Seeing the benefits of flood protection

By Anne Galloway and Chrys Horn

We’ve seen some big floods around New Zealand over the last couple of months – one of them right here in Canterbury in early June when record amounts of rain fell in some areas, breaking the drought that we had had up until that time. 

As our city grows, our houses get bigger and our yards get more asphalted, there are few places for the rain to go.  For those living in the lower reaches of the Ōtākaro/Avon and the Ōpāwaho /Heathcote rivers, having the water rushing off the hard surfaces and into our river systems has been increasingly problematic.  Add to that that we are a low lying city that is part of the Waimakariri River flood plain, that became even lower in places during the earthquakes and it is clear that flooding is one of our greatest risks as a city.

For some years now the Council has been putting in infrastructure to ensure good amounts of green space and water retention.  We’ve seen a lot of these facilities going in around Aidanfield, Wigram, Nga Puna Wai, Longhurst, Knights Stream, Kennedys Bush and in Hendersons Rd - Cashmere Rd - Sparks Rd area.  Some of them have also become increasingly attractive areas for walking and biking as the planting takes hold and gains height – the Quarry and the Sparks Road Wetland are examples.  Some areas are still being built.

Our last flood tested this infrastructure and over all the Council are very pleased with how the retention areas around Halswell worked.   While some flooding occurred along Sparks Road where construction of retention areas is still in progress, millions of litres of water were held back in areas where the water was meant to be held and places that often flood (Hendersons road between Sparks and Cashmere Road, for example) did not.

Along with protecting the new housing going on in the area and protecting those in the lower reaches of the Ōpāwaho Heathcote, all this development has some added amenity benefits (as the walkers and bikers in our new wetland areas will attest) and will capture a lot of sediment thus improving water quality in the Ōpāwaho river system – something that will make life better for the plants, insects, fish and eels that live in the river.    

Exciting opportunity to join a vibrant community office space at the Halswell Community Hub

Halswell Community Hub are looking for local businesses, organisations or groups to join us in our Community Office Space.

Halswell Community Hub has been operating for nearly 4 years in what was the Old Halswell Library and is now a thriving community space used by many many groups and organisations. It is a great place to work and a great place to connect.

We are in a great location on the junction of Halswell Road and Sparks Road with off street car parking and everything you need on your doorstep.

Due to some recent changes we now have office space available for the right person, group or organisation.

If you are community minded, keen to connect with local people and groups or are looking for a place to work from, get in touch.

We have a space with 2 desks that would be ideal for either a small organisation with 2 people or for 2 people working individually. 

With approximately 11.5m2 there is plenty of space for storage whether that be filing cabinets or small cupboards.

Included in the price is your Power; Unlimited Internet; Use of communal facilities (toilets, kitchen) and Use of our interview room (shared between tenants so fair use applies)

Contact Kate or Keri at halswellhub@gmail.com for more information or to arrange a viewing 😊

 

Activities to do in Halswell

1    We loved the 100 days of summer which provided 100 options of things to do around Christchurch and then got thinking about some of the things to do around Halswell.  This list is the result of that thinking.  If you can think of some more options then leave a message in the comments below.  

1.  1. Visit the model railway at the Halswell Domain on a Sunday afternoon and for a small fee, ride the trains.  You might also be lucky enough to see model yachts on the lake or you could hang out and enjoy the skate park, pump track and playground.

2.       Exercise your body and test your map reading skills:  Go orienteering at the Halswell Quarry. You can buy maps from Te Hāpua or download them online.

 
3.       Visit the community garden at St Marys or from the soccer clubrooms in the Domain. 

4.       Take a friend and a ball to the domain and kick or throw it around.

5.       Ride a bike on the Quarrymans Trail cycle path from Te Hāpua to the Sparks Road Wetlands and have a picnic and/ or a walk or ride around the wetlands.

6.       Camp in your back yard and look at the stars while you are out there.

7.       Make a tin and string telephone (look here if you can’t find anyone to tell you how) and check out how well it works with a friend.

8.       Walk around the Crater rim track in the Quarry. Paint some of your own rocks and hide them somewhere on the way.

9.       Walk up Kennedys Bush Track to the Summit Road and see what you can see (it takes 60- 90 minutes to get there).  Start your walk just past the roundabout at the top of Kennedys Bush Rd.   If you like walking, then cross the road at the top and find the tracks leading to the Sign of the Bellbird and Kennedys Bush where there are heaps of other tracks to explore.  Check out views of Whakaraupo/ Lytttelton Harbour.  Can you see Aoraki Mt Cook from the top?

10.   Visit the playground in Kennedys Bush Rd at the end of Quarry Hill Terrace or across the park from Rock Hill Drive. 


11.   Learn to ride your bike at the Knights Stream bike park.

12.   Play on your scooter skateboard or bike in the skate park in Halswell Domain

13.   Visit Halswell Pool and swim a few lengths or play in the water or on the hydroslide.

14.   Check out activities at the Halswell Hub to see if there is anything you’d like to do there.

15.   Check out holiday activities at the Library in Te Hāpua

16.   Explore Country Palms (off Halswell Junction Road or Sabys Road) to see how you can design a great walking or biking route using all the little parks and bridges.

17.   Ride on the Little River Rail link cycleway from Dunbars Rd to Hagley Park.  

18.   Visit the sister city gardens in Halswell Quarry.  What is a sister City and which Sister Cities have gardens in the Quarry?

19.   Forage for fruit and nuts in Halswell (best in late summer or autumn!). 

20.   Read a book, or do some painting under a tree in one of your favourite green spaces. 

21.   Using Google maps, Find all the playgrounds that you can around Oaklands and Westlake.  Play in them.  Walk or scooter to get between them.

22.   Walk or run around the whole Halswell Domain.  Try drawing a map of it!  

 23.   Make a map of Westlake Park.  How many entrances are there?  Where is the lake?  What are the names of all the streets that have entrances to the Park?  How many buildings are there?

24.   Visit Kaituna valley nature reserve.  What trees can you identify? Pick one to hug!  

25.   Walk around the Wetlands on Quaifes Road opposite Murphys Road –  Check out the ponds and bridges and the native plants there.  Wander further down the road towards Saby's Road and find another wetland area you can walk or bike around.

26.   Visit the skate park at Knights Stream Park and see what you can do there – what is the sculpture there called?

27.   Walk around Awatea Basin (wear gumboots if it is wet)

 

2  28. Go for a bikeride using only quiet streets  and see if you can find shortcuts and walkways to make your route easier.  You might find a good route by looking on google maps then testing it out. 

29.   Park in McMahon Drive and Walk or bike around Canterbury Park/Nga Puna Wai – What tracks can you find? what buildings are in Canterbury Park – what else is there?  Can you find a route out onto the cycleway along the motorway?

30.   Find the Creamery ponds in Sabys Road opposite Candy’s road and check them out.  

31.   Take a dog for a walk around Halswell on the Park using as many of the smaller streets and greenspaces as you can find.

32.   Visit Tai Tapu Domain and walk right around it.  Find the walking bridge across the creek. 

333.   Walk the length of Talbot Reserve in Country Palms through the long grass and back and have a play in the playground.

34.   Follow the Creek from the tunnel under the motorway though the greenspaces of Aidanfield or using the same tunnel to get to some of the green spaces in Wigram.  See if you can find your way through to the shops in Wigram from the tunnel - be careful crossing Wigram Road.

35. Spend an afternoon biking out to Prebbleton or Lincoln on the cycle path starting at Dunbars Road on the Wigram side of the overbridge.

t
36 Check out this post for more local walks