short easy ride to the glacier's terminal face. The trail is flat and the scenery along the way is amazing. Venture onto the glacier itself with a guided trip or take a scenic helicopter flight and see the full glacier from above.

In the evening, check out the glowworm caves a short distance from the town centre.

From Fox Village drive south and over the Southern Alps through the incredible Haast Pass to Wānaka. At Albert Town, just before Wānaka Township, you'll find the popular Deans Bank Track. This purpose-built track cuts into the river terrace and takes in spectacular views of the surrounding mountains, Clutha River and Wānaka Basin.

From here, you can choose to ride back to Wānaka Town via the linking Lakeside Trails. Here you'll find plenty of restaurants, cafes and bars in which to relax and if you have time, visit some of the town's unique attractions, such as Puzzling World and the quirky Paradiso Cinema.

From Wānaka, it's a short journey on to Queenstown, where along with some great mountain bike trails you'll also find a whole array of other adventure activities.

The Skyline Gondola, near Queenstown's centre, will transport you and your bike to the top of Bob's Peak where you will find the Queenstown Bike Park. Here you'll find a whole range of downhill tracks through the forest. Once you're done, there are plenty of other mountain bike trails to check out or simply relax with a soak in a hot pool overlooking the Shotover River.