Date:    28/04/2024
River:    Avon River, Christchurch, NZ
River Conditions:   1.617 cumecs at Gloucester Street bridge. Water clear. Grade 1.
Weather Conditions:   Sunny and warm, NE winds.
Number on Trip:    1 person.
Time on River:  1.5 hours.
Comments:  After a wander around the Gypsy Fair at the local green, I decided to go for a paddle on the Avon to get some exercise and make the most of a sunny afternoon. I tossed up between heading upstream or downstream, before sliding off the bank and into the water. The tide was out so the river was relatively low at my launch site, and I was a little worried I’d end up with my kayak’s nose stuck in the mud whilst I looked stupid with my boat half on the bank and half in the river. Fortunately the kayak surfaced nicely and I paddled off downstream.

The water was smooth & glassy, and it was nice to feel a paddle in my hands again. I hadn’t paddled since the end of last year, after which getting moved and settled into our house took all my time. Since moving in there has been a constant stream of tasks to get done, some that had been put off for a while as other duties took precedence. A bout of Covid-19 a few week backs, whilst being inconvenient, did give me a chance to catch up on some of those tasks while I isolated.

I paddled down to the Gayhurst Road bridge and then carried on under the Snell Place foot bridge to Kerrs Reach before tuning for home.

Going upstream is always harder, but even with the sun in my eyes, I made good time, my fitness not too depleted by my lack of physical activity.

By the time I reached The Eels, I was getting a little tired and was looking forward to a nice cup of tea and a snack, but home wasn’t too far away.

As the day was getting one, the light created some beautiful effects like the illuminated tree with a shag perched in it’s branches and the autumn colours in the leaves. Eventually I reached the get out and clambered up the bank to head home for a shower and a well deserved rest.