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.

Sign of the Takahe

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.

Lyttelton Harbour

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.

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.