Cave Stream Loop Walk: Walking Guide, Time & Access

Route overview

This family-friendly walking track loops around Cave Stream Reserve, with lookouts over cave entrances and limestone formations.

This DOC directory entry covers Cave Stream Loop Walk in Canterbury, within Cave Stream Scenic Reserve. Where DOC groups several walks, times and grades refer to the listed options rather than a single continuous itinerary.

Distance, time and grade

• Distance: Not confirmed on the checked DOC page; see individual route sections
• Walking time: 35 min
• DOC grade: Easiest

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

No dogs. Other pets on conservation land rules.

Description

The track starts at the Cave Stream car park, off SH73. The track can be walked in either direction, this describes a walk anticlockwise around the loop.

Taking the right-hand track at the track entrance, follow the track down to a lookout over Broken River. There are excellent views of Cave Stream, flowing out from a cave in the hill and into the river. There are also good views of the river and spectacular limestone landscape.

From the viewpoint, continue on the track as it loops back towards the car park, enjoying good views of the surrounding mountains.

You will reach a junction with a side track to a lookout over a cave mouth. This track is 100 m each way and passes through a diverse karst (limestone) landscape of solution holes, rillenkarren (water-grooved rocks) and sculptured rock formations. The lookout provides a good view of the cave.

After returning back to the main loop track, continue up the hill to the car park. There is another side track shortly before the car park, leading to a lookout with views across the reserve (50 m each way).

Other tracks in the reserve

There is a gate near the Broken River viewpoint with a track going down to the cave mouth. This track is not part of the Cave Stream Loop Walk. It is used cavers to access the cave and passes under unstable cliffs on the way. We do not recommend this track for people who are not caving – there is a risk of falling rocks on the track. You cannot reach the cave mouth without crossing Broken River, which is cold, fast-flowing and has no bridge.

We also do not advise entering the other cave mouth unless you are there for caving and are suitably skilled and equipped. The stream drops down a 3 m waterfall just inside the cave – it is a difficult spot to enter the cave (most cavers exit here) and there is a risk of falling.

Getting there

The reserve is on SH73, between the Broken River road bridge and Craigieburn Forest Park entrance, about 90 minutes drive from Christchurch. There is a car park and public toilets.

Know before you go

Cave Stream Loop Walk is the recommended experience

It provides good views of where the stream flows in and out of the hill, as well as of other limestone landscape features. The walk is suitable for families and people of all fitness levels. Following the track and staying behind the barriers will keep you away from danger points.

If you are considering leaving the walking track and entering the cave, be aware that it is a much more risky and challenging experience. People have died in the Cave Stream cave, and drowning and hypothermia are real risks. Recent flooding has made the trip more difficult than it used to be. You will need good weather and river conditions, as well as the right gear and skills.

Caving at Cave Stream has more information.

No camping and no fires allowed in the reserve

This includes no overnight camping in the car park, even in self-contained vehicles. Mistletoe Flats Campsite is nearby at Craigieburn Forest Park.

Private property on other side of the river and stream

The land on the opposite side of Broken River and Cave Stream is private property. It is part of Castle Hill Station and Flock Hill Station. Public access is only by prior arrangement and/or registration.

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.