Ashley Gorge Skyline Trail

Time: 3 hours and 45 minutes
Distance: 6.8 km
Elevation gain: 709 m
Start: Williams Flat, Ashley Gorge Holiday Park
Finish: Same place, it's loopish
Date: Friday 5th June 2026

We rendezvoused at Clarkville School on Heywards Road. It was bang on 9am - school drop-off time (i.e. "kiss and wave goodbye") - where a gazillion crazy parents were driving at us from all angles. Complete bedlam. With difficulty, we managed to circumnavigate two car-parks and extricate ourselves from that dangerous situation. From there, Google Maps guided us safely, albeit via gravel roads, to Ashley Gorge Holiday Park. We parked at Williams Flat and set off on foot, crossing the Ashley River/Rakahuri bridge and ascending the stairs to the map, visitor book, and signage. This is where all the tracks start: the Ashley Gorge Loop Track, the Totaranui Trail, and today's brand spanking new Ashley Gorge Skyline Trail. 

The Ashley Gorge Skyline Trail was opened recently (March 2026) by the Ashley Gorge Tracks Group, and is the result of ten years of dedicated community volunteer work (approx 15,000 hours) lead by septuagenerian John Burton. Wonderful! I love stories like this. The start is five minutes along the Ashley Gorge Loop Track, and the first section is up a steep old scree slope covered by an enchanted forest of māhoe/whiteywood.  

We had been puff-puffing up the hill for quite awhile when I realised with horror that I hadn't seen any track markers for simply yonks. Yikes! It was humid and I broke out in a bit of a sweat as it dawned on me that our trail had indeed become somewhat rougher and steeper than I remembered from last Saturday when me and my hoa rangatira did the reconnaissance. Yes, we were fairly and squarely off-piste. But I must say that Jane and Nicole were jolly good sports about it all. After all these years, the odd bit of inadvertant off-piste travel is par for the course.  After some strenuous pfaff-pfaffing around, hugging trees and scrambling, we finally caught sight of an elusive track marker.  Phew. 

The track levelled out on a contour and crossed a couple of streams with sweet small waterfalls and lime-green punga ferns. The last steep bit saw more phut-phutting. A bit like The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper ("I think I can, I know I can"). We paused for a break and a long-winded anecdote from Jane. A korimako/bellbird landing in the foliage above us and trilled in unison. 

The track was changing - lush jungly greenery giving way to dry manuka and stunted beech, with rocky bits to clamber up. Then we popped out into the open with grass underfoot and views down to Rakahuri, across Kā-Pākihi-Whakatekateka-o-Waitaha, and all the way to the coast. We were now on private property where a track easement has been negotiated across freehold land, enabling the loop.

The tops section of the track is a pleasant undulating stroll across open tussock land, dipping in and out of beech forest with views across Mount Thomas Forest to the Lees Valley and the Puketeraki Range beyond. There is even a grassy clearing where helicopters may or may not land. Tops travel is my all-time favourite. Clouds were gathering moodily and a cold wind had sprung up, so we donned jackets and hats.  

Finally - the descent on a very well maintained trail that looks like it has been around for yonks. It runs through the beeches and down the ridge. Near the bottom, the trees thinned, giving way to grassy patches that looked like they might be slippery to negotiate in wet weather. 

The knees were staring to feel it, and it was good to get to the bench seat at the Ashley Loop Track junction. From here the track is a veritable highway through luscious fuscia forests and ferns and back to the car.

The rain began just as we were driving to Cafe 51 (or was it 88) in Oxford. There, we reaped the rewards of our hard labour by eating date scones and lemon and blackberry blondies, and drinking large flat whites. After that, there was just enough time to check out the butcher, the bookshop and the clothes shop with the funky glasses. 

Back at Clarkville School on Heywards Road, it was bang on 3pm - pick up time. Jesus Christ. Those same gazillion crazy parents were driving at us from all angles again. Complete bedlam. 

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