Time: 1.5 hours
Distance: 3.2 km
Start: Corner of Harmans Road and Voelas Road
The Stan Helms Track officially starts at a tiny carpark on a hairpin bend half way along the narrow Harmans Road. Anticipating that the carpark might be full (it was in fact empty) we met at the corner of Harmans and Voelas Road. We parked our cars on a dramatic lean, the drivers tumbled out of their side and the passengers climbed virtually vertically out of theirs.
So who exactly was Stan Helms? A Google search came up with nothing - although I did stumble across a website describing a complicated procedure for finding a nearby Pipeline geocache (will have to check that out another time). I decided to call the Lyttelton Information Center and chatted with Helen. She remembered Stan Helms from the 70's. He was a local community stalwart: "a lovely kind man who helped lots of people". He had various jobs in his lifetime including dairy owner, milkman, truck driver and former Lyttelton Borough and Banks Peninsular councillor. He lived to a ripe old age and apparently "there was a good turnout for his funeral". "You don't get many men like that anymore." said Helen with a sigh.
We walked to the start of the track where there is an impressive waharoa - a carved Māori gateway, which I later found out (another Google search) marks the entrance to the Whakaraupō cultural garden. The garden, offically opened in 2000, has harakeke (flax) and traditional medicinal plantings (rongoā) and the waharoa was recently restored by Christchurch Mens Prison inmates. There was no obvious path or signage and so we were oblivious to the garden and didn't think to explore further beyond the waharoa (will definitely have to return and check that out another time).
We descended the Bridle Path. Halfway down is the Cressy seat, one of the four stone memorial seats associated with the first four European settler ships to arrive in Lyttelton. Shortly after the seat there is a gap in the fence where we turned onto an unmarked trail which soon split into two. The plan was to loop back down to the car. But left or right? Right felt better in my view and I marched off through the long grass and weeds. I could hear mumblings behind me which became distinctly louder as the trail became less distinct. Not exactly off-piste, but a weedeater or two to clear the path would not have gone amiss. When the way forward was blocked by a fence we returned to the fork and took the left trail. This one had better definition and eventually descended pleasantly into the bush and wound its way back down to the pipeline.
We sampled end of season blackberries and were soon back at the waharoa and then back at the car. Rumours of Covid at the Lyttelon Cafes saw us shimmying with difficulty into the cars and driving back through the tunnel to Silos Cafe on Port Hills Road. We parked under the massive gum tree and, with the smell of eucalyptus wafting up our noses, we headed over the road for coffees and snacks.
