The Mt Grey Track is a rewarding hiking and trail running track in the Canterbury foothills forests, 19kms west of Amberley, and can be joined with the Red Beech Track into a round trip. 

Starting at the Grey River picnic area in Mt Grey/Maukatere Conservation Area, we followed the well-formed track climbing steadily to the tree line on a lovely string of short switchbacks through native bush and pine.

It was really quiet in the shelter of the trees, the wind only gently rustling the leaves. Until we shrugged off the last row of trees that was and all of a sudden that calm disappeared. A thunderous gust raced towards us down the exposed slopes, in turn rocking the sturdy tussocks back and forth, then pressing the blades of grass firmly to the ground.

All sound was drowned out by the racket as we followed the trail in long switchbacks across the tussock covered grasslands. To talk was pointless. When Tobi turned around and spoke, I saw his mouth move, form words, but all I could hear was the thundering howl.

After ninety minutes, we were at the trig point marking the summit at 933m. The fragile metal structure, too, was buffeted by winds from every direction and I was surprised it was still standing upright. The lack of shelter on the exposed ridge did have one advantage, however – with nothing to block the view, the 360-degree panorama of the Canterbury Plains, Pegasus Bay, Lees Valley and the higher mountains of the Southern Alps further west was just spectacular.

The trail runners we met all returned via the Mt Grey Track, and I soon saw why. The descent via the Red Beech Track across some loose scree and broken rock entangled in knobbly tree roots is indeed steeper, narrow in places, and more generally more difficult. Also, we had to ford the Grey River.

In early February, with no significant rainfall the previous week, the river was easy to cross, but better check the river levels at the picnic site before your hike. If the water is flowing over the ford, do not attempt to cross the River on the Red Beech Track, but instead return to the picnic area on the Mt Grey Track.