The Port Hills
Recreation and facilities
Sign of the Bellbird and Kennedys Bush Reserve
Sign of the Bellbird and Kennedys Bush Reserve. |
Kennedys Bush Reserve lies at the head of a valley that falls to the west from the crater rim of the extinct Lyttelton volcano. Its bush-clad gullies lie below the Summit Road and descend away from the Harbour towards Halswell.
The remains of an old teahouse erected in 1914 the Sign of the Bellbird, provide a good stone shelter for trampers and visitors to the reserve. This area also has panoramic views of the plains, picnic areas, and a toilet. A telephone bureau and Post Office also operated from here until the early 1920's.
Kennedys Bush Reserve is popular with hikers. Several loop tracks access the bush below the Sign of the Bellbird - the Totara Trail, Fantail Trail, Quarry Trial and Orongomai Trail. Other tracks starting from Sign of the Bellbird include Holdsworth Track, and Ella's Track, around Mt Ada, leads along the Crater Rim Walkway through Hoon Hay Park to the Sign of the Kiwi. These tracks offer excellent panoramic views over the Canterbury Plains.
The reserve was named after Thomas Kennedy, who purchased eleven hectares of the native bush in 1856. It was declared a reserve in 1906 with the purchase of an additional seventy-two hectares of land.
A small car park with space for about 10 cars is sited opposite the Sign of the Bellbird on the eastern side of the reserve along the Summit Road, providing sightseers with excellent views of the Lyttelton Harbour.
Access
Along the Summit Road, 8 km from the Sign of the Kiwi.
Facilities
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