Wild Things - New Zealand's trail running community
New Zealand's trail running community

Login



don't have an account?

Beer Bum Bluffs, Canterbury

Trail Directory proudly supported by Further Faster

Update Your Header Picture

Beer Bum BluffsIntermediate

Submitted by Tony Sharpe

Info Info
Map Loading

Trail Information

9.50km

530m

530m

 

Canterbury

Christchurch

Urban fringe

Loop

Very hilly

Open farmlands
Open tussock/grasslands
Open ridges/tops
Volcanic

Intermediate

2:00 (Slow)
1:30 (Moderate)
1:00 (Fast)

-13.6%

+14.0%

Note the rock fall signs, but don't worry these tracks are well maintained and regularly used by the locals

Download PDF Guide

Fastest Known Times (FKTs)

Please set your gender to see your position on the FKT leaderboards.

Men

Show more

Women

Show more

Filter FKTs

The more , the harder the FKT will be to beat. Learn about Fastest Known Times.

Missing your time?

Register or login as a VIP and get yourself on the FKT leaderboard!

Register Now

Description

Park up at the trail head. Note the sign about rockfalls, but don't worry as the trails are well maintained and looked after by an awesome group of local volunteers.

Head up the few sets of stairs and zig zags until you reach a junction. Don't keep going up here, this is where you come back down later - unless you are doing the loop in reverse. Take the right turn to into the old quarry. Pass a seat and a bunch of kids' swings and carry on sidling above the houses. After a while leap the over a stile and hum along a few switchbacks and gain some more height. This is great trail running and you'll pass the sign for the Beer Bum Track - follow this.

The trail does a wide swing around the side of the valley well above Heathcote. Lovely sweeping views out over Christchurch here. Keep trucking on what is now called Morgans Track all the way round, under the gondola and around to the Bridle Path. Head up the hill here via the infamous Pipeline Track and grovel all the way to the top of the hill on the old Summit Road.

At the top of Pipeline head along the old Summit Road, which is now forever closed to traffic. Look out for bikes while you enjoy the sweeping views. Carry on up the road until you cross a cattle stop by some rock climbing sites. Here you'll pick up the John Brittan shared use trail and follow this onto the Kenton Track, which drops you down to the houses at the top of Mt Pleasant.

Keep going on the Kenton track as it traverses the top of the bluffs. Awesome technical trails here all the way to the top of the Heathcote Quarry Trail which you follow back down to the start, again noting but not worrying about the rockfall signage. The track is good, and well looked after. Take care on this steep often slippery descent - it's a good idea to have your grippiest footwear on for this section. Could be especially treacherous in the wet.


Trail Community

Find people who are interested in this run.

You must register or login to view this content.

Features of interest

Old Heathcote quarry site; The infamous Pipeline; Christchurch Gondola; Superb views


Make Up of Run

Technical Single Track: 40%

Moderate Single Track: 40%

Easy Single Track: 10%

Farm Road / 4WD Track: 10%


Route Data

Reviews:

You must register or login to view this content.


Overlapping Runs

The following trails overlap with this run to some degree. You may wish to combine them but please note that to qualify for FKTs on these runs you should record a separate Strava activity for each

Gang of Four

Gang of Four

Length: 15.70km

Trinity - Harbour Bruisin'

Trinity - Harbour Bruisin'

Length: 20.10km


Photos:

You must register or login to view this content.

Your Trail Wishlist

All the runs that are on your To Do list (no limit).

Add to wishlist view wishlist

Your Trail Dreamlist

The runs you most want to do (limited to 10).

Add to dreamlist view dreamlist

Wild Explorers

I did it!
  • Access

    Park up on Bridle Path Road right at the track entrance.

    The Lyttelton Bus gets you within a block or two if you don't have a car, or you could get off the bus and the Gondola base station and start the loop part way round

    11 km

    18 minutes

    No

    No

  • Staying Safe

    Moderate.

    Don't drop into the houses on the side trails - other than that it's pretty intuitive.

    Perfect throughout.

    Long-sleeved thermal top, Seam-sealed waterproof jacket, Windproof jacket, Gloves, Beanie/thermal headwear, Whistle, First aid kit, Extra food for emergencies, Cellphone, Map.

    There's a tap at the foot of the bridle Path if you need it, small diversion down to reach it.

    Muddy in sheltered shady parts in winter or when rain has been about.

    Take care above the bluffs, and don't rush down the final descent

  • Post run indulgence

    Heathcote Valley Inn
    2 Flavel St, Heathcote
    http://valleyinntavern.co.nz/
    Great little pub

    Christchurch Gondola Top Station
    Top of Mt Cavendish
    https://www.christchurchattractions.nz/christchurch_gondola/
    Great views, food and beverages

  • Sponsor this trail

    If you are interested in learning about sponsorship opportunities, please get in touch below:

    Submit

See other runs nearby:

Godley Head loop
Lyttelton to Diamond Harbour
Halswell and Kennedys
Summit Walkway
The Bowenvale Elevator
The Gorsetrack Strikes Back
Rapaki Sugarloaf Return
Sign Of The Takahe - Rapaki
Port Hills Nearly Half Marathon
Horse Longitudes
Horse Latitudes
Sumner Half Heads
Whigs' Flying Fifty (WFF)
VKV challenge
Banks Peninsula Ultra Beer Run
Bottle Lake Blue Loop
Gebbies to Packhorse Romp
Hagley Figure of 8
Bowenvale / Huntsbury Loop
Avon City Loops
Avon - Source to Surf
Okuti to Hilltop Amble
Gondola Gallop
Orton Bradley Loop
The ATH (Around The Harbour)
Lava - H.ELL Loop
Travis Wetland Loop
Punk Rock Assault On Windsor Castle
The Guv'nor & His Birds
The Crater Rim
Lava Lite
Takahe Half
North New Brighton Spit
Mt Pleasant Trig
God's Con - Rehab Road
Gang of Four
Dog Sniffing Rhythms - Harbour Crusin'
Trinity - Harbour Bruisin'
Gates Of The East
Hunting Out A Gorge-ous Loop
Lyttelton Dress Circle
A Diamond in the Rough
Port Hills Spur Challenge!
Up Hill Down Valley
The Coffee Run
Pour Some Sugarloaf On Me
Never Trust A Crocodile
Lyttelton Semi-Circle
Hagley Perimeter
Holliss Stairway to Heaven
Diamond, Herbert & Fitzgerald
Barnett Bunker Buster
The Pipeline of Pain
Mt Vernon Farm Track
Vicki Vale
Heathcote River Run - Opawa to Hoon Hay
Christchurch 360 Trail - Sugarloaf Hills Section
Little Learner Loop (Halswell Quarry)
Bird to Bird
Port Hills Protocol
Bodybag
O'Farrells For Shore
The Governator
Heathcote Meander
Spitting Distance
Montgomery Loop
Canterbury Agricultural Park Loop
2 Sugars, 2 Vernons & a Half Shot
Quail Island Looping
The Chairlift Choice
Tussock Hill Ridge
Mt Pleasant Elevator
McLeans Meander
Girdle the Groynes
Governator 2 - Judgement Day
Christchurch 360 Trail - Godley Cliffs Section
Westmorland Wetland Time Trial
Loopy in Siberia
The North Faces
Westmorland Hill Reps
360 Trail - Dunes Wetlands Section
Rocking Gibraltar
Dune Bugging
Hey Sisters!
Living Springs Loop
Springing Around Longhurst
Lady Isaac Loop
The Missing Link
Brooklands for the Birds.
Surf's Up!!!
Styx Pick Me Up
Orton Odyssey
Shoeing the Horse
Tauhinu-Korokio TKO
Double Top
Beginner's Adventure Park Loop
Boulder Dash
Clan of the Cave Runner
Taiora Track
Landfill Lark
Morgans Baa Baa Loop
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Horsing Around
Port Hills 8-Attack
Pinecone Pirate - Waitākiri/Bottle Lake Forest Park
Frogger
Takahe to Taylors
Tai Tapu - Sacred Boundary
Blackhill Hut Buster

Show all

Got a favourite trail? Tell us about it.

Share the love and add your favourite trail(s) to our growing trail directory.

Submit A Trail

Become a member today

Start enjoying the many benefits to becoming a member of our thriving community.

Become a member

Great brands at great prices with our VIP member's discount

Stay up to date

Sign up to our newsletter for latest offers and trail guides

Share this trail with a friend:

VIP Membership

Please register as a VIP or login to your VIP account to view this content.

Cancel Login Register

Membership Required

You can see up to three trail guides without being logged in but after that we require you to be logged in to your Free or VIP account. If you don’t yet have an account you can register here.

Login Register