“TO PRESERVE THE PUBLIC’S RIGHTS”

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18772, 30 May 1929, Page 9

“TO PRESERVE THE PUBLIC’S RIGHTS”

mr ell publishes INTERESTING BOOKLET ON SUMMIT ROAD WORK

“I rode over the hills about Kennedy’s Bush when a boy; I knew Kennedy’s Bush when the valley was covered with beautiful native forest and when the songs of the native birds filled the air. The memory of t all made me love the place. Its wonderful beauty has been my inspiration to work all these years, nearly thirty years now, to preserve public rights and to make the magnificent scenery of the hills more easily accessible by roadway and footway, that the people of Christchurch might enjoy Nature’s glorious heritage.”

With these words, Mr FI. G. Ell begins a very interesting booklet- just published on the subject of the “Port Hills-Akaroa-Summit Road and the History of the Summit Road Trust.” The booklet, of eighteen pages in length, is beautifully printed on quarto-

sized art paper and is illustrated with photographs of the various roadhouses, “The Sign of the Takahe,” “The Sign of the Kiwi,” and “The Sign of the Bellbird,” erected as the result of Mr Ell’s work on the Summit Road for the benefit of people using the hills. These buildings, as shown in the photographs, their grey stone contrasting with the natural beauty of their surroundings, are not only a great help to the sightseer, but are themselves amongst the most outstanding glories of that wonderful walk. Record of Work. Mr Ell has given considerable time to the preparation of the book and it forms a complete record of the work which has been done in connection with the forming of the road, and of the trust which has it in its charge. It was in the year 1900 that he first began, says Mr Ell, and he carried on until August, 1909, without the aid of even a committee. By that time the whole length of the Summit Road had been planned out for the Summit Road with certain detours for walking tracks. The survey of the road was begun in 1906. At that time there were no formed roads of any sort along the top of the hills and the various roadway reserves were as yet unheard of. For years Mr Ell worked on with his scheme and at last on November 28, 1908, the “first sod” of the Summit Road was turned by Sir Charles Bowen at the spot where the Toll Gate now stands. The work was continued steadily, in spite of the many obstacles in the way, and by 1913 Mr Ell had completed his plans for the extension of the road out to the Pigeon Bay saddle overlooking Akaroa Harbour. This, he states, will be the terminus of the road. In October, 1923, he determined to place the whole of the work under a trusteeship, with a Board of Trustees. Again he met with difficulties, but persevered and finally the trust was formed. Interesting Statistics.

At the back of the work, which is well written and arranged, Mr Ell gives some interesting statistics regarding the length of various sections of the road and the heights of the various peaks. From “The Sign of the Takahe” to “The Sign of the Kiwi” by the hillside path is two miles 10 chains; from the “Kiwi” to Rapaki Road, 3 miles; to Hornbrook’s, Mt Pleasant, 6 miles; Hornbrook’s to Evans’ Pass, 2 miles; Evans’ Pass to Godley Head Lighthouse, 4 miles; the “Kiwi” to Evan’s Pass, 8 miles; to Kennedy’s Bush 22 miles; to Rhodes Spring, 42 miles; to Cooper’s Knobs—Ahuriri Bush, 5 miles: to Gebbie’s Pass, 7 miles; and to “The Sign of the Pack-horse,” Kaituna Pass, 11£ miles.

The heights of the various Summit Road Hills are as follows: Cracroft Hill, 700 feet; Godley Head, 480 feet; Mt Pleasant, 1637 feet; Bridle (summit), 1130 feet; Sugar Loaf, 1630 feet; Dyer’s Pass (summit), 1090 feet; Marley’s Hill, 1640 feet; Cass Peak, 1780 feet; Cooper’s Knobs, 1880 feet; Castle Rock, 2805 faet; Mt Herbert Peak, 3014 feet; Mt Fitzgerald, 2710 feet; and Mt Sinclair, 2762 feet.