Distance: 11 km one way
Time: 2 hours (I think it should be faster than this)
Start: Pages Road Bridge, New Brighton
Time: 2 hours (I think it should be faster than this)
Start: Pages Road Bridge, New Brighton
Finish: Cambridge Village Green (corner of Barbados Street and Cambridge Terrace)
Date: Friday 3rd April 2020 (updated Sept 2022).
Day 12 (approximately) of Covid19 pandemic Level 4 isolation. Time to do a bike ride in our 'neighbourhood'.
The official 11 km Te Ara Ōtākaro (the Avon River Trail) starts at Pages Road Bridge in New Brighton and finishes at the Cambridge Village Green (on the corner of Barbados Street and Cambridge Terrace). But there are trails of sorts, pretty much continuously, on both sides of the river, all the way from South Brighton Spit in to the CBD and possibly beyond.
Date: Friday 3rd April 2020 (updated Sept 2022).
Day 12 (approximately) of Covid19 pandemic Level 4 isolation. Time to do a bike ride in our 'neighbourhood'.
The official 11 km Te Ara Ōtākaro (the Avon River Trail) starts at Pages Road Bridge in New Brighton and finishes at the Cambridge Village Green (on the corner of Barbados Street and Cambridge Terrace). But there are trails of sorts, pretty much continuously, on both sides of the river, all the way from South Brighton Spit in to the CBD and possibly beyond.
Otākaro is the Te Reo Māori name for the Avon River and means (according to the Christchurch Library website) "place of a game" - referring to children playing on the river bank while food was being gathered by adults.
The trail itself is a bit higgeldy piggeldy in places but winds its way along the river. We crossed sides at the Pages Road Bridge so that we were cycling on the true river right (the left side heading into town). The trail here is mostly through the red-zone. You can still see the hedges all grown up now. And a blessed soul still mows the lawns so it looks a bit like a weird park until you notice the remains of urban streets criss-crossing.
Anyway, today I joined the river at the South Brighton jetty with the intention of cycling part of Te Ara Otākaro. The tide was way out, the sky overcast and the birds were in abundance. I walked almost (so as not to disturb a shag) to the end of the jetty. The water was like a mirror - not a breath of wind. I was chatting to a lady who was walking her dog, when who should come cycling by but Sharyn. What a coincidence! (Actually this was pre-arranged). Keeping our two meters distance we set off on the path.
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The trail itself is a bit higgeldy piggeldy in places but winds its way along the river. We crossed sides at the Pages Road Bridge so that we were cycling on the true river right (the left side heading into town). The trail here is mostly through the red-zone. You can still see the hedges all grown up now. And a blessed soul still mows the lawns so it looks a bit like a weird park until you notice the remains of urban streets criss-crossing.
Near the Avon Rowing Club the trees were showing their autumn colours. People always stepped back 2 meters but said hi when we passed - I think Covid19 and our current lock-down has made everyone friendlier albeit more distant.
At Gayhurst Road Bridge we did our final crossing and turned towards home, this time always travelling on the opposite side. At the end we detoured through Bexley before crossing the South Brighton bridge and then cycling through the South Brighton domain and back to our respective bubbles. It was good to get out and as a bonus, about an hour later the sun came out.
September 2022 update: Three new pedestrian/cycle bridges have been built across the river: The Avondale Footbridge at Hulverston Drive, The Medway Bridge at Medway Street and the Snell Bridge at Snell Place. Plus there are plans on the horizon for a trail upgrade - a city to ocean connection. Awesome.
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September 2022 update: Three new pedestrian/cycle bridges have been built across the river: The Avondale Footbridge at Hulverston Drive, The Medway Bridge at Medway Street and the Snell Bridge at Snell Place. Plus there are plans on the horizon for a trail upgrade - a city to ocean connection. Awesome.
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| The Avondale Footbridge September 2022 |
