The Ōtākaro/Avon River begins at a spring source in Avonhead, travels 30kms through Ilam, Riccarton, Fendalton, Hagley Park, the CBD, Avonside, Dallington, Avondale and Aranui before filtering out to sea via Ihutai/Heathcote/Avon Estuary.
The river's Māori name is Ōtakaro, meaning ‘a place of play’. Children would play on the banks of the river once the gathering of food and other materials was done for the day. In 1849, the Deans brothers, early settler farmers, also named it the Avon River after the Avon River in their home town of Ayrshire, Scotland.
The river can be enjoyed by punt, waka or canoe. A popular sport on the Avon is rowing. New Zealand’s first rowing club was set up in Christchurch in 1861.
Photo: Bernard Spragg
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