People on the West Coast are hopeful the opening of an historic gold miners' road as a mountain biking and tramping trail will bring economic growth to the region.
The 85km Old Ghost Road, inland from the Westport to Karamea highway, will re-open in two weeks and will be the country's longest continuous single track.
The road is run by a trust, and spokesman Phil Rossiter said the trail was already generating new business in the area.
But he warned it was not a silver bullet, rather part of a whole picture.