Ridgetop tramping on the OGR is simply delightful. Photo: Katalyst Media

What’s the big attraction of the Old Ghost Road?

Features

A long-time Wilderness contributor and freelance author, Kathy writes about outdoor recreation, natural history and conservation.

By Kathy Ombler

It was a trail built for bikes; now trampers make up half the users. Runners, too, share the gently graded, spectacular wilderness trail. What’s the big attraction?

The Old Ghost Road takes all sorts, and all sorts love it. It is a gentle journey through history and sheer landscape drama. The 85km trail ranges into mossy beech forests, past podocarp giants and small wetlands, over tussock ridgelines framed by granite spires, and alongside clear mountain rivers where whio thrive. Views extend across […]

About the author

Kathy Ombler

Freelance author Kathy Ombler mostly writes about outdoor recreation, natural history and conservation, and has contributed to Wilderness for many years. She has also written and edited for other publications and websites, most recently Federated Mountain Club’s Backcountry, Forest & Bird, and the Backcountry Trust. Books she has authored include Where to Watch Birds in New Zealand, Walking Wellington and New Zealand National Parks and Other Wild Places. She is currently a trustee for Wellington’s Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush Trust.