TOWN AND HILLS WALKS LYTTELTON Explore Lyttelton township and nearby hills and coastline on this mix of walks and tramps Crater Rim Choose Your Lyttelton Walk walkway is on city side of Mt. Pleasant Mt. Pleasant Mt. Cavendish, The Tors Castle Rock/ Gondola Gun Emplacements Witch Hill/ Te Tihi o Kahukura Te Upoko o Kuri- 2 Crater Rim Pioneer Women’s 4 walkway Memorial 2 4 2 2 Major Hornbrook Somes Reserve Entrance 4 Road 3 Urumau Reserve Entrance 4 5 Whakaraupo¯ 3 2 Governors Bay Road Reserve Entrance Bridle Path Tunnel Entrance 5 to Lyttelton 4 3 3 5 Rapaki 5 4 4 2 1 1 5 3 1 1 Cass Bay / 1 Motu-kauati-rahi - Corsair Bay / Pony Point / Otuherekio Motu-kauati-iti Lyttelton / O¯ hinehou Inner Harbour Magazine Bay / Lyttelton Information Centre Ta¯poa Key to walks Walking on formed track, Dogs permitted under Please look after Lyttelton’s environment some up and down hill, may effective control be muddy Toilets: Most routes do not have toilets. Public toilets next to 1 Coastal Walk To Pony Point Reserve Meander along the coast visiting swimming beaches. Excellent for Tramping on unformed track Lyttelton Harbour Information Centre, in Albion Square, Corsair Bay, Dogs on leads only children. Forms part of Head to Head walkway. with prolonged up and down hill Cass Bay and at the Gondola. Rubbish: Bins are generally not provided. Carry all your rubbish out 2 Urumau Loop For the nimble-footed who like scrambling up Mountain bikes not permitted Dogs prohibited with you. Check after picnicking to ensure you have not left litter, and rocks and narrow cliff paths, with magnificent vistas. pick up any left by others. Whakaraupo- Loop A stiff tramp up steep hills with great Safety is your responsibility – Plan, prepare and 3 Dogs: Respect the dog regulations applying to your chosen walk. views. Visits Whakaraupo- Reserve on Stan Helms Track and return equip yourself well. on Bridle Path. Weather can change quickly – check the forecast before departure. Keep dogs under strict control at all times. Remove all dog faeces. - Hills are colder than Lyttelton – take layered and waterproof clothing. Fires: Absolutely no fires are to be lit anywhere on walks, including Ohinehou Skyline Circuit Tramp up rugged Major – sturdy footwear and walking poles recommended. 4 Tracks slippery after rain billy boiling. Hornbrook track with fantastic views over Christchurch and No food or water available on tracks – carry food and water on longer tracks. Lyttelton. Return on Bridle Path. Cliffs and other hazards – keep children under supervision. Keep to public routes: Please keep to the routes described and do Danger of falling rocks not enter private property. 5 Nooks and Crannies Explore the nooks and crannies Keep to marked tracks and do not walk on closed tracks. Extreme that make the historical port of Lyttelton so interesting. rockfall danger still exists in places. If an earthquake occurs throw Respect biodiversity: Take care not to tread on rare plants on rocky yourself into the side of a cliff and cover your head with your pack. outcrops and leave plants and animals where you find them. Explore Lyttelton Town and Hills 1 Geology and Human History intertwine The foot routes in this brochure encourage you to explore the Banks Peninsula results from sustained volcanic activity. COASTAL WALK TO PONY POINT RESERVE historic port town of Lyttelton and its nearby hills like a local. They The first volcanic activity in Lyttelton took place between A coastal meander with views over guide you along the town’s most interesting streets to rural walking 12 and 9.7 million years ago, forming cones up to 1500m Lyttlelton Port visiting historic sites, sandy and tramping tracks, starting and finishing at the Lyttelton Harbour high. Activity then shifted to the Mt Herbert area, creating swimming beaches and ending at an Information Centre. Ripapa Island, Diamond Harbour, Church Bay and parts Info Centre – Pony Point elevated scenic reserve. Ideal for families of Quail Island, prominent features in the views from these and part of the Head to Head walkway. The map on the page above shows all the routes from a harbour 2 hours one way (4.4km) walks. The volcanic remains stood as an island, until the Naval Point – Pony Point viewpoint. The solid lines show the walking routes. These are on Directions from Information Centre: ever growing Canterbury Plain reached it 7000 years ago. 1½ hours one way. formed roads or tracks. The dashed lines show the harder tramps. Head down Oxford Street and cross Once they depart from the town streets you can expect some steep The earliest evidence of humans dates to about 1250AD and Good walking shoes Norwich Quay using the pedestrian climbs on rough, narrow tracks. comes from the bones of moa. These giant birds were an needed. crossing. Watch for trucks. Turn right onto - important source of protein for the first Maori, the Waitaha, Some hill walking. Norwich Quay, past Sutton Reserve and Choose a route that is suitable for your ability and the weather before being hunted to extinction. Waitaha were succeeded Suitable for rugged just after the tunnel roundabout, take the conditions on the day and prepare before departing using the safety by the Nga-ti Ma-moe people and eventually Nga-i Tahu. The - pushchairs. steps on your left to Te Ana Marina. information. Take this information with you when you go and use the Ma-ori name for Lyttelton, Ohinehou, derives from a Nga-ti detailed map and directions to find and follow your chosen route. Ma-moe pa- probably on a golden beach near the present- Dogs on short Follow the footpath and walk through day tunnel mouth. Te Whakaraupo-, the name of the harbour leash on beaches the Marina area. Past The Woolstore Home to a port, vibrant entertainment and café scene, many refers to the extensive raupo (reeds) that grew at its shallow 1 Dec – 1 Mar 9am – 7pm turn right, through the car park then outdoor recreation opportunities and an amazing community who head. and at all times in Pony up the steps. Turn left onto Brittan Tce are always experimenting with possibilities that abound, Lyttelton is Point. All other places When Captain Cook sailed past in 1770, he named this continuing on the footpath around to a very interesting place to visit. under effective control. volcanic land Banks Island after Joseph Banks, the Navel Point. Parking – All day parking is available in most streets except for the gentleman botanist on board his ship Endeavour. Directions from Naval Point: Park near the yacht club at the end commercial areas of Oxford and London Streets, which have time Lyttelton was proclaimed a port in 1849 a year prior to of Charlotte Jane Quay. Walk behind the yacht club and follow restrictions. the arrival of the Canterbury Association’s first four ships the little track down to the left to the Torpedo Boat Museum and Public Transport – The #28 bus runs between Papanui and Lyttelton conveying colonists to Christchurch. The town gains its Magazine Bay, and then right to the remains of Fort Erskine. through the central Christchurch bus exchange. At peak times the English name from the Association chairman, Lord Lyttelton. service extends from Lyttelton to Rapaki. See www.metroinfo.co.nz From Magazine Bay cross the grass and go up the steps along The historic importance of Lyttelton’s steep streets, timber damaged track to the main track. There is a short section that may Mountain biking – None of the routes are completely suitable for cottages, town centre and stone churches was formally be slippery at the top of the steps. At the fork in the track, go left mountain biking. See the Christchurch City Council website for recognised in 2009 when the Historic Places Trust declared on the lower track to Corsair Bay. When leaving Corsair Bay the more places where you can bike in the Lyttelton Harbour area. it one of the largest historic areas in the country. track continues above the coastline and past a tiny beach. Keep on Dogs – are permitted on all these walks. The volcanoes are extinct, but the land is still geologically the coastal track until you reach the first part of Cass Bay beach. Long Distance Routes – The coastal route and part of the active, and the newly registered historic town was severely From here, carry along the top of the cliff and then down to the Urumau Loop in this brochure forms part of the aspirational “Head damaged by a series of earthquakes commencing in main Cass Bay beach. Walk across the beach and then go up the to Head” Walkway. The aim is to eventually have a coastal path September 2010. Although the first quake measuring 7.1 concrete boat ramp. Take the path to the right of the toilets and right around the harbour. The on the Richter Scale was the largest, the town escaped follow the coastal track to the left to make a narrow and winding upland tramps incorporate relatively unscathed as the epicentre was far away on the climb up to Pony Point Reserve. Make a loop return to Cass Bay parts of the Crater Rim Canterbury Plains. However, on 22 February 2011, a 6.3 on the short and very steep path, starting at the road end of the magnitude quake centered very close to Lyttelton sent rocks Walkway – an existing long reserve. No public access past Pony Point. distance track around the tops. tumbling down the hills and many buildings, especially those made of masonry, were subsequently demolished. The crater rim also forms part of the Christchurch 360 trail.