where is narva now?: Halswell Quarry

25/02/07

The morning after the Amazing Race, 3 buses filled with Ilam Village students headed to Halswell Quarry for a 'bar-b.' The location used to be an old site which was mined and later turned into a regional park. Here's what the Christchurch website has to say about it:

"Halswell Quarry is a unique 60.4 hectare park, with an unusual combination of recreational walks, historic sites and botanical collections. Important historic buildings from the quarrymen’s days are being preserved and the once noisy rock face is now a quiet amphitheatre facing onto a parkland of short walks and wetland ponds.

Halswell Quarry also features six sister city gardens and a Canterbury botanical collection. Tracks, viewing points and three car parking areas have made the park increasingly popular for walking and other recreational activities over the last decade.

Halswell Quarry, which played a major role in the development of Christchurch, ceased production in 1990 after 140 years of quarrying. Its fine blue-grey stone can be seen in many of the city's prominent buildings including the Canterbury Museum and Provincial Council Buildings."

for more info: http://www.ccc.govt.nz/parks/NaturalAreas/halswellquarry.asp

The park is close to the Kennedy Bush Walk, a long and popular tramp. We hung out all afternoon and were treated to a traditional Maori hongi meal. This is a style of bbq-ing where the meat is cooked in a hole in the ground and covered which brings out a nice smokey flavor. Now a days, however, they have giant grills which replicate this process and can cook larger quantities faster. Overall it was just a nice day to relax, take a short hike up the quarry, and eat some good food.