|
Need to find out
how much your flight will cost? Click
the Next button below to find out
about dates, times and cost of flights.
|
|
|
|
Christchurch
Walks in winter wonderlands
Article by Sarah
Webb (Canterbury Conservancy)
Pictures/ Sarah and Stuart Webb
|
When the cold days of winter
arrive we tend to retreat indoors but often a cold,
crisp day can provide a fantastic outdoors
experience. With less people around you can have
experience ‘wilderness’ without going too far and a
walk can be just the thing to dispel cabin fever and
burn off some energy.
Below is a few of our family’s
favourite winter walks featuring an inner city duck
haven, forest walks with giant trees or a blind
trail, a fantastical rockscape to get lost in,
historic tunnels, and a stormy, rocky, sand-dune
spit.
|
 |
|
All these walks are located
beside main state highways which are well maintained
during winter months, and within a few hours drive
of Christchurch city. For more information about these
and other walks, check out
www.doc.govt.nz
Ötukaikino
(Christchurch)
-
30 minutes return
Ötukaikino is a freshwater
wetland full of ducks, at the Belfast end of the
Northern Motorway.
The
flat boardwalk track is great for strollers.
Godley Head gun emplacements
(Port Hills) -
30
minutes return
From Sumner or Lyttelton take the Summit Road out to
Godley Head. Explore around the old gun emplacements
and underground magazines - brave children with a
torch can also go in the blast tunnel.
Kaitorete Spit
(Banks Peninsula) - Time to explore
The spit is a thin strip of land
that separates Lake Ellesmere/Te Waihora from the
stormy waters of the Pacific Ocean. It’s got a stony
beach which children love, sand dunes, lizards and
katipo spiders. About 45 km from Christchurch on
SH75 at Birdlings Flat, turn onto Bayley Road for 10
km to a remote beach access point.
Kura Täwhiti Conservation Area
-
10 minutes along
access track, plus plenty of time to explore
Located beside SH 73, about
80 minutes drive from
Christchurch, the short walk into the reserve is
across private paddocks. Kura Täwhiti is an ideal
place for exploring and picnicking, with many
informal trails running between the spectacular,
limestone, rock formations.
Old Coach Road (Arthur’s Pass
National Park) -
30
minutes return
This walk starts at Greyneys
Shelter 6 km east of Arthur’s Pass Village on SH 73
(two hours drive from Christchurch) and is OK for
all-terrain buggies. It loops through the beech
forest and at the northern
end there is a rope handrail - shut your eyes and
use your other senses to find your way.
|
Big Tree Walk (Peel Forest) -
20 minutes
Big Tree Walk is OK for both
prams and wheelchairs and starts from the Te Wanahu
picnic shelter (toilets here). Three panels ask
walkers to decide whether the chiefly trees they
meet along the way are kahikatea or tötara.
The turnoff to Peel Forest leaves
State Highway 72 about 12 km north of Geraldine, and
it’s about 18 km to Peel Forest from the turnoff.
(two hours drive from Christchurch).
|
 |
|
Tips to make winter walking
safe and fun
Keep them fed and watered -
young people need
frequent top-ups when walking. Plan to stop and
snack often. Take high energy snacks like barley
sugars for a quick boost and Milo or soup in a
thermos to warm up cold insides. A sheet of plastic
folds up small to fit into a daypack, and provides a
dry place to sit.
Keep them warm -
layers of clothing is the key as
you can be warm while walking, but cool down quickly
when you stop. Wool, polypropylene or polar fleece
are best as cotton offers no warmth, especially when
wet. Take a warm hat, woolly socks and mittens, and
a wind and waterproof jacket. Take spare socks in
case feet get wet while walking.
If you're carrying a baby or
toddler in a backpack or pushing them in a buggy,
check often that hands, feet and head are still warm
- while you may feel warm, the child could be quite
a lot colder.
Keep them safe -
children like to run ahead but be
aware, bush and forest can be risky. It's impossible
to fence off every steep drop or stream so keep them
close and in sight.
Keep them interested -
visit places that offer
something for everyone - a quiet forest or
stunning view may not appeal to an eight-year-old in
the same way as it does to you!
Allow plenty of time for
discovery. Exploring things at junior’s level can
mean taking notice of the little things; moss, a
spider, a hole in a rock. |
|
