Wharfedale/Townshend Track: Walking Guide, Time & Access

Route overview

Follow this track to Wharfedale Hut by walking, mountain biking, or horse riding.

This DOC directory entry covers Wharfedale/Townshend Track in Canterbury, within Oxford 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: Not confirmed on the checked DOC page; see individual route sections
• Walking time: 1–2 days
• DOC grade: Intermediate

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 allowed. Keep dog under control at all times. Other pets on conservation land rules.

Description

View Hill car park to Wharfedale Hut

Time: 5 hr one wayDistance: 15 km one way

The track sidles and gently climbs through beech forest to the saddle. It is then mostly downhill to Wharfedale Hut, close to Dobson Stream.

This track was formed originally as a stock route with the intention of eventually becoming a road linking the plains with Lees Valley. Work began in 1879 but after seven years it was abandoned as a possible road.

Mountain biking

Time: 3 hr one wayGrade: 3/Intermediate

Townshend Track

Time: 2 hr 30 min one wayDistance: 8.5 km one way

Permission from Lees Valley Station is required for access to the Townshend Track as the track crosses private land. Email Lees Valley Station with at least one week's notice: themuster@grasslands-llc.com

About half an hour after leaving Wharfedale Hut, the track opens out and follows a 4WD track over grazed flats coming out at Lees Valley Road.

This track crosses the Townshend River twice and may be impassable if river levels are high.

The Townshend Track is on unformed legal road. See Unformed legal roads for more information.

The farm track varies from the unformed legal road at the beginning of this track from Lees Valley Road.

Mountain biking

Grade: 2/Easy

These tracks connect with tracks to Black Hill Hut.

Horse riding

You can ride your horse on this track.

Getting there

Townshend Track access

Access to Wharfedale Hut via the Townshend Track is on a mixture of private land and unformed legal road. Permission from Lees Valley Station is required for access. Email Lees Valley Station with at least one week's notice: themuster@grasslands-llc.com

See Unformed legal roads for more information.

The farm track varies from the unformed legal road at the beginning of this track from Lees Valley Road.

If you have difficulty using an unformed legal road, you can contact the relevant territorial authority, as they are responsible for unformed legal roads. The relevant council to this area is the Waimakariri District Council.

To get to View Hills carpark

4 km south of Oxford, turn off SH72 (Inland Scenic Route) onto Woodstock Road. Follow this for 10 km then turn into Ingrams Road, then into Limeworks Road, which becomes Perhams Road. An AA sign here indicates the turn-off to the start of the Wharfedale Track where the View Hill car park is located.

In times of heavy rain two fords on Perhams Road may become impassable and the road may be muddy. 4WD vehicles are advisable.

To get to Lees Valley - access to Townshend Track

From Oxford, follow Ashely Gorge Road for 6 km. Turn into Lees Valley Road and follow this for 20 km to the DOC sign. Leave your vehicle outside the locked gate, foot access only from here.

Know before you go

Shared use track

This is a shared use track for walkers, mountain bikers and horse riders. Be mindful of other users.

Slip on the track

There is a slip on the Wharfedale Track between Wharfdale Hut and Fosters Ridge Track Junction.

Wharfedale Track slip. View larger image (JPG, 201K).Image: DOC

A section of the track is gone and there is about a 5 m drop. You may need to go through the bush to get around the slip. Take care. If you're not confident in doing this, do not proceed.The slip is difficult to negotiate and not recommended for mountain biking as the track across is very narrow and bumpy with the 5 m drop on one side.

NZTopo50 map sheet: BW22

This track crosses the Townshend River twice and may be impassable if river levels are high.

Stay safe when crossing rivers and streams

If you plan to cross unbridged rivers or side streams, know how to cross safely and be prepared for if you cannot cross.

Do not cross if the river or stream is flooded, you cannot find safe entry and exit points or are unsure it’s safe. Turn back or wait for the river to drop. If in doubt, stay out.

How to cross rivers safely

NIWA river flow forecasts: View a video of national followed by regional river flows

Wasp warning

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

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.