Sign of the Bellbird
Name |
Sign of the Bellbird |
Location |
Port Hills |
Co-ordinates |
1569822 5168914 |
Alternative co-ordinates |
|
Configuration |
Network |
Distance |
7 km |
Status |
On-leash |
Grade |
Moderate |
Access |
The Sign of the Bellbird, on Summit Road ca. 4 km south of junction with Dyers Pass Road. |
Description |
A long loop track from the Sign of the Bellbird, more-or-less parallelling Summit Road gives great views both east and west. Link tracks give access down the eastern slope into Ohinetane Reserve, with more loops to extend the walk. |
Connecting tracks |
Via Crater Rim to: Sign of the Kiwi |
Further information |
There are many ways of walking the Crater Rim walkway, from a full-day's march of 22 km along the whole thing, to a series of small there-and-back or loop walks along different sections, in a campaign that might take a week or a month or half a lifetime. The whole walk is dog-friendly and much of it is off-leash. Some sections are steep and briefly challenging, and parts of the track are narrow and rather rough, but overall its an easy to moderate walk that most people and dogs can do. It also connects with a dozen or more other walks, so offers huge variety. The best thing, therefore, is to get a map of the Port Hills and north Banks Peninsula area, and get out there and enjoy.
View over western Christchurch from the Sign of the Bellbird
Ellas Track
|
One of the best ways of accessing the walks is via the Summit Road, which runs parallel with the walkway for much of its length and provides numerous parking spots.On the Summit two useful targets for any walk are The Sign of the KIwi and the Sign of the Bellbird, about 4 km apart on the western side of the crater rim. Both were built as 'refreshment stations' by the originator of the Crater Rim walk, Harry Ell, though only the Sign of the Kiwi still acts as a cafe (the Sign of the Bellbird is just a shelter, now). For that reason, a pleasant way of sampling the Rim is to start at the Sign of the Bellbird and walk north to the Kiwi, for a coffee or lunch, then return. Like other walks on the Crater Rim, this one offers great views both out of the crater - across Chrstchurch and the plains to the Oxford Hills - and into the crater, over Governors Bay to the Banks Peninsula. Despite its lofty heights, the walk is also relatively easy. The steep sections are brief, the path is generally well-formed and often soft underfoot, and there is the promise of escellent fare at the Kiwi to keepo you going.
There are various ways of expanding on this walk to avoid it being a simple there-and-back experience. Near the Bellbird, for example, there are side-branches that offer either a loop or figure-of-eight walk around Coronation Hill, At the Bellbird end of the walk, there are various opportunities to dip off the ridge southwards into Ohinetahi Reserve - though if you do so, note that this is an on-leash area. One good deviation, which skirts the edge of the Reserve is Ellas Track. This starts on the east side of Summit Road, about 2 km north of the Bellbird and runs over Mount Ada, before rejoining the Crater Rim route at a small carpark. On the other side of Summit Road, Kennedy's Bush also beckons. However, don't be tempted. There are no signs about dogs at the main carpark, but when you've got your booits on and consulted the map on the information board by the shelter to work out which path you're going to take, and perhaps had a quick trip to the toilet before you set out, you get around the first corner in to the bush to find a notice saying 'No dogs'. Annoying, or what?) Another option, however, is to walk south from the Sign of the Bellbird. In that direction, the track weaves along the ridgeline, ducking around peaks and bluffs, sometimes slipping into areas of bush, for six or seven kilometres until it finally stops in Ahuriri Reserve. That last step, into the Reserve, is off limits, however, for the Reserve is non-dog. But it's a rewarding walk nonetheless, for the perepsective subtly changes as you folow the track and this end of the walkway is less popular than the northern stretches, so it's possible to believe that the track is yours (and the dogs') alone. |
Click on map to zoom
From the Sign of the Bellbird to The Sign of the Kiwi