Walks

The attractive walking and cycling ways alongside the river provide a good opportunity to get your bearings, connect with the local scenery and work up an appetite for coffee and cake at one of the town's quality cafés. Whether just looking to stretch the legs on a road trip pit stop or setting out for an afternoon on the 18km Waimakariri River Regional Park route, there are routes to suit everyone.

The recently opened Rangiora to Kaiapoi cycle and walkway – named the Passchendaele Memorial Pathway – is an 8km path between the two townships. The pathway was named in memory of the fallen of the WWI Battle of Passchendaele in 1917, during which an unprecedented number of New Zealanders lost their lives. Waimakariri district has a special connection to the 100day battle as it is twinned with the Belgium municipality of Zonnebeke, which includes the Passchendaele battlefield.

Mt Torlesse rises behind picnickers at Lake Lyndon.