Papamoa Hills Outer Loop

Before setting off from the carpark take a picture of the Trail sign to help with navigation, you will be running the dotted boundary line.

Begin your run on the trail leaving the carpark, the first 500m of the run is the steepest part of the whole thing. Pass through the first gate and run the small flat section until the next hill. As you head uphill the first corner you come to has an unmarked track leading off the right, take this. Follow this around and climb over the first gate and head left up to the next gate on top of the ridge, pass through the gate and follow the farm track all the way down the ridge line almost back to poplar lane.

Once at the end of the ridge cut left down the hill to the gravel farm track, turn left again and follow this until you pass an empty utility shed. Just past this you pass through another gate. If you look to your right you will see a wooden bridge, head downhill and over the bridge, up on your left you will see a stile -  climb over this and follow the track over the small hill and up through a native gully.

Follow this up the valley and stick to the track, which will come to a fence line. Turn right and head through the gate and head straight to the next stile. Once over this turn left and follow the narrow track. Often this is muddy due to cattle, follow this until you come to the next Trail sign, climb over the stile and head straight. Follow this track and through the next gate heading up hill until you hit the main gravel farm race.

Continue for 200m or so until the next trail sign and from here turn slightly right look for a narrow track hard against the fence line. Follow this downhill and over another stile. Past this it heads up hill again. Around the corner you will want to cut right and up onto the spur, follow this uphill until you hit the fence line. Over the fence is the first set of Pa sites, run up through these until you hit the main race again.

From here it's a case of the following the track all the way up to trig you can see in the distance. Once there take in the views, they are some of the best in town. Once you have caught your breath head down from the trig and turn left. From here run the long grassy ridge all the way out to Reid Rd Summer Hill park, return the same way. Once back at the Trig run back the way you came. Once you hit the Pa site turn right and stick to the main Farm race, run downhill and pass the new shearing shed and yards, sticking to the race.

Run downhill until you hit the paddock you ran through originally , look up to you right and you will see another Trail sign and stile. Climb over this and from here follow the track sidling under the pine trees, until you hit the next fence line. Turn right again and follow this track all the way up to the wooden gate that meets up with the main gravel walking track. You are now on the home stretch, simply head downhill all the way back the carpark.

Note: The run can be extended by taking the hiking trails at Summerhill MTB Park. Extra 4k available. Just make sure to take a picture of the map, as the trails are less well travelled and at times hard to follow.