Date:    3/12/2023
River:    Avon River, Christchurch, NZ
River Conditions:   2.025 cumecs at Gloucester Street bridge. Water clear. Grade 1.
Weather Conditions:   Sunny and warm, strong NW winds.
Number on Trip:    1 person.
Time on River:  1.5 hours.
Comments:  I haven’t been out for a paddle for a quite sometime, being out of our house and the ongoing stress surround our earthquake repairs have been consuming a lot of my spare time. I was considering heading up to the Hurunui with the Canterbury Whitewater Club but the weather was wasn’t looking good, with heavy rain predicted about the main divide, and I didn’t want my first club trip in over 2 years, to be a miserable affair. On the plus side, the nor-westerly winds dumping rain in the mountains meant high temperatures in Christchurch, so I took the opportunity to head down to the Avon with the Blitz.

I parked up at our empty home, got changed and carried my kayak through the community garden and down to the river, seal launching off the bank into the cool green waters. It felt good to be back on the water and I was soon paddling strongly down stream through the Red Zone.

I always enjoy paddling through the Red Zone, the peace and quiet, surrounded by nature, it is really relaxing. So it was a bit of a surprise to come across the scene pictured below. I heard their cursing, before I saw them, with their quad bike, trailer and motor powered inflatable bogged by the river’s edge. Interesting I thought, since unauthourised motor vehicles are banned from the Red Zone and power boats are not allowed on the Avon. I took a photo of the spectacle, and without me saying a word, I was abused as “a grumpy old man” and worse. They followed up the abuse by throwing sticks & stones, which fortunately missed or it would have become a Police matter.

These are probably the same young dickheads that are frequently the subject of complaints on the RADS Facebook page, for racing around the Red Zone and abusing people. I imagine they’ll learn about consequences at some stage in the future when they find themselves in jail, or die in a car wreck, or at the hands of someone they abuse, the young & stupid “free pass” only lasts so long, before consequences get real. Laughing at their stupidity, I paddled on and left them in my wake.

The peace and calm soon returned as I paddled on, the Red Zone making me feel like I was out in the countryside. A group of large waka ama passed me, heading upstream at the same time as the group of idiots from earlier drove past shouting more abuse, having managed to get themselves unstuck. Charming. I gave them a cheery wave and hoped that was the last I’d see of them.

There were a lot of ducklings on the river, especial scaups, a type of New Zealand diving duck. It was cute to watch them as often the whole family would disappear underwater for a while, even the tiny ducklings, and then they would bob to the surface one at a time.

I carried on down to Kerrs Reach, where there was a bit of rowing activity going on, and then turned for home. Paddling into the strong headwind was hard going and certainly got my pulse rate up.

Just before the Snell Place foot bridge, I spotted the four waka ama powering back downstream towards me, so I pulled over to be out of their way and to catch some photographs. Definitely a great day to be out on the river and I was able to forward the photographs to some of the paddlers via a work mate.

One of the bonuses of being on the river, is seeing all the bird life that call it home. I watched this shag diving for fish, though he didn’t appreciate it when I got too close in order to take a photograph. Hopefully he had more success than the guy fishing near the bridge.

There were also a number of Paradise Shelduck pairs spaced out along the bank (they tend to be very territorial and will drive off other pairs quite aggressively if they get too close), some even had fluffy ducklings. Seeing them always reminds us of Greta and makes us feel sad that she never got to raise her own family of funny, fluffy ducklings.

With the strong headwinds, you certainly appreciate the way the river meanders, so you aren’t always battling into the wind. The Dallington Landing looked quite magnificent in the sunlight, but there was no stopping to explore as home beckoned.

Paused to photograph some beautifully coloured flax flowers overhanging the river, only to realise after taking a number of shots that I had water spots on the camera lens. Cleaned the lens as best I could and took a couple more pictures, which seemed to work.

I paddled on, battling the winds and lack of fitness, turning occasionally to admire the scenery and checking to make sure I wasn’t missing any great shots. I paddled this stretch quite a few times, and take many very similar shots, but each time the seasons, sky and light will be different, sometimes making for a better picture.

I finally reached my starting point, paddling just a little bit further to the Swanns Road bridge to complete the journey, and then back down to clamber out where I had put in. With my Blitz on my shoulder, I walked back to our house, put the kayak on the car, and had a quick cold shower (we had turned the hot water off while the renovations are in progress) before dressing and returning to our temporary accommodation for a well earned rest. It was a good outing and so nice to be back on the river. I’m looking forward to getting back home and being just a short walk from the Red Zone again.