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- Halswell Quarry Walk
Halswell Quarry Walk
| Location: South Island |
| Nearest Town: |
| Nearest City: Christchurch |
| Length of tramp: 1.3 Km |
| Time needed: 40 Minutes |
| Difficulty: Easy |
| Route: Round Trip |
| Elevation: 125m |
| Wet Feet: No |
| Toilets: Yes, in the main car park |
| Dogs: Yes, only in designated areas. |
| Mobile phone coverage: Yes |
| Date this tramp was last walked: 2007 |
| Track quality: Very good. Light gravel tracks all the way around. |
| Shops/restaurants: No, only in Christchurch. |
| Petrol station: No, only in Christchurch. |
| Hazards: The track runs along the top of the quarry cliff face. |
| Transport: Bus No 7, to Halswell and Kenned Bush |
| Water: Yes. There are a number of drinking fountains along the walk and in the picnic area. |
| Driving Instructions: Form down town Christchurch, drive south on Colombo St, turn right on to Moorhouse. Drive 1.5 km west on Moorhouse to a set of lights, turn to the left onto Lincoln. At 4.1 km you will drive through a set of lights and onto Highway 75, Halswell Rd is the main road to Akaroa Harbour. At 8.3 km there is a very busy cross road. You need to drive across and over to Kennedy's Bush Rd. At 1.5 km you then turn in to Halswell Quarry. |
| Camping on track: No |
| Track highlights: Halswell Quarry also features six sister city gardens and a Canterbury botanical collection. Tracks, viewing points and three car parking areas have made the park increasingly popular for walking and other recreational activities over the last decade. Halswell Quarry is a unique 60.4 hectare park, with an unusual combination of recreational walks, historic sites and botanical collections. Important historic buildings, parkland of short walks and wetland ponds. |
| Area & Track History: Halswell Quarry, which played a major role in the development of Christchurch, ceased production in 1990 after 140 years of quarrying. Its fine blue-grey stone can be seen in many of the city's prominent buildings including the Canterbury Museum and Provincial Council Buildings. |
Map of Halswell Quarry Walk :
This is a dynamic map. You can zoom in and out using the "+" and "-" buttons, drag the map to see surrounding areas and click on the flags to see each position on the map
Detailed track description for
Halswell Quarry Walk:
Halswell Quarry Walk - Start
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Driving in to the park you will see the quarry office to your right, drive past the main car park and toilets. Then drive up the large valley on your right and into the Findlay picnic area. In photo 2, as you drive around the corner, continue driving up the valley to the row of trees and park there. The third photo is the start of the track.
Halswell Quarry Walk - Points 2
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Walk up through the bush. And out onto a paddock. This should take you 10 minutes. At the sign turn to the right. 5 minutes on from the sign, you can stop for a cool drink at the water fountain. From here it is a short 5 minute walk to the top. Take a seat and enjoy the view.
Halswell Quarry Walk - Points 3
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The downhill journey is an easy one. Half way down the track, you should see the old crusher, over to the right, go and have a look. Half the shed is falling down and the other half is used by the ranger to store his gear. From there, walk back towards the main gate and onto the single mans house which is now the visitors centre. Get there early, they operate on banker’s hours. You drove past the house on the way in.
Halswell Quarry Walk - Points 4
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From there take your time and wonder around the gardens. There are six sister cities gardens in the park. Halswell Quarry Park can be very busy over the weekends. It is a great place for a picnic and there is a special paddock put aside for you to exercise the dogs.
