Ashley River / Rakahuri
The Ashley River (Māori: Rakahuri; officially Ashley River / Rakahuri) is in the Canterbury region of New Zealand. It flows generally southeastwards for 65 kilometres (40 mi) before entering the Pacific Ocean at Waikuku Beach, Pegasus Bay north of Christchurch. The town of Rangiora is close to the south bank of the Ashley River. The river's official name was changed from Ashley River to the dual name Ashley River / Rakahuri by the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998.
| Ashley River / Rakahuri | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Rakahuri (Māori) |
| Location | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Canterbury |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Puketeraki Range |
| • elevation | 1,802 m (5,912 ft) |
| Mouth | Pacific Ocean |
• location | Waikuku Beach |
• coordinates | 43°16′S 172°43′E |
• elevation | 0 m |
| Length | 65 km (40 mi) |
| Basin size | 1,200 km2 (460 sq mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Glentui River, Garry River, Okuku River, Makerikeri River |
| • right | Lilburne River, Whistler River, Townshend River |
Though the lower reaches of the river are braided, part of the upper river flows through a canyon known as the Ashley Gorge.
The river emanates from mountains in the west Lees Valley adjacent to Island Hills station and exits the hills at a gorge near Oxford township. It has tributaries of Duck Creek in this valley and is an accumulator of watershed between Lees Valley and Oxford township.
Behind Waikuku Beach is one of the largest, least modified estuaries in New Zealand. It is abundant in bird life, including the wrybill (Anarhynchus frontalis) and Black stilt (Himantopus novaezelandiae). Many migratory birds over-winter here. Surveys from 2000 to 2015, after work to clear weeds and pests, showed significant increases in banded dotterel, wrybill, black-fronted tern, and pied stilt, but black-billed gull, spur-winged plover and southern black-backed gull didn't change significantly.