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H.G. Ell Walkway
Dorothy - 25/9/97
Walks and Mountain Bike Tracks on the Port Hills
The Port Hills south of Christchurch not only give the city a distinctive
character with its houses built at the foot of the hills and increasingly
on the lower slopes. They also provide a range of interesting walks, mountain
bike rides and scenic drives close to the city.
Over the next few months NZine will bring you details of the walks and
adjacent mountain bike tracks. If you live in Christchurch you may have
walked some of them. If you are planning to visit Christchurch read about
them first and then make your choice.
H. G. Ell Walkway
This track runs from the Sign of the Takahe to the Sign of the Kiwi at the
summit of Dyers Pass. (The Takahe is a rare New Zealand bird.)
Why a sign and why the H. G. Ell Walkway?
Harry Ell, a Member of Parliament for twenty years representing the people
of Christchurch, had a vision for the Port Hills. He wanted a road to be
built along the summit of the hills, land to be set aside as reserves,
walking tracks developed, and rest houses to be built along the way. He
was an enthusiastic walker himself and knew well all the narrow tracks.
The road he planned was to be mainly for trampers and to run for fifty
three miles from Godley Head at the entrance to the Lyttelton Harbour to
Akaroa.
Ell was a man of extraordinary determination, and although people found
working with him very difficult many of his plans came to fruition. By the
time of his death in 1934 the road from Godley Head to Gebbies Pass was
completed and three roadhouses had been built - The Sign of the Kiwi, The
Sign of the Bellbird and the Sign of the Packhorse. These were solid stone
buildings and were intended to offer walkers meals and a bed. The Sign of
the Takahe was planned on such a grand scale that money was a problem and
it was not completed until 1949 when it was taken over by the Christchurch
City Council. It was built in grey stone in Tudor-Gothic style and much of
it was built by craftsmen by hand, many being employed during the Great
Depression on a relief work project. It reflects much of Canterbury's
early history being decorated outside and inside with the heraldic emblems
of early settlers, governors and supporters of the Summit Road Scheme.
The Walkway access
You can reach the Takahe by car via Hackthorne Road or Dyers Pass Road and
there is parking available on the adjacent streets and in some parking bays
further up Dyers Pass Road. There is also a small parking area at the Sign
of the Kiwi.
You can catch a bus from Cathedral Square - number 2 bus which runs
approximately half hourly during the day from 7.00 a.m. to 10.50 p.m. The
adult bus fare at the time of writing (August 1997) is $1.80 each way.
Toilets
These are located across the road from the Sign of the Takahe, at the Sign
of the Kiwi, and at Victoria Park.
What to wear and what to take
Walking shoes are best for comfort. It is always wise to take a jacket or
parka. A warm hat is useful on cold days and a sunhat and sunblock are
strongly recommended in the summer.
View of Christchurch and the mountains
Before you begin the track you may like to walk to the viewing point in the
park beside the Takahe. From here you can see the city and the sea to the
east, and if the weather is favourable you may check the plane table and
see the mountains leading towards the Southern Alps (including Mt Hutt) to
the west and south and the Kaikoura Mountains to the north.
Time and distance
The length of the walk is 3.2 kms and it takes just under an hour,
depending on how long you spend looking at the view or watching the birds
or taking photographs.
All-year track
The track is good to walk all year round and drains quickly after rain. It
is well sheltered from the easterly wind and on one recent winter day when
the easterly was bitterly cold I walked the track in pleasant temperatures
without a breath of wind.
The track begins just above the Sign of the Takahe and may be reached from
Dyers Pass Road or Victoria Park Road.
Click here to view a map of the walkway
The track is above the road and is indicated by dark blue markers. Much of
it is among trees but there are ample clearings to give views of the plains
and the Alps.
Company on the track
The track rises at an easy gradient suited to walkers of all ages. Whole
families walk the track and seats along the way provide a place to rest.
The track is so popular that you meet many people walking, being carried on
their parents' backs, or jogging, even on weekdays.
Birds along the way
Last time that we walked the track we saw and/or heard bellbirds, fantails,
chaffinches, greenfinches, grey warblers and a native pigeon.
Vegetation
There is a wide range of trees and shrubs, exotics and natives, and even in
winter there is some colour. Arbutus trees provide colour with their
berries and a feast for the birds. Wild sweet peas flower along the banks
for much of the year. Apple trees along an open section of the track are
evidence of the walkers who have tossed away their cores, and provide a
splash of winter colour. Many of the natives have been planted by school
children in Arbor Day projects.
Views from the top of Dyers Pass
At the end of the track walkers reach the top of Dyers Pass. From here
there are views of the Canterbury Plains and the mountains to the north and
west, and the Lyttelton Harbour to the South.
The Sign of the Kiwi
The second of Harry Ell's roadhouses offers simple hospitality in a
welcoming atmosphere. Last time I visited I ordered a plunger of coffee
which yielded two cups and a delicious toasted sandwich with an egg inside
- all for a modest price.
If you wish to take your own food there are seats in the sun where you can
sit and enjoy the view as you eat.
Alternative return trip
I am always tempted by a walk which is a round trip.
For a different and interesting route back to the Takahe walk along the
Summit Road to the left (east) at the top of the H. G. Ell walkway and walk
to the first parking bay. Above the road there is a small reserve called
Thomson Park. You may like to rest in the stone shelter there or head
directly downhill watching the yellow markers as you go. These will take
you through trees and at times down stone steps to Victoria Park. Take
care on the short portion of the track where the markers show that it is
combined with the mountainbike track.
From this track there are views of the city and the coastline north of
Banks Peninsula, across Pegasus Bay to the Kaikoura mountains.
Victoria Park Visitors' Centre
Until recently anyone visiting Victoria Park saw on the top of the hill a
large round stone shelter built in 1898 in recognition of Queen Victoria's
Diamond Jubilee in 1897. As a child I remember thinking it dark and
mysterious. Later it made me think of follies built in the gardens of the
English houses of the rich and often featuring in Agatha Christie plays.
Now the wind no longer howls through the shelter. It has been glassed in
and made into an attractive Visitors' Centre.
Do take time to pause, relax, watch a fifteen minute audio visual about the
area and look at the displays before heading down Victoria Park Road to the
Takahe. The Visitors' Centre is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at present, but
till 8 p.m. in the summer.
The Sign of the Takahe
At the Takahe you may order a Devonshire tea and look at H. G. Ell's most
ambitious project - now long valued as an asset to the city. To eat lunch
there it is necessary to make a reservation.
Mountain bike tracks
Mountain bike riders frequently follow the road to the Sign of the Kiwi,
turn left along the Summit Road and ride as far as the first parking bay.
From there clearly marked tracks lead down to Victoria Park Road hills or
to the right parallel with the Summit Road to the top of the Bowenvale
Mountain Bike Track. The last part of the track is very steep so care is
necessary, especially for inexperienced riders.
Keep watching for more articles about walks on the Port Hills and further
afield. The next article will give details and a map of the walks on
Sugarloaf, the hill to the east of the Sign of the Kiwi. These can be
combined with the tracks described this week if you wish to extend your
walk.
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