And the dog came too... dog walks in New Zealand
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Victoria Park

A large area of tussock grass and bush, offering a wide range of on-leash walks - plus a dog exercise area where the hounds can run free.

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​Victoria Park
​

Name
Victoria Park
Location
Cashmere, Christchurch
Co-ordinates
1571218  5173656
Alternative co-ordinates
1570934  5174166
Configuration
Network
Distance
8 km
Status
On-leash
Grade
Easy-Moderate
Access
Carpark near visitor centre in middle of park, or small parking area adjacent to dog park, near northern entrance on Victoria Park Road 
Description
A network of routes of varying level of difficulty, in the western area of the Port Hills.
Connecting tracks
Sign of the KIwi
Further information
https://www.ccc.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Parks-Gardens/Explore-Parks/Port-Hills-A2-Walking-Tracks.pdf
For anyone in Christchurch, Victoria Park must offer one of the easiest ways of experiencing the Port Hills. Head south along Colombo Street until you reach the suburb of Cashmere; continue onto Dyers Pass Road and at the Sign of the Takahe do a quick left and a right onto Victoria Park Road - and there you are. For dogs and their owners, the Park is a treat. As well as the eight or nine kilometres of walking tracks within its bounds, and the many more kilometres that stretch out beyond, it includes a large dog exercise-park, where dogs can run free. And many do. There seems to be a steady stream of vans from dog-walking establishments arriving to disgorge the pets in their care. And as always seems to be the case in these places, the dogs apparently understand the rules and just play amicably together whatever their breed or size or temperament.

Outside the dog exercise area, Victoria Park is categorised as on-leash. The walks, however, are varied and range from short and easy strolls through native bush to 1-2 hour loop walks across tussock land that provide opportunity for a good work-out. Continue southwards, into the Port Hills, and you can take one of the several tracks that run up to the Crater Rim.Of these, one of the most popular runs parallel to Dyers Pass Road to the ​Sign of the Kiwi (like the Sign of the Takahe, one of the refreshment stations built to encourage visitors in the early days of the park). From there, tracks run out east, west and south. Alternatively, veer eastwards into Bowenvale Park and you can join a series of interlinked paths from which it's easy to construct a loop walk of almost any length. As in Victoria Park, these run through a mix of bush, scrub and tussock grassland - the last of which is often grazed by sheep. For that reason, the on-leash stipulation needs to be observed. But as you climb and the hill becomes steeper, you'll probably be glad of an eager hound straining on its lead. And if, by any chance, the dog still has energy to spare when you get back to Victoria Park, you can always give it another run in the dog park.

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If you've found this website helpful, you might also want to look at some of my novels and poetry. These, like my dog-walking, are drawn from a love of nature and the countryside. To learn more, click here.