Bridle Path (New Zealand)

Although very steep, it was the primary means of traversing the hills until the Sumner Road over Evans Pass was opened to light traffic in 1858.

Originally, the road over Evans Pass was intended to be completed by the time the first settlers arrived but the Canterbury Association ran out of money.

Both the Crater Rim Walkway and Stan Helms Track meet the Bridle Path at the car park.

Charlotte Godley, in a letter written between 10 February and 3 May 1850, reported there was a pathway over the hills to the Dean's farm that her husband and Captain Thomas rode over when they first visited Lyttelton, on 12 May 1850.

[12] At that time, the road to Sumner was still being constructed but had reached a point where heavy blasting was required to get past some precipitous bluffs.

[14][15][16][5] A contract road gang operated by a Mr. Hughes and supervised by works overseer Donald Gollan formed the path, which was intended to be 8 feet (2.4 m) wide when complete.

[7] When Charlotte Godley travelled over this Bridle Road in early December 1850 the path was mostly formed, except for a small portion near the summit where they had to dismount and climb to the top over rough stones and rocks.

[17][14] Heavy goods were usually shipped from Lyttelton to a dock at Ferrymead, but this was a hazardous journey as the sailing ships of the time needed to make an open sea journey between Lyttelton and Sumner Bay and then cross the Sumner Bar under favourable wind, sea and tide conditions.

[18][5] That path was just passable by cattle or horses at walking pace though considered easy for pedestrians or sheep to negotiate.

Both a "Select Committee" of the "Society of Land-Purchasers" and a Commission appointed by the Canterbury Provincial Council recommended completing the road to Sumner.

At a meeting that re-established the Women's Branch of The Citizens' Association held on 29 November 1938, Miss Mildred Trent suggested that, as a centennial gift, a memorial to the pioneer women in Canterbury be erected at the intersection of the Bridle Path and the, then, recently opened Summit Road.

[21][22] The memorial was envisaged to take the form of sheltered seats and would be Canterbury women's contribution to New Zealand's centenary celebrations.

[25] There are a total of seven commemorative stone seats placed along the Bridle Path; most of these were built for the Canterbury centenary celebrations in 1950.

[1] A Wayside Memorial Cross was erected in 1856, at the request of Charlotte Godley, to mark the site of a small spring where she rested and drank the water.