Blowhard Track: Walking Guide, Time & Access

Route overview

You can walk or mountain bike up to Mt Richardson Trig on this track. Motorised vehicles, including motorbikes, are not permitted.

This DOC directory entry covers Blowhard Track in Canterbury, within Mount Thomas Forest Conservation Area. Where DOC groups several walks, times and grades refer to the listed options rather than a single continuous itinerary.

Distance, time and grade

• Distance: 9. 5 km one way
• Walking time: 4 hr
• DOC grade: Advanced

Access and alerts

Source checked 2026-10-08. This page is a dated snapshot, not a live track-status report. Check current DOC route information immediately before travelling. An absence of listed alerts does not establish that a route is open.

Dog access

Dogs on a leash only. Other pets on conservation land rules.

Description

You need permissions from the landowner to access the Blowhard Track from Maori Reserve Road. DOC does not hold the landowner's contact details.

The lower portion of this track climbs a wind-swept ridge through tall open forest and emerges through stunted tawhai onto open grasslands. Skeleton tree trunks along the top ridge are a legacy of wildfire which swept up the Lees Valley in 1980.

This track can be combined with Richardson Track to climb up to Mt Richardson from different road ends. Both tracks can be combined with the Bypass Track to make a circuit.

Blowhard Track is a shared use track for trampers, mountain bikers, and horse riders. Be mindful of other users on this track.

Motorised vehicles, including motorbikes, are not permitted on this track.

Mountain biking

It's a challenging ascent once you enter the forest. The track is steep and rough in places and bikes may need to be carried at times. It then flattens out as you follow the ridgeline to the trig at the summit of Mt Richardson. Return the same way.

It is a 3 hr trip uphill.

Mountain biking is not permitted on Richardson or Bypass Tracks.

This is a shared-use track. Follow the mountain bikers code: respect others, respect the rules, respect the track.

Getting there

Blowhard Track is accessed from Maori Reserve Road. Note: Permission is required from the landowner to access the Blowhard Track from Maori Reserve Road.

From Oxford, follow Ashley Gorge Road for 16 km, then turn into Maori Reserve Road and follow this for 4 km to the end.

Know before you go

NZTopo50 map sheets: BW22 (Oxford), BW23 (Cust)

You will need to ford a small stream close to the beginning of the track when walking in a clockwise direction, as the bridge has been removed.

Wasp populations reach high numbers from January to March – wear light-coloured clothing and carry antihistamine cream/tablets as a precaution.

Possum trapping is taking place here

Possum trapping using leg-hold traps is taking place in this area. Ensure your dog is on a leash and under control on this track to keep them safe.

Possum trapping is allowed by permit only. Leg-hold possum traps must be a minimum of 50 m from the track.

Sources and reuse

Route descriptions and practical information reproduced from the Department of Conservation, Crown copyright, under CC BY 4.0, subject to DOC's copyright policy. Formatting has been adapted, including flattening page sections; follow the original DOC page for maps, section-specific layout, current notices and linked documents. Outdoor Next is independent and is not endorsed by DOC.

The accompanying photograph is a licensed general hiking illustration, not a photograph of this route.