The route: Nelson – Collingwood – Saxon Hut (Heaphy) – Karamea – Seddonville (Rough & Tumble Lodge) – Ghost Lake Hut (OGR) – Murchison -Wakefield
The Kahurangi 500 is an epic and almost unbelievable ride. Including two iconic single-track trails (the Heaphy Track and the Old Ghost Road) it is definitely not for an inexperienced cyclist. But if you are up to the challenge I struggle to believe there are many multi-day bike rides that can compare for the quality of the scenery, trail and serenity. I loved it so much that I plan to return – soon!
Nelson – Heaphy
If you are flying to New Zealand, starting this ride from Nelson makes a lot of sense. I flew from Australia to Auckland on Qantas, and connected to a codeshare service on Air New Zealand through to Nelson. Kudos to both airlines for having no issues with the bike box. On arrival there is a bike shed just outside the terminal where you can put your bike together out of any weather (not that there was any when I arrived).
After a Saturday in Nelson (including the fun markets), it was time to head off to the start of the Heaphy Track. Instead of cycling via Tapawera, I headed along the Great Taste Trail to Riwaka. This is a beautiful ride that is mostly away from any serious traffic, including on the lovely Tasman View Road.
After a stop at the very good Mrs Smith’s Cafe, it was necessary to tackle Takaka Hill. This does require heading up the Takaka Hill Highway and despite the need to cycle on a highway, it proved to be an ok ride – the road is quite windy and steep so the traffic was also reasonably slow.
At the top of Takaka Hill it is possible to continue on the highway. I have to be honest: if I was doing this route again I probably would. Why? The cycle into Abel Tasman National Park and Canaan Downs is on a nice gravel road, but the top half of the Rameka Track is not great. Compared to the Heaphy and Old Ghost Road, the track is poor and really hard work with a laden bike. Having said that once you get out to Rameka Creek Road you can continue on the road or choose to take one of a number of single track routes down the hill. I can recommend the Great Expectations single track- this was in good condition and there are also some great views. Once you reach Takaka, there are a few places to refuel (I chose beer at Roots Bar) before the final 27km push into Collingwood.
Heaphy Track
The timing of any attempt at the Kahurangi 500 needs to be aligned to when it is permissable to cycle the Heaphy. Open to cyclists from 1 May to 30 November, I wanted to go when the days were longer (during November) – and hopefully things a bit warmer. It was, however, wet – which I think is likely any time!
Getting to the Heaphy from Collingwood (after a nice brekky at the Courthouse Cafe, open at 8am) was a very pleasant cycle. The road is essentially a dead-end so there is not much traffic. Early on you can choose to stay on sealed road, or do as I did and take the backroad option of MacKay Pass Road. Whatever you do, make sure you stop for a coffee at the Langford Store before heading on to the trailhead.
Soon after starting on the track it became quite wet. All day. The views were still pretty good, and there was some shelter offered by the overhanging canopy on the climb to Perry Saddle. After that, however, it is pretty exposed.
Instead of staying at Perry Saddle Hut I had decided to book Saxon Hut, which proved a great choice – there were just two of us staying the night and I later learnt that Perry Saddle and James Mackay were really busy. As an added bonus there was a very rare (and once thought extinct) Takahe hanging out at the hut – super cool.
The next day the rain had cleared up. It was quite foggy in the morning but this made the crossing of Mackay Downs very atmospheric. After this is a long descent on a well maintained trail, and on reaching the bottom you can have a break at the Lewis Shelter before tackling the flatter riverside and seaside stretch to the end.
After crossing the Heaphy River a few times, the track reaches Heaphy Hut – a place I’d like to return to on a future ride given its epic seaside views. Speaking of, the trail offers amazing beach and seaside scenes. If you are reading up on the Heaphy you may find reference to needing to use the beach and time things around tides – this is no longer the case.
Once finished on the Heaphy my best recommendation is: don’t linger – the sandflies are brutal. It is a flat 17.5km run into Karamea, passing seaside and rural views.
Between Heaphy & Old Ghost Road
Travelling from Karamea to the start of the Old Ghost Road is actually quite pleasant. Despite the road being a ‘highway’, there is limited traffic (due to its dead-end nature). After passing through Little Whanganui, there is a decent climb up to the Corbyvale flat, and then further climbing onwards to Karamea Bluff. There are, however, great views and a lovely descent down to the Mokihinui River, after which is the turn off to Seddonville.
There isn’t much available for a stop on this route. Special call out to the ladies at Little Whanganui Hotel – it looked open but turned out it wasn’t quite (it opens at 11am) and was instead busy with a local ladies morning tea. They still made me a coffee! Lunch is an option at the Rough and Tumble Bush Lodge – where I stayed the night.
Rough and Tumble, operated by the trust responsible for the Old Ghost Road, is a fabulous stay if your budget allows. Great river views, awesome meals (including breakfast you can have as early as you want), a riverside bush shower, plus great ensuite rooms make this a good stop before or after tackling the trail.
Old Ghost Road
As noted above, I chose to tackle the Old Ghost Road starting from the Rough & Tumble Bush Lodge. An alternative is to start the OGR after cycling to Seddonville from Karamea, tackling the first 17km along the Mokihinui River to Specimen Point Hut. This took me just over 2.5 hours, and offers some of the most beautiful scenery of the whole ride – both from cliff top trails and suspension bridges.
Heading away from the Mokihinui Forks, the trail stays fairly flat for another 10km before reaching Goat Creek, after which there is a long (but not technical) climb up to Solemn Saddle. The descent down into the Stern Valley via the Boneyard is also in good condition, and despite cycling in heavy rain was quite fun.
After a break at Stern Valley Hut, tackling the climb to Skyline is much more technical, and for most will have sections of hike-a-bike. This climb is one where if you were cycling the other direction you could definitely be able to stay on the bike more, although no matter which direction you take there will be some walking on and around Skyline itself. (Note: if you want to check out which part of the trail this is, the Old Ghost Road map has it marked in red for grade 4-5 trail). Thankfully you no longer need to carry your bike up Skyline steps.
Early on the traverse of Skyline you will be able to see Ghost Lake Hut in the distance. If you are like me you will wonder how you are going to get there, but get there you do. The hut is awesome, and the views stunning. A really great place to spend the night and, if you are lucky, any weather will clear for views. You can even see the lights of Murchison at night, and there is mobile reception!
The following morning there is more of Skyline to tackle, and on a foggy morning it was quite atmospheric. It is not a part of the route I would love to do when windy, but on a still morning it was spectacular. From here the descent to Lyell is fantastic fun, including across the vertiginous Big Slips.
Heading out of Lyell (which today is a just a car park), it is necessary to take the highway to Murchison: probably my least favourite part of the trip due to traffic volume. Once you get to town though there are some great places to eat and stay: Tutaki Bakery, pizza at the Cow Shed, and an outstanding value night in a cabin at Riverside Holiday Park (less than $50 NZD!).
After Old Ghost Road
Heading out of Murchison, it is a short distance on the highway before you can get off the main road via Mangles Valley Road. The backroads that follow are really nice, offering great views and limited traffic.
After Gowan Valley Road, it is necessary to ride on the Kawatiri – Murchison Highway. Not terrible, but not great. It is a relief to head onto backroads again on Tadmor – Glenhope Road. And this road is fantastic – in particular the second half as you descend towards Tapawera.
After Tapawera it should have been possible to take the Great Taste Trail all the way through to Wakefield (and on to Nelson should you wish). Unfortunately due to storm damage this was not entirely possible, in particular through Spooners Tunnel. This means a pretty solid hill climb on the Wakefield – Kohatu Highway with a reasonable amount of traffic. At least there was a decent view.
Tips, recommendations and things I’d change
One of the questions I was regularly asked when on this trip was about taking a ‘gravel bike’ on the Heaphy Track and Old Ghost Road. Truth be told, my Stargazer (see more on my bikes here) is not really a gravel bike. The reason I chose this bike is summarised really well by Tumbleweed: “The Stargazer is a nimble and balanced drop bar mountain touring bike designed for loaded trail riding. It’s at home on trails, singletrack and gravel roads whether unladen or with racks and bags on an adventure.” And so it proved, particularly when travelling with enough stuff for a remote bike ride like this. A dual suspension mountain bike would make it easier on some parts of the trail, but it does become a challenge to pack your kit for a trip like this.
Another interesting question is whether it makes sense to do this ride clockwise or anti-clockwise. The NZ cycle trails web site says “… an anticlockwise direction of travel is advised simply because the Rāmeka and Heaphy Tracks are more fun that way.” I’m planning to go back to test this proposition – I’m not sure that this really is the case, particularly on the Old Ghost Road.
My main bike-centric advice is to make sure you are prepared for brake wear. On both of the single track trails you will spend a lot of time needing to carefully pick your line on descents, and with the laden bike I wore through brake pads at a rate that meant I replaced them both soon after this ride.
My NZ cycling adventure did not finish in Nelson – I cycled on for other adventures. Hence I chose to check out Wakefield as an alternative to finishing at Nelson on the last day. If you do stay at Wakefield, I thought that the ensuite rooms at the Wakefield Hotel were excellent value, and hotel has a secure bike shed. Also, don’t miss the bakery.
Finally, it wouldn’t be a CyclingGravel post without a brewery. In Nelson, I can recommend the excellent Eddyline.
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