Adventure Magazine

Everything changed dramatically at around 1300 metres

elevation, as the path emerged out of the bush line and

onto Lyell saddle. Suddenly there were views to the

horizons. West to the scarred bush-clad valleys of the

Glasgow range. East past the tiny lines and boxes of

Murchison and the ridges of Nelson Lakes National Park,

to the jagged Kaikoura peaks outlined against the distant

skyline.

Gone was the lush flora of the forest - the ground now

covered in the browns and reds of wind battered alpine

shrubs and tussock grasses. A strong wind raced up from

the valleys and over the ridge where I stood gazing out

at the breath-taking views. Within a couple of minutes I

was uncomfortably cold, so I sought the sanctuary of Top

Camp Shelter, a few hundred metres away.

The next few hours were a mix of exhilarating and

exhausting riding, which also left me in awe of the

exceptional engineering and the effort taken to make this

track possible. Large sections of the track have been

carved into the cliff faces with several bridges clinging to

the rock, making it a spine-tingling traverse.

To say the next section below Ghost Lake hut is

challenging is like saying New Zealand has a few lakes

and trees. The steep descent below Ghost Lake on a fully

laden bike confirmed I am a bit of a wuss but the route

itself is truly impressive.

Thankfully, once below Skyline steps and into the bush

again, the pathway levels out and the last 8km along the

Stern Valley is an epic finish to an incomparable day’s

riding. There would likely be a bit of a sting in the legs

tomorrow, but this day had exceeded all my expectations.

The good news is that this wasn’t the only section of

the trail that would get the heart racing. A day later at

Specimen hut, I had gazed from the window down to

the narrow and steep-sided Mokihinui river gorge and

contemplated how the track could possibly get us any

further. Once again, all credit to the people who invested

thousands of hours blasting, digging, and smashing their

way to create the slender path that clings to the edge

of the cliffs, offering nerve-wracking views of the swift

moving waters of the Mokihinui many metres below.

Some choose to ride all 85km in a day, such as Lynn,

Mira, Charlotte and Duncan, residents from nearby

Westport. I am not a local and deciding to take 4 days

to make this amazing journey was the right choice for

me. Not least because I lack the technical skill and

fitness for such a gruelling adventure, but also because

this unique wilderness area demands savouring. In the

words of Marion Boatwright, the American immigrant,

explaining his motivation for dedicating over a decade of

his life to making the OGR a reality - “……this is world

class country…….. it’s like your seriously hot sister, but

because she is your sister you can’t see how gorgeous

she really is.”

Lynn, Mira, Charlotte and Duncan chose

to ride all 85km in one day

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