Walk Details
NZ Walking Routes > Canterbury > Christchurch > McCormacks Bay and Drayton Reserve Hill Walk
McCormacks Bay and Drayton Reserve Hill Walk
- Location
- The eastern side of McCormacks Bay has a large car park and toilets.
- Description
A very pleasant circuit, linking the pretty estuary with the new walking tracks in Drayton Reserve, and returning with a traffic-free stroll down through the hillside suburbs of Mt Pleasant.
From the car park beside McCormacks Bay, cross into Glenstrae Road to the vehicle track and gate. The track climbs above Basil Place into Drayton Reserve. Follow the side-track to Avery Place or continue to the lookout platform and seat. Excellent views to the estuary. The track climbs across a footbridge to a second track junction. Turn right and walk up the pathway to Drayton Crescent. Stroll down Drayton Crescent and Assisi Street to the adventure playground at Parnham Park. There are seats here offering excellent views.
Continue the walk down Santa Maria Road into Maffeys Road. This goes down to McCormacks Bay Road, where you can cross to the estuary track. Follow this track along the waters edge. Observe the many bird species at the bay: pied stilt (poaka), red-billed gull (tarapunga), white-fronted tern (tara), paradise shelduck (putakitaki), South Island pied oyster catcher (torea), variable oyster catcher (torea-pango), black shag (kawau) and white-faced heron. Cross the footbridge and turn right to the car park.
Dogs must be on a leash beside the estuary.
Short walk option: Walk along the estuary track by McCormacks Bay to the display board, 20 mins return.
- Distance
- 3.0 km
- Duration
- 1.0 hours
- Level
- Easy
- Amenities
-
- Benches
- Birds
- Carpark
- Dogs Allowed
- Historical
- Jet Skis
- Lookouts
- Plant Life
- Playground
- Toilets
- Source
- Christchurch City Council Brochure – Coasts, Cliffs and Caves 2006
- Discussion
- Start a discussion on this walk