The Avon River is by New Zealand standards not really a river. At the most it would be 10meters wide and 4 meters deep, most of the time its only hip deep and about 5meters wide. Often it's only shin deep. It meanders it way slowly through Christchurch, starting as a spring at one end, picking up streams on the way and finishing up in the estuary.
The Avon has many moods, especially where I hang about. It is still tidally influenced this far up, so rises and falls as the moon dictates. It can be slow shallow clear or high dirty and slightly less slow. If you sit there and watch it, which I love doing, even if I don't have the time, It even at high-tide goes backwards. Great time for fishing then. When we have one of our few and far between heavy rains, combined with an extra high tide, it even reaches above its banks. Never angrily though, just slow and gentle. Seeping, creeping across the road.
Of the many reasons that I love the river, another is its trees. There is no doubt it is very English in its appearance. For a over half the length, these lovely old Weeping Willow trees line it. These trees are so big; some look like they have been there forever, when in reality the most they can be is only about 130yrs. They drape the river in this cloak of green and hold the banks together. In between these big old trees are any English type tree you can imagine, from Oaks to Sycamores, to Silver birches and now New Zealand natives, the cabbage tree, toe toes, ribbon bark trees, flaxes..
My best time of the year is autumn, I can't think of any better thing to do than to wander along the river bank, looking to see how many colours of red, gold and green I can see. The Oak and the Sycamore are my favorite. They go such deep red, it always amazes me. I always dream of one day capturing this beauty to share it with others, This on top of the clear blue sky and the dark green river, the hills in the background with just a touch of a breeze. Makes for paradise in the city.
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