Walk Details
NZ Walking Routes > Canterbury > Christchurch > Hill Daywalk
Hill Daywalk
- Location
- The walk starts from the car park beside the Heathcote River on Cashmere Road, opposite Princess Margaret Hospital.
- Description
Cross Cashmere Road using the pedestrian island. Turn right past the café into Valley Road. Walk up the steps that connect to MacMillan Avenue, opposite Whisby Street.
Alternative Cracroft Cavern Route to MacMillan Avenue:
Cross Hackthorne Road. Take the pedestrian accessway onto access roads behind Princess Margaret Hospital. Walk up the grass banks beside the swimming pool overlooking the tennis courts.
Climb up the wooded gully crossing the grass glade. Notice buried in the hillside the Cracroft Cavern with the fortified steel door.Walk uphill to the second track junction. Take the left –hand track into Lady Polson Lane and into Hackthorne Road into MacMillan Avenue. Follow this road across the hill to Whisby Street.
The two routes re-join here.
Walk up Whisby Street to Dyers Pass Road. Follow this road and cross at the zebra crossing turning left into Hackthorne Road. This was once the route taken by the trams and features an information panel on the left with the tram route history.
Follow Hackthorne Road up to the Sign of the Takahe. There are public toilets available here, and a track leads up through Cracroft Reserve to a lookout with a plane table.
Leave the Sign of the Takahe and cross into Victoria Park Drive. Walk along Longhurst Street following the track leading through Elizabeth Park to the dog exercise area. Cross to the start of the Tawhairaunui Trail. Follow this trail through bush, boardwalks and past seats and other track junctions.
The track recrosses the Victoria Park Drive and up to the Port Hills Information Centre. This is the highest point of the walk. The information centre has informative displays and below in the car park area are toilets and seats.
Returning from the car park walk up to the information sign and stone wall. Follow the track steps to the junction. Walk straight ahead onto another viewing area with picnic tables, through a cutting. Stay on this track that leads to a dog exercise area.
From the dog exercise area follow the well marked trail and marker poles from the grass paddock to a double stile. This is the start of the Latters Spur Track. Follow this track downhill to Longhurst Street.
Walk up Longhurst Street to Derrynane Lane. Take the pedestrian accessway into Longhurst Reserve. Cross over the footbridge and continue on the track up to Takahe Drive and Kidson Terrace.
Follow Kidson Terrace to Dyers Pass Road. Cross to the park and gecko sculpture. Walk to the drinking fountain and Presbyterian stone church beside MacMillan Avenue.
Take Dyers Pass Road to Heaton Rhodes Place. There is a steep pedestrian accessway to Garth Terrace and Crichton Terrace and finally Valley Road. Follow Valley Road to Cashmere Road using the pedestrian crossing to reach the Heathcote River once more.
Estimated times: 1 hr to Sign of the Takahe; 2 hrs through Victoria Park; 3 hrs back to Heathcote River.
- Distance
- 7.0 km
- Duration
- 3.0 hours
- Amenities
-
- Benches
- Birds
- Carpark
- Dogs Allowed
- Food & Drink
- Historical
- Lookouts
- Picnics
- Plant Life
- Toilets
- Source
- Christchurch City Council – Into The Hills
- Discussion
- Start a discussion on this walk