Things to do around Halswell
Walking
- Walk around the Crater rim track in the Quarry. Paint some of your own rocks and hide them somewhere on the way.
- Walk up Kennedys Bush Track to the Summit Road and see what you can see (it takes 60- 90 minutes to get there). Start your walk just past the roundabout at the top of Kennedys Bush Rd. If you like walking, then cross the road at the top and find the tracks leading to the Sign of the Bellbird and Kennedys Bush where there are heaps of other tracks to explore. Check out views of Whakaraupo/ Lyttelton Harbour.
- Explore Country Palms (off Halswell Junction Road or Sabys Road) to see how you can design a great walking or biking route using all the little parks and bridges.
- Make a map of Westlake Park. How many entrances are there? Where is the lake? What are the names of all the streets that have entrances to the Park? How many buildings are there?
- Walk around Awatea Basin (wear gumboots if it is wet)
- Park in McMahon Drive and Walk or bike around Canterbury Park/Ngā Puna Wai – What tracks can you find? What buildings are in Canterbury Park – what else is there
- Take a dog for a walk around Halswell on the Park using as many of the smaller streets and greenspaces as you can find.
- Walk or run around the whole Halswell Domain. Try drawing a map of it!
- Walk around the Wetlands on Quaifes Road opposite Murphys Road – Check out the ponds and bridges and the native plants there.
- Walk around Longhurst and check out the huge green spaces there and see if you can find the walking paths through between streets. Visit the playground there and shout mum a coffee at one of the cafes.
- Walk the length of Talbot Reserve in Country Palms through the long grass and back and have a play in the playground.
- Follow the Creek from the tunnel under the motorway though the greenspaces of Aidanfield or using the same tunnel to get to some of the green spaces in Wigram. See if you can find your way through to the shops in Wigram from the tunnel - be careful crossing Wigram Road.
- Find the Creamery ponds in Sabys Road opposite Candy’s road and check them out.
Biking
- `Ride a bike on the Quarrymans Trail cyclepath from Te Hāpua to the Sparks Road Wetlands and have a picnic and/ or a walk or ride around the wetlands.
- Ride on the Little River Rail link cycleway from the overbridge on Dunbars Rd to Hagley Park.
- Learn to ride your bike at the Knights Stream bike park.
- Go exploring by bike or on foot in a part of Halswell you have not been to before. Find some streets that you have never been down. You never know – you might be surprised by what you find!
- Check out all the greenspaces and the top of the Heathcote River in Aidanfield. How many parks can you find?
Other activities
- Exercise your body and test your map reading skills: Go orienteering at the Halswell Quarry. You can buy maps from Te Hāpua or download them online from. http://papo.org.nz/permanent-courses/
- Visit the model railway at the Halswell Domain on a Sunday afternoon and for a small fee, ride the trains. You might also be lucky enough to see model yachts on the lake or you could hang out and enjoy the skate park, pump track and playground.
- Take a friend and a ball to the domain and kick or throw it around.
- Visit the community garden behind St Marys Church or from the soccer clubrooms in the Domain.
- Visit the sister city gardens in Halswell Quarry. What is a sister City and which Sister Cities have gardens in the Quarry?
- Visit the skate park at Knights Stream Park and see what you can do there – what is the sculpture there called?
- Check out activities at the Halswell Hub to see if there is anything you’d like to do there.
- Check out holiday activities at the Library in Te Hāpua
- Forage for fruit and nuts in Halswell.
- Read a book under a tree or have a picnic in one of your favourite green spaces.
Playgrounds/ facilities
- Visit the playground in Kennedys Bush Rd at the end of Quarry Hill Terrace or across the park from Rock Hill Drive.
- Play on your scooter skateboard or bike in the skate park in Halswell Domain.
- Visit Halswell Pool and swim a few lengths or play in the water or on the hydroslide.
- Using Google maps, Find all the playgrounds that you can around Oaklands and Westlake. Play in them. Walk or scooter to get between them.
- Explore Ngā Puna Wai and all the sports facilities there.
Cool Stuff to do at home
- Camp in your back yard and look at the stars while you are out there.
- Make a tin and string telephone (look here https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Play-Telephone if you can’t find anyone to tell you how) and check out how well it works with a friend.
- Google “cool stuff to do at home” and see what other great ideas there are out there
Other Stuff close to Halswell
- Visit Tai Tapu Domain and walk right around it. Find the walking bridge across the creek.
- Visit Kaituna valley nature reserve in Kaituna Valley found out past Tai Tapu and Motukarara. What trees can you identify? Pick one to hug!
- Visit the Prebbleton Nature Park at 666 Springs Road and walk around it. Check out all the plants and look for skinks. Google it and look at its history.
- Visit the playground and skate park in Prebbleton in Stationmasters way.
- Visit Prebbleton Domain in Tosswills road. Walk around it and check out the playgrounds and see how many entrances you can find into the domain.
- Explore Lincoln. Check out the Liffey Springs area and walk along the Liffey, explore the Lincoln Wetlands. Check out the greenspaces and wetlands around Te Whāriki.
- Bike from Prebbleton to Lincoln on the little River rail trail on Birchs Road and have a coffee