Stony Bay Peak
Aug 25, 2024
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It has been a long time since I went on an outdoor adventure before going on a work shift. But alas, it has also been quite a few years since I had to work on a Sunday. So, enter Stony Bay Peak, a short 10.5 km loop that is a meager 1 hour outside Christchurch above the town of Akaroa.

The track starts off on a road and, for the first 4-5 km, climbs 640 meters to the top of Stony Bay Peak. So, despite our intention of coming here for a trail run, we ended up hiking the majority of the first hill and taking in the fabulous views.

akaroa harbor
akaroa harbor
stony bay peak and parikura
stony bay peak and parikura
purple peak track
purple peak track
trail junction
trail junction
climbing stony bay peak
stony bay peak route
Kaikōura Mountains view point
nope...
summit views
summit views
summit views
summit views

After reaching the summit, we took a quick stop but only tarried for a short time since it was windy, and I had a limited amount of time before I needed to be at work for the evening.

The descent from the summit was quite steep in spots and very muddy, which slowed our progress significantly.

Once we reached the saddle just above the Purple Peak shelter, we could finally maintain a good pace while jogging down the trail.

descending stony bay peak
descending stony bay peak
descending stony bay peak
descending stony bay peak

After reaching the junction with the Curry track and beginning our journey back to the car, the track turned into a thick forest. Though the bay views had disappeared, the forest was enjoyable to run through and mostly mud-free.

FOREST ALONG CURRY TRACK
curry track forest
curry track forest
curry track forest
curry track forest
curry track forest

The only part of this loop that I really did not like was having to climb back up the road after reaching the bottom of the hill.

All around the Stony Bay Peak is an excellent quick run. I'm starting to love Christchurch. It is bike-able, not overly populated, and has trails like this and Rakaia Gorge available just outside the city. The city reminds me of my time in Bellingham.