Image: Ruth McKie | Creative Commons
View into Heathcote valley from Mount Pleasant track.
Mount Pleasant Track

Located in Christchurch area in the Canterbury region

Enjoy panoramic views along the tops of the Mount Pleasant bluffs on this great summer walk, which includes historic gun emplacements.

Start: Tapuwaeharuru/Evans Pass
Finish: Mount Pleasant Gun Emplacements

From Tapuwaeharuru/Evans Pass, walk carefully west along the Summit Road a short distance before picking up the Crater Rim Walkway on your left. Follow the marked trail as it climbs up on the Lyttelton Harbour side to the historic WWII gun emplacements. There are fantastic views along here out over the harbour, down towards the Estuary and out to sea.

As well as tussocks and exotic grasses, the native spaniard or speargrass grows impressive spikes of yellow flowers in the summer.

Bus

From the centre of Christchurch take a city bus to Sumner. From the end of the line carefully walk up Evans Pass Road for a few minutes until you find the start of a track on your left. Climbing up, you soon you reach a track junction where you turn right and follow the track up to the top of Evans Pass.

Driving

Drive up to the top of Evans Pass from Sumner or Lyttelton and park in the parking area at the top and start the track going up the Tauhinukorokio Scenic Reserve.

This track crosses over the Crater Rim Walkway.
  • There is a rockfall risk as a result of the Christchurch earthquakes. Keep to the track.
  • Onga onga/native stinging nettle may be growing around the gun emplacements.
  • Sheep periodically graze in the area. Keep dogs under control, and leave sheep alone.

The open concrete structures are the remains of a heavy anti-aircraft artillery battery from World War II. The role of the artillery was to combat high-flying enemy aircraft. You can see the “holdfast” points where the guns were mounted and the ammunition bunkers on the sides.

The guns at Mt Pleasant could fire a shell 3000 m in 14 seconds.

The emplacements are much the same as they were when decommissioned by the army after the war, with the roofed command bunker sunk into the rock for protection.

More information about the battery.