Kennedys Bush Road — a historic route to the hills

Press, 9 October 1976, Page 13

Kennedys Bush Road — a historic route to the hills

This long route up the spur behind Halswell Quarry passed through property owned in early times by several Canterbury notables. These included M. J. Burke, of Vale Royal, after whom the pass was named: W. G. Brittan, of Lansdowne whom Godley had put in charge of the Land Office in 1851; the next owner of Lansdowne, Edward Stafford, who was premier of New Zealand for a total of 12 years: and Ernest Gray, of Hoon Hay Valley, a leading politician and runholder. From the 1870 s most of the land flanking the road was acquired by Gray, and, after his death in 1895, his widow and trustees managed the estate for a further 15 years. H. G. Ell had been four years in Parliament when he learned in December, 1899, that it was likely that Kennedys Bush Road would be closed to the public by the Selwyn County Council. This was largely due to pressure from the Hoon Hay estate and other landowning interests on the hills nearby. Harry Ell was incensed. He had been brought up at Halswell and walked on the hills all his life. No local body officials were now going to deprive him of the right of free access. Due largely to Ell’s vigour an amendment to the Public Works Act of 1900 was passed making it impossible for any

local authority to stoo a road without an Order in Council. So although it is more than a century since the upper reaches of Kennedys Bush Road have seen any regular traffic, it remains a legal road thanks to Ell's quick reflexes. Kennedys Bush itself now captured Ell’s attention. It was the only notable area of native forest left on the Port Hillis. In 1900 he took the Mayor of Christchurch and Albert Loe (then owner of Kennedys Bush) on an inspection visit. He believed that the bush should be secured as a sancturary for native birds. From this expedition grew Harry Ell’s vision of a Summit Road running from Godley Head to Akaroa, giving access to all the surviving bush areas round the hilltops. Through Ell’s efforts Kennedys Bush was purchased as a reserve in 1906. Despite all the bushfelling, there were still 36 species of tree and shrub, 13 types of climbing plant, 15 types of fern, and 34 kinds of grass and sedge flourishing there, according to a survey by Dr Leonard Lockayne. Kennedys Bush was then so little known that when a trek was organised to publicise the new amenity, 200 out of the 500 who set out from Christchurch got lost on the way. The public also needed a great deal of educating as to what was meant by a protected area; and, at the official opening of the

reserve, ladies were noticed uprooting ferns and hiding them beneath their skirts. Four years later Kennedys Bush Road was back in the limelight. Lord Kitchener, on a tour of the nation’s defences in February, 1910, wanted to see the Canterbury Volunteers in action. A mock battle was therefore staged for him. The place chosen v. as Halswell. Artillerymen and others were to defend the slopes above the quarry against a force consisting largely of infantry and cavalry advancing from the direction of Halswell township. After some skirmishing near the quarry the defenders retreated to a plateau higher up Kennedys Bush Road. Kitchener and other observers rode to a hill above the scene — still known as Kitcheners Knoll — where they were meant to watch the conclusion to the battle. However, when the infantry made their final victorious charge Kitchener happened co be studying the scenery in another direction. The show over, he gal loped back down the road to his car and returned to his hotel in Christchurch without a word of congratulations or advice tn anyone. So ended tne “Battle of Halswell.” Kitchener, not particularly loquacious at the best of times, was also known to have a special distaste for territorials. After a long, hot day negotiating gorse fences

and fractious cattle the volunteers were not exactly delighted by Lord Kitchener, either. In 1914 Harry Ell had a tea house built at Kennedys Bush. This later developed into the Sign of the Bellbird, took overnight guests, and during the 1930 s could be reached by a coach service which Ell ran from the Sign of the Takahe During the Depression many hundreds of unem ployed workmen were put to good use extending the Summit Road round past the Bellbird to Gebbies Pass. Quite a few men built huts near the bush to save them the long trudge up from the Plains each day. The Bellbird was badly vandalised during and after the war and has now r been reduced to a picnic shelter. The Kennedys Bush Reserve, though, has been enlarged to an area of nearly 214 acres and regeneration of the milled area is proceeding swiftly. The bottom section of Kennedys Bush Road, on its south flank, was first subdivided for settlement during the First World War. George Muldock, who owned and farmed the hillside, there put a number of 8-acre and 16acre sections on the market. Since the subdivision in 1954 of council land on the quarry side, Kennedys Bush Road has developed into one of the most attractive residential districts in Christchurch. This has brought to life once more a venerable and historic roadway.