Up Hill Down ValleyBeginner - Intermediate
Submitted by Tony Sharpe
Urban fringe
Loop
Undulating, some big hills
Native bushOpen farmlandsOpen tussock/grasslandsOpen ridges/topsVolcanic
Beginner - Intermediate
2:00 (Slow)
1:30 (Moderate)
1:00 (Fast)
-9.3%
+10.4%
Fastest Known Times (FKTs)
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Description
Be it morning, noon or night this is a perfect loop to showcase all that the Port Hills has on offer.
Start up with a nice steady ascent up the tarmac of Rapaki Road. After 5 minutes your reach the lower gate of the highly popular Rapaki Track which winds its way steadily all the way to the Summit Road. At the top cross the road and pick up the Crater Rim/ 360 Trail up the east flank of Mt Vernon. Follow the zigs and zags for a satisfying ascent and some fantastic views in all directions. This is one of the best spots on the whole Crater Rim for the views. Have a breather at the top and congratulate yourself for the 450m of vert over 5km that you just nailed.
Drop rapidly off the other side of Vernon and loop back around to the Rapaki track via the shared use trail - watch your back for bikes as they can arrive fairly quickly on this stretch.
Drop down the first steeper bit of Rapaki Track until it levels off and then leave the trail to pick up the obvious waterway. This is the head of the Valley Track, which is signposted and follows the valley floor down. Parts of this steady descent can be quite technical, novices may wish to take their time.
The Valley Track terminates in a carpark. Skirt off to the right hand side across the clearing and then straight out to the alleyway into Vernon Tce which will return you to the start.
Trail Community
Features of interest
Up Rapaki to great views at the top, then an interesting lesser traveled technical trail back down
Make Up of Run
Untracked / Route only: 2%
Technical Single Track: 8%
Moderate Single Track: 20%
Easy Single Track: 25%
Farm Road / 4WD Track: 40%
Sealed Road: 5%
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

Port Hills Nearly Half Marathon
Length: 18.00km

Port Hills Spur Challenge!
Length: 18.50km

Mt Vernon Farm Track
Length: 7.40km

Montgomery Loop
Length: 7.90km

The North Faces
Length: 24.80km
Photos:
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I did it!-
Access
Start up at the foot of Rapaka Road
Park up by the river on Ansley Tce
5 km
12 minutes
No
No
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Staying Safe
Easy.
Only place you can go wrong is getting off Rapaki and onto the Valley Track, but its pretty straightforward. Trail is on the true left of the stream the whole way down
Perfect throughout.
Windproof jacket, Whistle, First aid kit, Cellphone, Map.
BYO, you can fill up at the bottom
All good all year but pay attention to signs during lambing- leave gates shut
Valley Track can be greasy after a wet spell
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Post run indulgence
Brickworks
69 Centaurus Rd
http://thebrickworks.co.nz/
Cold beer and great food -
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
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!
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