Hurunui River Mouth

Situated 120 kilometres north of Christchurch (1.5 hours drive)- the Hurunui River-mouth is a spot worth calling into. The mouth is accessed from the north side -where there is a camping ground, and is only a 10 minute detour from State Highway One which links Christchurch to Kaikoura. The river flows into a bar lagoon before entering the sea some 1.5kilometres north of the camping ground.There are some high cliffs and a carpark which over looks the bar lagoon. An ideal location for scoping. You can also drive or walk to an area where the river enters the lagoon and there are several mud covered gravel spits which have a range of waders on them- this is ideal habiatat for waders moving along the coast and a location with a high potential for rarities. Recently I sighted several black-fronted dotterels. A recommended birding location over the next month for waders. A wide range of seabirds also pass by and giant petrels are often sighted. The Hurunui Rivermouth is undoubtedly one of the more scenic river mouths on the South Island's east coast and well worth the 10 minute detour.