A Slice of the South

A great short(er) alternative to a full 61km Hump Ridge Track run.

Starting from the Hump Ridge trail carpark head 300m back down the road to the entry to the trail. You will see from the sign here that the trail along the coast is actually the South Coast Track all the way to Port Craig. Straight away you will drop into lovely bush trail which winds its way along the clifftop giving the occasional glimpse. After about 2.5km there is a rapid decent down to sea level and then more trail through to the big swingbridge at about 3km.

Once over the swingbridge follow the road past the houses and then you have a choice... you can follow the road/track for a bit further before a sign points you onto the beach... or if the tide is out hit the beach straight away. Then follow the beach for about 2.5km. Eventually you will see a large orange traingle to your right and about 100 metres further a DOC and Hump Ridge sign. You could turn around here or carry on another 100 metres or so and over a second much smaller swingbridge. If the tide is right in you can run the 4WD track pretty much the whole distance - although this would work better in summer as it can get very wet and boggy in winter.

Of course, you have the option to run further before heading back if you wish!