Time: 2 hours and 10 minutes (biking) (1 hour and 5 minutes each way)
Distance: 18 km (9 km each way)
Start: End of Darroch Street, Belfast
End: Same place (it's loopy)
Date: Friday 29th July 2022
The Ōtūkaikano track runs about 9 km from Belfast to the Roto Kohatu Reserve and is yet another Christchurch hidden gem that I have only recently discovered. To be honest I mostly find walks on this side of town a bit weird - with the boggy farm land and poplar shelter belts. For some odd reason the movie Deliverance springs to mind.
This morning was, at first, dismally grey and, being on my own for various reasons, I was feeling a bit gloomy. I was expecting the ride to be (1) noisy because the track runs under and alongside State Highway 1 (it was) and (2) flooded in places because we had had a months rainfall on Tuesday (it was). However I wasn't expecting a pleasantly meandering path through native plantings running alongside a fabulously crystal clear river.
I parked my car at the end of Darroch Street, extracted my bike from the boot and climbed to the top of the stop-bank where the track starts. I got up some speed descending the stop-bank on the other side. The pukekos dotting the muddy track flew up into the air in a squawking panic with legs still dangling ungainly.
The track headed north through boggy farm land then quickly looped around to the underpass of State Highway 1 where it passed a shelter belt of poplars and joined the Ōtūkaikano river/creek. I couldn't find a translation for the word "Ōtūkaikano" but this creek is a deep spring fed tributary of the Waimakariri river and today it was running full and fast due to the recent rainfall. The water was so clear I could see to the bottom. From here the gravelly path followed the river most of the way and was quite often flooded so I then had to wade, sometimes up to my shins. But it was actually lovely because of the clarity. Albeit effing freezing.
I bypassed the Groynes Dog Park with its little yellow pooh bins scattered about. People walking their dogs had spilled out of the dog park and onto the track and the dogs watched me and my spinning wheels with manically beady eyes. A woman on her cell phone with three dogs - two menacing and one cute and fluffy, was approaching. When she was nigh, the cute and fluffy one lurched towards my damp shins with teeth bared. She must have been anticipating this because she deftly grabbed it and she must have pinched it hard at the same time because it yelped like anything. I think she saw the look of horror on my face because she said "E weel bite you". I did not reply but quickened my pedaling pace.
I passed the Clearwater Resort for the rich. Immaculate rows of two story white houses with perfect gardens overlooking a golf course. Another film came to mind: Stepford Wives. I was tempted to cycle around the resort and check it out. There was a path in that direction but with a closed gate and a sign "Private Property".
After about an hour of cycling, I went under another underpass and arrived at Roto Kohatu Reserve where I circumnavigated the two lakes: first Roto Rua and then Roto Tahi. These lakes are man-made -former gravel pits/quarries developed into a recreational area. The airport is nearby and a JetStar 737 flew low overhead preparing to land.
It was time for the return journey. The sun had come out and I happily gathered its rays. People were friendly and stopped and chatted about the week of rain and all the flooding. Some were walking in gumboots which would have been a good idea. I passed a horse.
Back at Darroch Street, I returned the bike to the car and, feeling uplifted, headed to Switch Cafe in Brighton for Eggs Benny and a cuppa.
