Visit
Access
Access the short walks around Kennedys Bush from Sign of the Bellbird on Summit Rd or from Kennedys Bush Access Track in Halswell.
Dogs
Dogs are prohibited in Kennedys Bush.
Toilets
Facilities are available at the Sign of the Bellbird and Halswell Quarry Park.
Volunteer
Volunteer in the Port Hills and make a positive difference in Christchurch's most popular adventure playground.
Keep an eye out for regular working bees and planting days held by Christchurch City Council or one of the many active community organisations involved in Port Hills restoration and care.
History
Kennedys Bush was purchased in 1906 through the initiative of Harry Ell, a conservationist and campaigner for the preservation of scenery and protection of native birds.
Ell urged the public to donate to a project that would see the Kennedys Bush purchased as a public reserve and promoted the idea of a network of scenic reserves on the Port Hills.
Ell envisioned a Summit Road that would link the scenic reserves and walking tracks in the Port Hills with rest houses along the route. Read more about the first of these, Sign of the Bellbird.
Walks and rides
Mountain biking
Test your stamina on the longest ascent in the Port Hills - Kennedys Bush Track, or take it one step further and continue from the end of this track onto the more challenging Kennedys Bush to Worsleys Track.
Be aware that Kennedys Track sometimes closes during lambing season (August to September).
Walking
Kennedys Bush Reserve has a network of tracks making a number of circuits possible.
Find a new favourite below:
