West face of the golf course

This is another nice walk from Kingston shops. If you can get someone to drop you at the bottom of the hill it is even nicer. The walk proper starts opposite the playing fields at the bottom of Farnham St. Pick up the City to Sea signs and head turn back to the right across the small park. The path takes you down some steps past some lovely tree ferns. You emerge onto a quiet side road. In front of you is the council tree and shrub nursery. Your route turns right and then left along the boundary of the nursery. This morning there was a kingfisher perched on a wire, along with a few starlings.
You emerge onto the edge of the Berhampore Golf Club and your path lies along its margin. It then turns away from the golf course, towards Brooklyn ridge, which is still high above you. The path here is a wide logging path with plenty of evidence of fairly recent tree felling. The city founders replaced the original forest with fast growing pines, which are now being gradually felled to allow native trees to return. Stay with the main path ahead and do not get seduced by the side paths. Although they look promising they are just logging dead ends. As you climb, the path turns right towards the ridge and becomes extremely steep. The surface is crumbling rock, as the top soil on these ridges is not much more than a smear. It is amazing that trees and large shrubs can grow so successfully. Look for the enclosure with half a dozen goats on the slope to your right. They are being used to clear honeysuckle and clematis which choke the shrubs. This morning there was a small, vocal flock of Rosellas (Australian parakeets) perching on an area of dead scrub. Boots and a stick are helpful to get you up this almost vertical incline. The track then enters the scrub and there is a final pull up to Quebec Street. There are fine views from the ridge, with the harbour in one direction and the Cook Strait in the other.