Best Canterbury Adventure Route Secret!

[AlpinePossum]

Just back from a fantastic day trip in the Craigieburn range.

Do you know how when you head from Christchurch up and over Porter's Pass there are all those tantalizing ski field roads...

You know the ones....

The ones marked "PRIVATE ROAD", "SKIFIELD CLOSED" and "THIS GATE MAY BE LOCKED AT ANY TIME....(leaving you to freeze and starve while we mock you)"

So go past the false lure of Porter's Pass skifield road.

Then you come to a sign.

"Castle Hill Station is a working farm. NO ACCESS".

This is the first of many.

Go past the next "Castle Hill Station is a working farm. NO ACCESS".

And the next "Castle Hill Station is a working farm. NO ACCESS".

And the next "Castle Hill Station is a working farm. NO ACCESS." Yeah, yeah, I know. I suppose all the other farms aren't working then?"

And the next "Castle Hill Station is a working farm. NO ACCESS, hoi polloi and unmoneyed scum not welcome" sign.

At the next "Castle Hill Station is a working farm. NO ACCESS" sign pause, and with a pair of high powered binoculars admired the washing line made so famous by the fedup-arated farmers ad.

Carry on past the "Castle Hill Station is a working farm. NO ACCESS, just give National one more term, and we'll make this a toll road with extra charges for admiring the mountains " sign.

Just after the last "Castle Hill Station is a working farm. NO ACCESS" and just before the Broken River and the Cave stream scenic reserve is another Skifield road.

Yup, Mt Cheeseman ski field access road LOOKS like an ordinary PRIVATE, CLOSED, NO ENTRY OR THE YETI WILL EAT YOU type ski field road.

Aha! GOTCHA! Neatly out of sight from the main road is a New Zealand Secret Service sign.

You know the ones.

The ones that hide ten twenty meters off the main road down a farm track. (Think I'm joking? They've pulled the same silly stunt at Benmore station / 13 mile bush)

A "Department of Conservation" sign.

And a lovely track that goes way way up through the forest and out nearly at the skifield.

Caution! Expect ice and snow.

Dress extremely warmly. Pack snow chains if you going by car, go carefully carefully being prepare to give up and turn around if things get too hairy for the bike.

The view is utterly magnificent.

[Eddieb]

The view is utterly magnificent.

So where's the pics?

[dino3310]

coooool, now wheres the photos

[Peril]

We had a school camp up in there,possibly walked up that road + bush tracks to Broken River ski field for the pleasure of the sadistic teachers.

[merv]

Its a while ago since I lived down there but damn I still miss riding in Canterbury.

[countryguy]

And if you keep on going a few K's west you come to 'Flock Hill Station' who sometimes allow access and you are able to ride over vast tussock terraces through creeks and very steep bush tracks into the upper Waimak Gorge.

[cruza]

spent many weekends, exploring round here on me xr600 and xr250 as family had bach at castle hill. access wasn't a problem back then , and some good hunting as well. porters, cheeseman all have farm gates just alittle past them that aren't locked , cheeseman ya just go upstream under the sh1 bridge for a bit. Broken river skifield road is great, just need club contacts for key now as gap at the end of the gate is closed off now, unless your keen......paper road anyway. send a pm if ya need pointers

[cruza]

And if you keep on going a few K's west you come to 'Flock Hill Station' who sometimes allow access and you are able to ride over vast tussock terraces through creeks and very steep bush tracks into the upper Waimak Gorge.

always gone in the back way on the craigeburn road most times , tracks up there to explore , couple of huts to stay, can do the loop down to the railway and back to springfield on maintence tracks.

[cromagnon]

always gone in the back way on the craigeburn road most times , tracks up there to explore , couple of huts to stay, can do the loop down to the railway and back to springfield on maintence tracks.

This interests me, did you have to ride on the rail bridges/tunnels at any point?

[hamjet]

Cromagnon, hope you do not work for kiwi Rail when you say "This interests me".

Only one way across "Staircase Gully" I know of??

[cromagnon]

Cromagon, hope you do not work for kiwi Rail when you say "This interests me".

Only one way across "Staircase Gully" I know of??

Haha no I dont work for kiwirail or ontrack. I had a look around craigeburn rd for the first time on wednesday so that's why it "interests me". I have no idea what/where staircase gully is.

[hamjet]

Commonly known as Staircase. Staircase Viaduct cross's Staircase Stream right where it meets the Waimakariri. About 78mtrs high steep rock abuttments at each end. Long tunnel right at the western end?

[cromagnon]

thanks hamjet, i have found it on google maps plus a couple of photos. There doesnt seem to be much runoff space between the bridge and then long curved tunnel.

[hamjet]

Oh dear, I have a cap and blue lifejacket just like that?

In real life those cliff faces are a lot steeper than they appear. Apparently when they built it they had narrow tracks, zig-zagging down both faces, hauling materials by donkey. I had a good scramble around there one day trying to find their remains, to no avail. (real rock climbing terrain). Shame, for there are 4wd tracks and the maintenance track goin into Staircase. Beyond that tunnel.s exit there is an old 4wd track that takes you to the Old Avoca homestead (you can just make it out on GoggleE ). Then its across Broken river, up under another viaduct onto the Craig Rd.

[cruza]

This interests me, did you have to ride on the rail bridges/tunnels at any point?

just across staircase gully. Big slip on track between staircase and broken river since last year, which stopped getting the landcruiser in, but other options on bike to bypass it.
lots of places to look. ever noticed a farm track and gate 2km on the left after cave stream.........another little adventure.