Tributaries

Tributaries of the Ōpāwaho Heathcote River are of two principal types:

  • spring-fed streams that run continuously but which also gather further surface water after rainfall
  • ephemeral/intermittent streams that only convey or temporarily retain water during or immediately following heavy rainfall events

Some history

The urban history of Ōtautahi Christchurch is one of progressive drainage of the wetlands that were the predominant feature of the catchment of the Ōpāwaho Heathcote River.  Before European settlement, much of the Ōpāwaho Heathcote River upstream of the now Opawa Road bridge would have been wide wetlands with little to distinguish the course of the river other than by its currents except during particularly long dry periods when the course may have been more obvious.

For this reason, mana whenua names for tributaries have not come down to us.  For Ngai Tahu, the river from the coast to the depths of what is now Halswell was one waterway with the name “Ōpāwaho”.  It had one major tributary, the Waimōkihi, which brought the spring water from Nga Puna Wai and joined the Ōpāwaho at what is now called the confluence of Cashmere Stream and the Ōpāwaho Heathcote River by Shalimar Drive.

Naming of tributaries

The naming of tributaries has principally been a European phenomenon often occurring as tributary waterways were converted to the purpose of draining land for development, first for farming then sub-division for housing.  The tributary was often given the name of the landowner or the property developer or the name of the most significant property in the tributary catchment.  As city development increased, roading and drainage became the priority. Many open waterways were straightened, diverted, narrowed and deepened, the sides reinforced with boards or concrete, or they were diverted entirely into pipes, covered over and roading infrastructure placed on top.

For this reason, many of the river’s tributaries have the word “drain” in their name although there is a move to return to the use of “stream” or “creek” for these.

Naturalising – returning waterways to their original state

Enlighted thinking since the 1990s has led to some naturalising of previously highly modified waterways.  Despite the result being aesthetically pleasing and significantly cheaper to maintain over time, the budget available for this activity has been inadequate to date compared to the length of  waterway to which it might be applied.  Inadequate setbacks from tributary waterways also render this exercise very difficult without the expensive purchase of encroaching properties.  You can see here some of the results of naturalising of Jacksons Creek.

Fish migration

The importance of the successful migration of native fish and tuna, both upstream and downstream, has only been recognised in recent years.  Many of the river’s tributaries end in pipes that prevent this migration.  The City Council has budgeted to improve access for fish migration over time.

Tributaries of the Ōpāwaho Heathcote River

There are over thirty-five significant tributaries of the river, a number swelled by the close proximity of the Port Hills.

For a list of the tributaries of the Ōpāwaho Heathcote River with details about each tributary, click here