The Guv'nor & His Birds

This one is for those like their runs a bit less travelled and a bit more technical. Note the vertical - most of the 1000m plus is in the first 8 km or so, you have been warned!

Starting at the Governors Bay wharf make your way up Jetty Road. Ignore the pull of the pub and She Chocolate and head left to pick up the signposted Faulkners Track up to Lighthouse Lane, and then head on uphill alongside houses. Soon you will have gained over 200m of vert and be above the township and on to the trails proper. After a while pick up the South Boundary track as it begins climbing and sidling the hill flanks. Impressive views as you nip in and out of bush and start to get the essence of the trails, which can become very muddy and slippery when wet.

Keep going along the South Boundary Track until you eventually reach the Bush Road Track - follow these nice technical trails along down to pick up the junction with O'Farrell's Track. O'Farrell's is a nice broad level sort of affair for a couple of km's as you emerge into areas devastated by the 2017 Port Hills Fire.

Next you are looking for the Cass Ridge Track, which is your self propelled 'escalator' up to the Summit Road - and it doesn't muck around in elevating you rapidly to the Sign of the Bellbird. Have a breather and loo stop if needed at the Sign of the Bellbird before heading down into the bush and around the wonderful circuit that is the Orongomai Trail. This is a 3km circuit through possibly the best kept secret in the whole Christchurch area - and miraculously it survived the 2017 fires. There are quite a few junctions through here, just keep following the Orongomai Track all the way down and then back up the other side of its pleasant minor waterways. Prolific birdlife here and a real taste of what used to be - and another 250m of down and then back up vert for your tally.

Once back up to the Summit Road then hop across to the Crater Rim and enjoy the tremendous ridgeline views for 3-4km along to the Sign of the Kiwi - water and loo available here, and a store for other refreshments if needed. The last stretch is a cruisy glide down the Harry Ell track to the Sign of the Takahe, so named after the vision and dreams of the network of buildings and tracks you have just explored for 16kms.