Crater Rim Views above Governors Bay
Hoon Hay Scenic Reserve sits on the southern section of the Port Hills, on Summit Road southeast of Dyers Pass. The reserve is compact and easy to access, with car parks directly off Summit Road, and it has some of the most dramatic harbour views on the entire rim. From the high points here, you look almost straight down to Governors Bay far below, with the full sweep of Whakaraupō / Lyttelton Harbour beyond.
The Unusual Name
The reserve takes its name from the Christchurch suburb of Hoon Hay. This was itself named after Hoon Hay farm near the village of Hoon in Derbyshire, England, from where early Canterbury settler Captain Harvey came. Hoon Hay derives from the Anglo-Saxon “haughum gehalg”, meaning the “enclosure under the hill”, which is descriptive of the reserve.
Walks and Views
The reserve is mostly open pasture and tussocks, with some scrub, including gorse in places. The slope up the rim is relatively gentle but drops sharply away on the harbour side, including cliff edges below volcanic rock escarpments and peaks. From the car park on Summit Road, short walks of around 15 minutes each way reach the rocky rim of the crater above Governors Bay; the spectacle east across Lyttleton Harbour is considerable, with fabulous open views of the crater rim to the north and south, with minimal effort required to get there. The reserve is a great spot for golden hour, but be aware that it can be very windy on the peaks.
The Crater Rim Walkway also passes through the reserve and connects to the tracks to the rim. Other walks connect east through Ōhinetahi Reserve, a 138-hectare block owned by the Summit Road Society and covenanted in perpetuity through the QEII National Trust. These tracks allow you to walk down the crater to Governors Bay.
How to Get There
From Central Christchurch, head south on Colombo Street and continue into Cashmere, crossing Cashmere Street onto Dyer Pass Road. Continue up this road until you reach Pukeatua / Dyers Pass. Turn south onto Summit Road, and you will see the car park for Hoon Hay Reserve Park about 2 km down the road. The drive is 11.7 km and takes 21 minutes.
Nearby places to visit include the Sign of the Takahē, Victoria Park, Mount Vernon, the Sign of the Bellbird and Kennedy’s Bush and Gibralter Rock.
