Avon Heathcote Estuary

The Estuary of the Heathcote and Avon Rivers / Ihutai is the largest semi-enclosed shallow estuary in Canterbury and remains one of New Zealand's most important coastal wetlands.

Photo: Podzemnik, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Type: Bay
Description: estuary in Christchurch, New Zealand
Also known as: “Estuary of the Heathcote and Avon Rivers”, “Estuary of the Heathcote and Avon Rivers / Ihutai”, “Estuary of the Heathcote and Avon Rivers/Ihutai”, “Heathcote and Avon Estuary”, “Ihutai”, “Te Ihutai”, and “Te Wahapū”

Places of Interest

Highlights include Southshore Spit Reserve and Ferrymead Heritage Park.

Southshore Spit Reserve

Nature reserve

Photo: Podzemnik, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Southshore Spit Reserve is a nature reserve.

Ferrymead Heritage Park

Theme park

Photo: Pseudopanax, Public domain.

Ferrymead Heritage Park is an outdoor museum in Christchurch, New Zealand. First known as the Museum of Science and Technology and later Ferrymead Historic Park, it was founded in 1964 by a collection of local heritage enthusiast groups who had a common need for space to store and display their assets.

Ferrymead Regional Park

Nature reserve

Photo: Kevin Prince, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Ferrymead Regional Park is a regional park in Christchurch, New Zealand, near the mouth of the Ōpāwaho / Heathcote River. The park is adjacent to Ferrymead Heritage Park, and the Ferrymead Railway runs through the eastern section of the park.

Places in the Area

Nearby places include Southshore and Redcliffs.

Southshore

Quarter

Photo: Aidan, CC BY 2.0.

Southshore is an eastern coastal suburb within Christchurch, New Zealand. It is located on a narrow 2.5 km long sandspit that runs along the eastern side of the Avon Heathcote Estuary and west of the Pacific Ocean.