Ashley Rakahuri Regional Park: Rakahuri Trail & River Walks in Rangiora
Photo: “Ashley River - Rakahuri, Puketeraki Forest Conservation Area, Canterbury, New Zealand” by Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Park at a glance
- Region
- Canterbury
- Location
- Rangiora, North Canterbury
- Managed by
- Environment Canterbury
- Dogs
- Dogs on lead
- Camping
- No
Overview
Ashley Rakahuri Regional Park runs along the Ashley River / Rakahuri from its confluence with the Okuku River down to the Ashley Estuary, right beside Rangiora in North Canterbury. It covers about 417 hectares. Environment Canterbury manages it on land vested in the council to protect the river's flood defences. In 1953 the Ashley breached its stopbanks near the Rangiora Traffic Bridge and flooded Rangiora, Kaiapoi, Woodend and Waikuku. The first areas of the park formally opened on 14 October 2012.
The Ashley is steeper than most New Zealand braided rivers and carries a lot of sediment. Pine blocks, willows and poplars line its banks, and pockets of native vegetation are slowly being restored. The riverbed is a nesting site for black-billed gulls, one of the world's most threatened gull species.
Getting there
Access points include the Rangiora–Ashley traffic bridge and the SH1 bridge. Car parks are at River Road, the Ashley picnic ground, Break Bank, the rail bridge and the Rakahuri picnic area.
Walks and rides
Rakahuri Trail
The Rakahuri Trail is an easy shared walking and mountain bike track that follows the river downstream from Groyne 1 (behind the racecourse). Since 2017 it has continued all the way to Waikuku Beach. The main path is two-way loose, compacted shingle, and shorter single-track mountain bike branches split off along the way.
Mike Kean Walkway
This easy 0.9 km track runs from the Ashley picnic ground, east of the SH1 road bridge, to the car park at the rail bridge.
The North Canterbury BMX Club's tracks are reached from Milton Avenue.
Things to do
The river is used for fishing, swimming, game-bird hunting, walking, cycling and picnicking. Portable gas BBQs are allowed away from vegetation, but there are no BBQs on site and fires are banned.
Protect the nesting birds
Black-billed gulls and other braided-river birds nest on open shingle in spring and summer. Stay away from signposted nesting colonies, and never drive vehicles through the riverbed nesting areas. In 2021, motorbikes and 4WDs drove through a colony here and killed several birds.
Dogs at Ashley Rakahuri
Dogs are allowed but must be kept under effective control at all times. ECan lists the park as a "dog on leash" area, so use a lead and keep dogs away from nesting birds.
Good to know
Parts of the park can close after floods. Check ECan's regional parks notices before you go.
Check before you go
Track closures, gate times, fire bans and storm damage change often. Environment Canterbury posts current alerts for Ashley Rakahuri Regional Park on its official park page.
Current park alerts