Date: 29/12/2022
River: Avon River, Christchurch, NZ
River Conditions: 2.216 cumecs at Gloucester Street bridge. Water clear. Grade 1.
Weather Conditions: Sunny and very warm, up to 32°C.
Number on Trip: 1 person.
Time on River: 5 hours.
Comments: I had wanted to paddle down the Avon from as far upstream as I could. I decided to put in at the University of Canterbury Staff Club, as above the weir there, water levels are pretty low and the river is pretty shallow & muddy. After checking the weeks weather forecast, Thursday looked promising, with temperatures predicted to reach 30ºC, making being on the river, an appealing option.
I made myself a packed lunch, sorted out my gear, including my GPS, and loaded up Blitz on to the car. The above map outlines the route of my paddle, from left to right, with a few diversions down other navigable tributaries. Driving to the Staff Club was one of the quicker parts of the journey, and I was soon carrying my kayak down to the weir, that was my chosen launch point. A short video of the trip can be viewed here, the long extended version can be viewed here.
I’ve broken the trip up into sections, with the time taken for each section. Generally the sections with started by places where the river can be easily accessed, so these points can serve as either put ins or take outs, meaning you can tailor a trip to meet your own enthusiasm.The approximate times of each section are listed below (times will vary with individuals):
UC Staff Club to Puriri Street Bridge: 49 minutes
Puriri Street Bridge to Mona Vale: 35 minutes
Mona Vale to Botanic Gardens: 58 minutes
Botanic Gardens to The Terraces: 32 minutes
The Terraces to Victoria Square: 10 minutes
Victoria Square to Margret Mahy Playground: 6 minutes
Margret Mahy Playground to Pomeroy’s Bar: 17 minutes
Pomeroy’s Bar to Retreat Road / Swanns Road Bridge Jetty: 14 minutes
Put in at the UC Staff Club: 10:35am
I chose this point as it is the highest point I could put in and then paddle without having to get out of my kayak. Above this weir and water wheel, the Avon is quite shallow and not really navigable. Plus there is something cute about the whole “river” flowing out of a relatively small diameter pipe.
Paddling through the first part was a little tricky as it was quite shallow, you definitely want to check there is enough water before putting on and planning this trip for spring is probably a good idea.
The river was soon deep enough to paddle easily, before passing under Ilam Road and into University of Canterbury campus.
The UC campus is nicely landscaped and having the Avon River flowing from the campus is a real bonus. The student union building was rebuilt following the Canterbury Earthquakes and is a fine new addition to student life. This is near the section of the river that is used for the Engineering Bridge Challenge, where students build a lightweight wooden bridge across the river and then have to cross it, often resulting in a dunking.
Native plantings along the river banks in the UC campus make for a very pleasant paddle. Further down, willows overhang the river, complimenting the native plantings.
From the river, it is hard to believe that you are paddling through one of New Zealand’s top universities and not out in the countryside, the water is clear and the overhanging trees and foliage give the light a greenish hue.
Clyde Road: 11:03am, 27 minutes elapsed
Paddling under Clyde Road, you move out of the open university campus and in to a tighter section, where the river flows through the backyards of the Fendalton.
Fendalton is one of the more affluent suburbs of Christchurch and the Avon river winds it’s way through it. Having a river running through your backyard can be quite a feature and many home owners in this suburb have embraced their river boundary.
Just down stream of the Clyde Road bridge is a weir with a drop of around half a metre. The weir can be paddled over with care or you can portage around the side, though be careful to respect the land owners property. I previously paddled this section in the 90s and managed to fall in while trying to get back into my kayak after portaging this weir, spend the rest of the day feeling a bit soggy.
The pool below the weir is reasonably deep and it can be a little difficult to get back into your kayak if you portage the weir, due to the steep banks.
This section of the river is reasonably narrow and may get a little shallow during summer if the flow is low, but I didn’t encounter any issues on my trip.
The banks are often reinforced with wood or stone, and are often overhung with vegetation.
Okeover Stream is the other waterway that flows through the University of Canterbury. It is fed ephemerally by storm-water, but much of it’s base flow is waste water from the University’s air conditioning system. Much effort has been made to restore the section that runs through the University to a more natural state with rocks, pools, riffles and native vegetation. The stream is home to a number of very large (up to 1m long) eels, which are occasional fed by students (not fed on students). While it is possible to paddle the stream from behind my workplace, it is pretty shallow in places, as well as being quite narrow, and progress may be a little awkward. the stream joins the Avon not far from the Clyde Road & Kotare Street intersection.
Being one of Christchurch’s older and more affluent suburbs, Fendalton has some nice houses and it is quite interesting to see them from this unusual vantage point. If you are passing this way, please be respectful of others property and privacy as you float by.
There are some lovely gardens that integrate well with their river boundary, making paddling this section quite rewarding. The water was also surprisingly clear for an urban stream.
The river is reasonable distant from any roads and the traffic noise is muffled by the houses, so most of the time, the only sounds are birds singing and the splash of your paddle in the water.
Puriri Street Landing: 11:24am, 49 minutes elapsed
Putting in at the landing by Puriri Street bridge is a good alternative if you want a shorter trip through the backyards of the wealthy suburb of Fendalton. The river winds it’s way through Fendalton before flowing through the Riccarton Bush Reserve.
Riccarton Bush: 11:33am, 58 minutes elapsed
The historic Riccarton House at Riccarton Bush overlooks the Avon River and serves as a cafe/restaurant and an event venue, though if you are coming off the river, you may need a suitable change of clothing. There is also a 7.8-hectare kahikatea forest, a tiny remnant of the great forests that used to cover much of Canterbury. There are several walking tracks through the bush and it provides a beautiful and relaxing sanctuary within the bustle of Riccarton.
Floating out of the gardens at Riccarton Bush and under Kahu Road, you go past Christchurch Boys High School. Approaching a low bridge with a number of pipes along its’ side, the sound of turbulent water can be heard.
Duck your head to avoid any bumps and take care running the low weir as the outflow is rather shallow and contains a number of rocks.
The rocks and the weir form a little rapid where you can almost imagine you’re surfing.
I had a little “play”, cutting back & forth on the “wave”, as the water splashed across my bow and onto my glasses and camera lense.
From here I drifted downstream to continue my journey through the backyards of Fendalton on my way to Mona Vale. Passing under the railway bridge the stream opens out in a wider river as several stream combine their waters at the Mona Vale gardens.
Wairarapa Stream Side Excursion:
Instead of paddling downstream through Mona Vale, I chose a side excursion and started to paddle up Wairarapa Stream. The stream passes under Fendalton Road and then into one of the more wealthy areas of Christchurch and the riverside backyards do express some of that wealth.
There were a number of interesting sculptures along the river bank, which brought the scene to life.
I certainly found the bronze hippo more engaging that the pair of yapping dogs further upstream. I paddled as far as I could up stream, before the stream got too shallow to make further progress, and then turn to float back towards Mona Vale. I can see a future trip, where I put at Jellie Park and paddle down to Mona Vale. The stream seems to be deep enough to be navigable from there and should make an interesting paddle.
There were some landings along the stream, though I’m not sure where the owners of this boat take it, as the draught of the boat might be a little deep for this shallow stream. I checked out the smaller Waimairi Stream, which also joins the Avon just downstream from Fendalton Road, but this was just to shallow to get far.
Mona Vale: 11:59am, 1 hour 24 minutes elapsed
Mona Vale is an early 1900s homestead with several formal gardens, riverside walks & a restaurant, and it was here that I decided to stop for lunch.
There was a nice landing, where they must sometimes running punting trips from, and so I got out here and enjoyed watching the river flow by as I ate my sandwich, watched by the occasional duck. It was also interesting looking across the river and watching the erratic movements of a robotic lawnmower as it worked it’s way around lawns of the property pictured below. Not sure if it did a good job, but the path it traced seemed pretty random and it definitely kept the ducks on their toes.
After lunch, I had a little wander about the gardens and made use of the public toilet, these are somewhat scarce along the riverside and it is important to make use of them when they are available. I also got mistaken for a tourist guide for some reason whilst wandering around the gardens in my buoyancy aid and spray skirt. Not sure exactly what they thought I was doing, but they were interested to know what I would do if I lost any of my party, which since I was alone, may have been a good question.
Feeling fed and relieved, I was back on the river and heading downstream once more. I paddled down the right channels, under the bridge pictured below, to have a look at the high weir.
There is a nice view from the top, but it is not recommended to paddle over it because the pool at the bottom is fairly shallow and injuries could result. I briefly chatted to a group of guys with cheap “Warehouse” style rafts on a beer trip, and checked they weren’t planning to paddle down the channel and over the weir. Fortunately they were just going to portage around the weir after they had finished inflating their rafts and put in on the river below.
I paddled back up the river and then down the left channel, past the glass house and on towards the double weir.
The double weir isn’t as high as the one on the right hand channel and is divided into two steps.
After the obligatory photos, I dropped over the lip and on to the step, which is about a kayak length wide, and then over the next lip to the bottom.
Once at the bottom, I had a little “surf”, with emphasis on the term little, but it was quite neat to be able to look up the river along the waters surface, towards the gardens.
I took a few more photos and some video of the weir, which in hindsight were the last photos of this weir that I would ever take as not long after the weir was redeveloped and replaced with a rock riffle (pictured below) to make the river more natural and allow fish to swim upstream and gain another 8km of habitat.
It will be interesting to have a paddle on the new “rapid” and see how it changes with river flows. It looks like there might be a few little “play” spots for a mild urban adventurer.
I had a little splash in the fish ladder at the side of the weir before carrying on downstream. I met up with one of the rafters at the confluence of the two channels, waiting for the rest of his crew to complete the portage.
I paddled back upstream to have a look at the high weir from the bottom and the water did seem pretty shallow, maybe only 1 or 2 feet deep.
Onwards down the river, under Fendalton Road and into Hagley Park. There was splash ahead as someone dropped of the rope swing and into the river, cooling off on a hot summer’s day. This spot is a popular swimming hole with students after school on scorching summer days, with a rope swing and a water depth of around 2 metres deep. Not sure about the water quality or potential health risks, but I would probably try not to swallow the water, otherwise it’s a lovely spot for a swim in the heart of the city.
As the Avon flows around Hagley Park, the river becomes wider, bordered by roads on one side and parkland on the other. As the water spreads out in the wider channel, the river becomes shallower.
Although there are roads nearby, the river is a peaceful place and the current pulled my kayak along as I soaked up the beautiful greenery of little Hagley Park.
Turning the corner at the Bealey Avenue, the river flows along beside Park Terrace and Hagley Park. On this stretch, I passed a couple having a relaxing float through the park on tyre inner tubes. Using this method, you’ll get a bit wetter, but when the temperature is in the high twenties, that isn’t so much of an issue.
Botanic Gardens: 2:00pm, 3 hours 25 minutes elapsed
Around the west end of Armagh Street, the river turns into Hagley Park and begins it’s sinuous curve around the Botanic gardens.
This stretch is popular with recreational paddlers, as various river crafts can be hired from Antigua Boat Shed, allowing people to travel up the river and explore this particularly scenic section of the river.
Being such a nice day, there were certainly plenty of people keep to have a fun day on the river.
Punts rides can also be taken from the Antigua Boat Shed and these enable the less active tourists to also experience the Botanic Gardens from the river. The guides give plenty of commentary as they pole there boats up the river.
Antigua Boat Sheds: 2:24pm, 3 hours 49 minutes elapsed
Past the Antigua Boat Sheds you head in to the central city. River craft thins out as you are not allowed to take the rental boats downstream, which is a good thing as the shallow stretches and riffles would make return the boats difficult, as they are generally impassable to upstream travel.
This riffle also used to be a small weir, but now speeds boats into the city while still allowing fish to swim upstream. Although now entering the city, the river still remains an oasis of nature. The river banks have been allowed grow naturally to provide a more natural environment for aquatic life to shelter under, as well as reducing pollution entering the river.
The Canterbury Earthquake Memorial wall is a sad reminder of the 185 lives lost in the quakes, as well as those lives shattered by loss or injury by the events. The building behind encased in scaffolding and plastic, serves as a reminder of the work still to be done in repairing the damage done. 12 years on, this tower stands empty with work still being done to make it able to be lived in again.
The Bridge of Remembrance was opened in 1924 and together with its Arch of Remembrance serve as a memorial to servicemen and women of two World Wars and subsequent conflicts in Korea, Malaya, Borneo, and Vietnam. The bridge replaced an earlier bridge over which many thousands of soldiers marched en route from King Edward barracks to the railway station and overseas service, from which many did not return. The bridge and arch were repaired and strengthened after the 2011 quakes.
The Terraces: 2:32pm, 3 hours 57 minutes elapsed
Formerly the Strip, this hospitality & nightlife area was completely rebuilt after the Canterbury Quakes, and the Terraces, which give the area its’ new name, were constructed to connect the area with the river.
It’s hard work to paddle upstream in this section, past the shallow riffles, but a couple of waka ama paddlers gave it a good go.
Some large eels and trout hang out around the Terraces and you can hand feed the eels if you are careful with your fingers, as they will bit and have plenty of small but sharp teeth. Sea gulls and water fowl will also try to mug you for food if you choose to eat you lunch by the river. If you do want lunch, the Riverside Market has plenty of tasty options, but you’ll want to make sure you guard or secure you boat if you do decide to check it out.
Carrying on downstream, you can drift past Gormley’s sculpture “Stay” as it stand forlornly in the middle of the river, keeping its’ silent vigil. Further still, you pass the new convention centre Te Pae, which was built on the site of the old public library and the Farmers department store.
Victoria Square: 2:42pm, 4 hours 7 minutes elapsed
No time to stop at Ice Cream Charlie for a vanilla sundae and I carried on past the refurbished Town Hall. It is nice to the iconic dandelion fountains working again, they were a popular image of pre-quake Christchurch.
Down past the Edmond’s Band Rotunda, which was badly damaged in the earthquakes but has now been restored to a open air performance space and is back to it’s former glory. The wakas moored near the rotunda seemed to be all ready for paddlers but there was no one around.
A school of fish shot by, heading upstream and I snapped a quick shot before they flashed out of view.
Margaret Mahy Playground: 2:48pm, 4 hours 13 minutes elapsed
If we still lived on Peterborough Street, I’d almost be home. We used to frequently used to walk along side this stretch on our way into the city, to go to the movies, eat out or just go shopping. Before the earthquakes, this was pretty convenient and it is nice to see the city being restored and gradually coming back to life again. The Margaret Mahy Playground on the right bank is usually busy and also features a car park and jetty, making it a reasonable place to start or end Avon River paddling trips.
Under the Barbadoes Street bridge and past the Firefighters Memorial, which was made from the twisted steel girders from the World Trade Centre and commemorates the lives of firefighters who have loss their lives doing their duty. Under the Kilmore Street bridge and past the new Central Fire Station and down the “Fire Station rapid”.
The Avon Loop was Red Zoned after the quakes and all the lovely, historic cottages were demolished and the land cleared. Now the right bank is home to a new park, which with the historic cemetery on the left bank makes for a pleasant stretch of the river with a distinctly rural feel in the central city. A stand up paddle boarder went by, heading upstream. These river-craft can be hired from Airborn Paddle Hire.
The river narrowed after the quakes as a result of lateral spreading around this stretch and so the water can be a little swifter than the wider reaches.
As well as the rural like environment, there are plenty of birds on the river and it is good to see them going about their business, though there does seem to be a lot of Canada geese around. They have large broods, and because they form large flocks and are very protective of their young, many survive to adulthood.
Pomeroy’s Bar & Restaurant: 3:05pm, 4 hours 30 minutes elapsed
There’s a nice, new landing just off Kilmore Street near Pomeroy’s but I was a bit too tired to stop and get out for a beer & some pork scratchings, so I carried on, home beckoning.
Paddling through the Red Zone and seeing the Swanns Road bridge come into view is a welcome sight, especially as fatigue sets in.
Retreat Road / Swanns Road Bridge Jetty: 3:19pm, 4 hours 44 minutes elapsed
I was pretty tired by the time I got here and hauled my kayak out of the water. I wandered home through the Richmond Community Garden and was very glad to make it to our bathroom after such a long time on the water. After a bit of a rest break, I got my bike out to cycle back to where I’d left my vehicle. It’s a pleasant bike ride, much of it following the Avon, through the Red Zone, Parks and on bike paths, but I wasn’t in much of a state to really appreciate it. On the way I said “hello” to some of the rafters from earlier, who were still on the river near Fitzgerald Avenue. The distance was more direct than in the kayak but by the time I made it to the Staff Club, I was pretty exhausted and a bit sore, so I spent a bit of time lying on the grass before loading up my bike and heading for home for a good rest. Oh man, that was epic and I have to admit that I spent the remainder of the day lying down and moaning!