Attractions
In and around Diamond Harbour
Airborn Paddling
Paddleboard & Kayak Rentals
Airborn Paddling provides quality inflatable paddlecraft – great for learners and inherently buoyant. Learn and grow your confidence and skills on sheltered waters.
P: 022 031 8420 | E: info@airbornpaddling.nz
Black Cat
Wildlife Cruises
Departs Lyttelton 1.30pm daily. Phone 328 9078 for reservations.
Cliff Track Walk
A lovely coastal walk
Quite challenging in places. Starts at Purau and continues around the cliff to Church Bay. There are several approaches/exits to Marine Drive along the walk. Maps are available from Church Bay Store and the local cafes or the Lyttelton Harbour Information Centre.
Cycling
Local Loop
Teddington, then up Gebbes Pass and link with the Summit Road to enjoy wonderful views. Return via Dyers Pass Road and Governors Bay.
Diamond Harbour Walks
Walking and Tramping Tracks
A comprehensive list of walks and tramps on the south side of the harbour from Purau to Orton Bradley Park and Quail Island.
Historical Walk
An easy one and a half hour walk
An historic walk around Diamond Harbour. Maps available from Church Bay Store and the local cafes.
Golf
Every day but Saturday. Ph 329 4853.
Lyttelton
Just a 10 minute ferry trip away
Take the ferry to Lyttelton to see the Farmers Market (Saturdays 10am-1pm).
Visit the Lyttelton Info Centre at 65 London St or their website for latest info on attractions.
Mt Herbert Walkway
Catch a No 28 bus from Christchurch, connect with the ferry to Diamond Harbour and start your walk from the wharf. You can descend Mt Herbert the way you came, or go down through Orton Bradley Park.
Orton Bradley Park
Our local treasure
Peaceful picnic and barbecue areas, heritage buildings and agricultural relics, magnificent towering trees and extensive walking tracks through protected and regenerating native bush and exotic arboretum, magnificent views, extensive rhododendron gardens, horse treks, adjacent to the golf course and tennis facilities, venue hire, powered campervan sites. Phone 329 4730.
Packhorse Track
Sign of the Packhorse Scenic Reserve
Time: 3-4 hours return to hut. Hut sleeps 9. This is a serviced hut and costs $10 for adults and $5 youths. Hut tickets available from DOC offices.
Note: Closed for lambing Aug – Oct.
Rod Donald Hut
Bookings Required
Offering wonderful views of Little River area and surrounding hills, the hut is on the Summit Walkway, which is closed for lambing from 8 August – 16 October each year. Year-round access to the hut is possible via Port Levy Saddle.
Sailing Charters
Jack Tar Sailing Co
I sail with charters from Lyttelton and can pick people up from Diamond Harbour and take them out sailing. We do half & full days with a max of six people plus skipper. My yacht is in survey and I an a commercial skipper and we comply with all MNZ safety regulations.
Mobile: 027 4355 239.
Home: 03 389 9259.
Stoddart Cottage
Stoddart Cottage
Discover the charming birthplace of one of Canterbury’s foremost botanical and impressionist painters Margaret Stoddart (1865 – 1934). Stoddart Cottage Gallery is open to the public each Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 4pm and most public holidays. Free entry.
Art exhibitions change each month. Locally hand crafted products are for sale. Eftpos available.
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Stoddart Cottage can also be opened for groups at other times with historical talks by arrangement, or hired for meetings or small events.
For enquiries and bookings contact Jo Burzynska 021 776 161 or info@stoddartcottage.nz.
The contact for the Stoddart Cottage Trust is Paula Smith 027 632 9709, (03) 329 4445 or famvanbeynen@snap.net.nz.
Summit Walkway
Tramp or Mountain Bike
Enjoy magnificent views over Banks Peninsula, the Canterbury plains, Southern Alps and Pacific ocean on this 2-3 day tramp linking Gebbies Pass in the Lyttelton crater to Hilltop in the Akaroa crater. It follows a long high ridgeline that includes Mt Herbert.
Swimming
Local Beaches
Purau Bay (best at half to full tide).
Diamond Harbour (stoney beach but safe swimming).
Paradise Beach – Charteris Bay.
Tennis
Local Courts
Diamond Harbour Tennis Club, Waipapa Ave.
Ph 329 4521.