Packhorse Hut Walk with Kids: Best Half Day Walk for Families or Beginners Overnight Hike in Christchurch

How long does it take to get to Packhorse Hut on the Gebbies Pass Track with kids?

With a 1 year old on our back and a 3 year old who walked, it took us 2 hours 20 minutes, including a morning tea break.  It only took an hour and 40 minutes downhill, although we backpacked our 3 year old most of the way as we were racing back for school pickups.  He could have walked down if we had the time to let him wander at his own pace.

If you do want a shorter track to start off with, then the Rod Donald Hut (not too far from Packhorse Hut) is fabulous and takes less than an hour to reach.

So what is the trail actually like tramping with kids?

I want to give some good detail because if you have young children who are doing their first hike, or you are wondering if you can tramp all this way carrying the kids gear, or having to carry a child yourself, it can be quite daunting when all the official information says is that it is of intermediate difficulty.  

With kids, doing this as a half day hike, it is a 4-5 hour return journey, which can be quite a lot for little legs.  By the time we left just after 10am, and with a good lunch stop at the top, we made it back to the car by 3.30pm, so it’s still a decent day.  

If you are a little apprehensive about walking this far, then really would be a great overnight hike. I would leave at lunchtime so you have plenty of time to walk in without any pressure, some time to explore at the top, and exciting campstyle dinner and their first overnight stay in a backcountry hut.  Sounds pretty good to me. Then a mostly downhill walk on the way out. If you want to know exactly what you will encounter on this track, let me detail it for you below

Detailed Account of the Gebbies Pass Track to Packhorse Hut

The start of the Packhorse Hut track from Gebbies Pass

The first part of the track is on the logging road, but there is a small track to the left that you can walk along.  Walk along this for around 15 minutes and look out for the gate into the trees/forest on your left. This is the start of the actual trail.

There are a number of sections to this walk, and even though this is recommended as the easiest route, it will still require some effort.  It is not a stroll in the park and will require at least some decent running shoes.  

It is an undulating track, which is somewhat frustrating as you climb up some decent hills, only to head down again.  But it does provide a good amount of variety.  

Forest Section 1

This forest walk starts with a steep downhill.  Just be careful with the younger ones as the dry pine needles can make the path quite slippery.  After often walking in bush tracks around New Zealand, this forest is quite a nice change.

Open Hill

After walking through the first forest section you will climb back up the open hills along the fenceline, reuniting yourself with the breathtaking views of the Lyttelton Harbour.  Catch your breath at the top as you will head down again to the next forest section.

Forest Section 2

Now you have another good climb through the forest.  When we visited the Packhorse Hut Track they were logging, so we were actually diverted up the logging track instead of on the forest path.  So just keep an eye out and follow the instructions if there are any. 

Logged Forest

Once at the top of the hill you should be able to just see the hut up on the ridgeline.  We weren’t quite sure what we were looking for on the way up, so if you look at the hills and see the bowl like curve, at the bottom of the curve (saddle) in the middle, you can just see a little red hut, and that is where you are heading.  It looks a lot further away than it actually felt walking so don’t worry. Head along the path towards the base of the forest (where there are still trees) and follow the orange markers through the forest.

Forest Section 3

This is the last of the beautiful forest sections and is an uphill zig zagging climb, a little bit steep in some sections, and just a good incline in others. This was my favourite forest section.  It was beautiful to see the sun streaming through the trees, and it was sheltered from the wind.

Along the open ridgeline.

When you pop out of the forest you have about 15-20 minutes and you will reach the hut! Woohoo! This for me was the best part of the whole walk and you are right out in the open, looking over the harbour and the whole of Banks Peninsula.  Don’t forget to turn around as you can see the majestic Southern Alps and even way out to Lake Ellesmere.

The ridgeline track is really open to the elements and it was super windy while we were here.  The track is narrow and runs right along the edge of the hill, so do be very careful, especially with young children.