Pudding Hill Stream Route

Activity Date:
Updated:
People: Finn, Dad, Korra 🐕

Tue Dec 17, 2024 [Show, Download GPX]
Pudding Hill Stream & Scott’s Saddle		15.09km
4:18:10		3.51km/hr
883m ⬆️, 888m ⬇️

I never knew this route existed until I saw it on the Hiking With Dogs New Zealand Facebook page and Tim H did it as a Coast to Coast training run. When Dad asked if I wanted to go for a day trip and bring Korra, this came to mind! It turned out to be a hidden gem within a short drive from Christchurch which makes for a great day trip.

We headed first up to Scotts Saddle Track: it climbs steeply at times through bush and exposed tussock. But, it is all very manageable at a walk. Running would be a good deal harder! The forest is super nice and full of natives. It’s damp and dense at the bottom, and more beech-y the closer you get to the treeline. Once you reach Scotts Saddle, you walk up the Mt Hutt access road for a couple hundred metres before entering the bush on Pudding Hill Stream Route and descending steeply toward Pudding Hill Stream.

The travel downstream is all very accessible, with the river not deep or fast enough (at normal flows) to impede crossings or travel. That said, always check the river gauge on Environment Canterbury and a nearby rain gauge to see what the river is doing. It was around 0.8 cumec during our trip.

The last section, Alder Track, is wide and well-formed and makes for easy travel back to the carpark. Overall, this is a great dog-friendly day trip and I’m sure I’ll be back to do it again!

Timings:

1:25hrs to Scotts Saddle
0:25hrs to Pudding Hill Stream
1:30hrs downstream travel
0:25hrs Alder Track back to car

Korra ready to get going up the hill!
(📷: Finn Le Sueur) Korra ready to get going up the hill!
I reckon you could have hit the slopes after that storm! Skiing in December!
(📷: Finn Le Sueur) I reckon you could have hit the slopes after that storm! Skiing in December!
Korra – an originally very water-hesitant dog – got some good practice at crossing the river.
(📷: Finn Le Sueur) Korra – an originally very water-hesitant dog – got some good practice at crossing the river.
Sometimes she tried to jump the stream. It never worked out very well.
(📷: Finn Le Sueur) Sometimes she tried to jump the stream. It never worked out very well.
A very beautiful little pool that Korra had to jump into! No other way through. So proud.
(📷: Finn Le Sueur) A very beautiful little pool that Korra had to jump into! No other way through. So proud.
Korra noticing some cows mooing in the distance.
(📷: Finn Le Sueur) Korra noticing some cows mooing in the distance.