Eastenders Track
Christchurch · Canterbury · Out & Back
This walk comes from licensed public walk data and is being progressively confirmed against the authorities. Signs on the day always win. The rule-setter’s own wording: “Christchurch City Council's own page for the Eastenders Track lists the rule under Dogs: "Must be kept on leash". (Christchurch City Council, Parks and gardens, Port Hills, Bridle Path, Eastenders Track, fetched 30 August 2026.) The council's Dog Control Policy 2025 backs it for the ground the track crosses, listing Barnett Park Conservation Area as leashed: "Dogs must be on a leash to protect conservation values and grazing stock up the hill at the back of the park." The council says the same for the wider Bridle Path area, "Dogs must be on a leash at all times"”. Evidence: a hand-checked correction against the authority. How we check dog rules.
Good to know
Dogs are allowed here. Keep them on the lead, watch for ground-nesting birds and stock, and read the signs at the gate.
About Eastenders Track
Eastenders Track is an out-and-back of 4.3 km, near Christchurch in Canterbury.
The council has the practical detail. It runs 2 km and about an hour one way, starting from either the Barnett Park car park or the end of Bay View Road in Redcliffs and finishing up on the Summit Road, and it is named after the local volunteer group that built it. Our route here is the return trip, which is why the distance on this page is longer than the council's.
It sits at the moderate end and gains roughly 305 m, pitching up to 31 % at its steepest, and takes about 2–2.5 hr to walk.
Walkers come for caves, native forest, big views, and wildflowers. Dogs are allowed here, on the lead. Walkers rate it 4.5 / 5 across 135 reviews.