Date:    14/08/2022
River:    Avon River, Christchurch, NZ
River Conditions:   2.528 cumecs at Gloucester Street bridge. Water clear. Grade 1.
Weather Conditions:   Sunny and warm, light winds.
Number on Trip:    1 person.
Time on River:  1.75 hours.
Comments:  For a change we had beautiful sunny weather over the weekend and the “Polluted Water” signs had disappeared from the river banks (during periods of flooding, wastewater can get into the stormwater system and thus into the cities waterways), so it definitely looked like a paddle was on the cards. Saturday afternoon got used up hunting down some rocks for a water feature I was planning for our garden, so when Sunday afternoon rolled around, I decided to take the Blitz (the Blitz Special having been returned to the storage locker) for a paddle.

A couple of barracudas cruised by as I was struggling to fit my spray deck to the cockpit rim. Once that was in place, I slid smoothly off the back, the kayaks nose diving below the rivers’ surface and the water flowed around me and off the Blitz’s tail, confirming that I had managed to fit the deck correctly and the boat hadn’t filled with water.

I decided to head downstream, seeking the peace & solitude of the more rural Red Zone, far from busy roadways and nosy vehicles. As always it was great to be back on the water and to feel my senses filled with all the sensory experiences nature had to offer. The trees, their winter limbs bare of foliage, contrasting darkly against the clear blue sky, their textured bark highlighted in the bright sunlight. There were plenty of swallows flitting about, possibly a sign that Spring is on it’s way.

The new footbridges have added a new point of interest to the trip and they seem to be well used by walkers and cyclists enjoying the Red Zone on a sunny Winter’s day. The bridges also provide way points to measure the distance when paddling, the Snell Place bridge meant I carried on my journey beyond the Gayhurst Bridge, my normal end point, and since Kerrs Reach is just a little further, I carried on to that stretch, before turning for home.

Another sign that Spring isn’t too far off, was a swan family with five little, fluffy grey signets. Father swan was very protective of his children, honking at me and advancing with feathers ruffled to ensure I kept a good distance while taking photographs. Interestingly I spotted a large brown rat, bounding along the river back, behind the swan family, hopefully he didn’t have ideas of a tasty signet for supper. These swans must have been lucky with their choice of nesting site, as they often build their nests a bit above the waterline and the recent floods have submerged and swept away many of these places.

It was nice to feel the sun on my face as I paddled against the current, the bare and backlit trees turned into fractal silhouettes against the sky, their limbs branching off to infinity.

Paddling upstream is always harder and I was feeling very out of practice, so it was nice when I reached the home stretch and paddled past the Eels. I continued up to the Swanns Road bridge to complete the journey, before paddling back down to the get out and scrambling up the bank to walk home for a well deserved cup of tea and a crumpet smothered in honey.