Time: 1 hour and 37 mins (3 hours and 15 minutes return)
Distance: 14.5 km (29 km return)
Start: Waimakariri Sailing Club, 63 Featherstone Road, Kairaki
Finish: Rakahuri/Ashley River, Waikuku
Date: Friday 26th November 2021
The Tūhaitara Coastal Park is an 800 ha, 10.5 km long strip of coastal land, comprising wetland and dune systems. Established as the result of the Ngai Tahu settlement with the Crown, and subsequently gifted to the people of New Zealand, the park is now administered by the Te Kohaka o Tuhaitara Trust - a collaboration of local council and iwi. Tūhaitara was an ancestress of the North Canterbury hapu Ngāi Tuahuriri.
We planned to cycle the length of the park along both the Pegasus Walkway Trail (Waimakariri River mouth at Kairaki to Woodend Beach) and the Tūtaepatu Trail (Woodend Beach to Waikuku) starting from the Waimakariri River mouth at Kairaki to the Rakahuri (Ashley) River mouth at Waikuku. Apparently you can see these cycle paths from the air when you fly into Christchurch.
We parked near the Waimakariri Sailing Club and prepared the bikes. Rowing skiffs with their companion coaching boats were skimming along the river in the distance. Glassy and blue. The start of the trail was impossible to find. We ascended to the camp ground and asked for directions from a friendly chap who sent us to an obscure corner where we descended to a forestry road. No signage but I knew we should head vaguely north. We eventually crossed Beach Road and, using my feminine intuition (for there was still no signage), I deduced we were following the Pegasus Walkway Trail (we were): a stony, sandy track through the pines and swamps all the way to Woodend Beach.
We cycled through the small settlement that is Woodend Beach - along Ferry Road, past the cute baches and then onto Woodend Beach Road for a short distance before turning right onto the Tūtaepatu Trail. After about 1 km we arrived at the Tūtaepatu Lagoon. We ascended the lookouts for views of the lagoon and chatted to two young people from the Te Kohaka o Tuhaitara Trust who were driving past. They enthusiastically invited us to catch up with them further down the track and check out the Canterbury Mudfish.
The only freshwater mudfish in the world, the rare and endangered Canterbury Mudfish (kawaro, Neochanna burrowsius) is a nocturnal, stocky eel, about 10 cm long with tubes (nostrils) sticking out the front of its face which enable it to breathe during times of drought when the water in its pond disappears and only a muddy hole remains. Kawaro are treasured taonga, believed to descend from Tangaroa, the Māori sea god.
When we arrived at the mud-pond a bit further down the track near the turn off to Pegasus Town, Emma and David were already there in full swing, counting and measuring the 11 unfortunate kawaro that had swum into their trap. The were slippery and slimey and wriggly as they unceremoniously plopped from the trap into the bucket. We clustered around the action, all agog, taking snaps and asking questions. We felt lucky to witness these elusive creatures.
We continued on the trail to Waikuku where we weaved our way past the oxidation pond (ducks) and through the settlement that is Waikuku Beach. Past the cute baches, over the bridge, past the Waikuku Beach General Store and then finally to the edge of the Rakahuri River. The end of the trail. There I could hardly believe my eyes: in the distance was my all time favourite bird, the rare and endangered Royal Spoonbill (kōtuku ngutupapa). It was impossibly preening itself with its spoon.
We plopped ourselves down on a picnic bench for paramanawa, where we were watched beadily by three black-billed gulls (tārapuka). Rare and endangered. We decided to check out the surf club and the beach. The thermometer must have been hitting about 25 degrees (actually 27) and the beach was surprisingly crowded. A gizzillion surfers and swimmers who don't work on Fridays. I had my togs and it was tempting but yeah nah. We had to be getting back.
The return journey was faster due to less dilly dallying. Edel hit the gas pedal and disappeared ahead in the distance. My coccycx was starting to feel quite squished and we were all happy to see the Waimakariri Sailing Club fast approaching as we bumped our way along the washboard stopbank track of the Kairaki River. We packed the bikes away and drove to the Five Peaks restaurant in Kaipoi, which in hindsight we probably should have boycotted. We sat happily outside in the shade overlooking the river, drinking fabulously coloured drinks (peach and raspberry) and eating lime-green avocado and pea smash. So nice.
