Ashburton River Mouth ( Hakatere)

A top birding spot over the summer- a wide range of seabirds and waders have been sighted here over the years including many rarities. There is often also a spectacular flock of spotted shags roosting here.
Two options are to scope out from the Hakatere huts on the north side- there is a low sea cliff here giving some elevation. The rivers' delta into a small lagoon is best accessed from the south side ( although the river can be crossed when less than 10 cumecs from the Hakatere Huts). Being on a coastal network it is one of those spots that has a high turn over of birds. Arctic skuas are often sighted just offshore over the summer.