Port Hills Nearly Half MarathonIntermediate - Experienced
Submitted by Tim
Urban fringe
Loop
Very hilly
Native bushOpen farmlandsOpen tussock/grasslandsOpen ridges/topsVolcanic
Intermediate - Experienced
3:00 (Slow)
2:15 (Moderate)
1:30 (Fast)
-8.1%
+8.0%
Fastest Known Times (FKTs)
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Description
Starting at the bottom of Rapaki Rd, grind your way up Rapaki Rd and Rapaki Track until you reach the top of the Port Hills (under 30 mins for the Rapaki climb is a good target). Once you reach the top, head west along the Summit Rd or the nearby track. Keep a careful eye out on your right for the drop down onto the Harry Ell Walkway. Follow this down the hill until you reach Dyers Pass Rd. Follow Dyers Pass Rd (or Hackthorne Rd) all the way down until you reach Centaurus Rd. Turn right on Centaurus and stick on it until you back to your starting point.
Trail Community
Features of interest
The Port Hills get their name because of the fact that they lie between Lyttelton Port and Christchurch City, so at the top of this run you get views down into Lyttelton Harbour. The harbour and the hills are apparently the result of a volcanic eruption so they are also interesting for the budding geologist.
Make Up of Run
Untracked / Route only: 0%
Technical Single Track: 0%
Moderate Single Track: 20%
Easy Single Track: 25%
Farm Road / 4WD Track: 25%
Gravel Road: 0%
Sealed Road: 30%
Route Data
Reviews:
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
Rapaki Sugarloaf Return
Length: 15.00km
Sign Of The Takahe - Rapaki
Length: 13.00km
VKV challenge
Length: 10.00km
Gondola Gallop
Length: 11.30km
Lava - H.ELL Loop
Length: 10.30km
Port Hills Spur Challenge!
Length: 18.50km
Up Hill Down Valley
Length: 10.80km
Vicki Vale
Length: 9.25km
The North Faces
Length: 24.80km
Photos:
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I did it!-
Access
On a busy day your best option is to park on Centaurus Road and use your parking spot as your start and finish point.
You can park on Rapaki Drive but it's usually easier and safer to park on Centaurus Road.
5 km
11 minutes
Yes
No
-
Staying Safe
Moderate.
You need to look carefully for a way off Dyers Pass Rd onto Harry Ell Walkway. Harry Ell Walkway comes out at a point on Summit Rd just before Sign of the Kiwi Cafe.
Perfect throughout.
Thermal leggings, Long-sleeved thermal top, Seam-sealed waterproof jacket, Beanie/thermal headwear, Whistle, First aid kit, Extra food for emergencies, Cellphone, Map, Headtorch and spare batteries.
There is one water fountain on the Harry Ell Walkway. Do not collect water from the ponds along the way as it is unlikely to be safe to drink.
The Port Hills ridge line is often windy which can be freezing in winter and hot in summer.
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Post run indulgence
Protocol
2 Colombo St
http://www.protocoloncolombo.co.nz/
These guys serve a good beer and often have live music.Zeroes Cafe
81 Cashmere Rd
https://www.facebook.com/Zeroescafe/
Here you will find a superb coffee for your post-run energy boost. You're also likely to encounter lycra-clad cyclists - I'll leave it up to you to decide whether or not that's a reason to recommend... -
Sponsor this trail
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
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
Beer Bum Bluffs
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
