| Avon River/Ōtakaro | |
|---|---|
Boat sheds on the Avon, Christchurch |
|
| Origin | Avonhead |
| Mouth | Pegasus Bay via the Avon Heathcote Estuary |
| Basin countries | New Zealand |
| Length | 14 km (8.7 mi) |
| Mouth elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
The Avon River ( /ˈeɪvən/) flows through the centre of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, and out to an estuary, which it shares with the Heathcote River, the Avon Heathcote Estuary.
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Geologically, as with most of the South Island's rivers, it is very young. The Avon (in its current course) may date from New Zealand's last ice age.
The Avon follows a meandering course through Christchurch from its source in the outer western suburb of Avonhead through Ilam, Riccarton and Fendalton, then through Hagley Park and the Central Business District (CBD).
East of the CBD, it passes through Avonside, Dallington, Avondale and Aranui, and finally flowing into the Pacific Ocean via the Avon Heathcote Estuary (Māori: Te Wahapū[1]) near Sumner.
The Avon River was known by the Māori as Ōtākaro[2] or Putare Kamutu[3]). The Canterbury Association had planned to call it the Shakespere [sic].[4] The river was given its current name by John Deans in 1848 after the River Avon in Scotland. The Deans built their homestead adjacent to the Avon River where the suburb of Riccarton now lies.
The name was officially altered to Avon River / Ōtakaro by the Ngai Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998, one of many such changes under the Ngāi Tahu treaty settlement.[5]
Commercial punting as a tourist attraction is available in the central city , Hagley Park and Mona Vale, a park in Fendalton.[6]
Much of the land along the Avon River downstream from the central city was damaged in the 2010 Canterbury earthquake, the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake and the June 2011 Christchurch earthquake and has been zoned red by the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority. Community interests are lobbying for the red zoned land to be turned into a park that links the central city with the estuary.[7] The campaign is headed by a group called Avon-Otakaro Network (AvON) and has received the backing of the mayor.[8]