Avon-Heathcote Estuary at South Spit

Also known by its two native monikers of Te Karoro Karoro (chatter of seagulls) and Kaiaua (eat herring and mullet), the southern tip of the Brighton spit is a wilderness of high grass and sand dunes, populated by nesting birds. There is plenty of hiking to be enjoyed at the tip, though swimmers should be aware of potentially strong currents in the waters. Parking and amenities are a considerable walk away from the tip.

Sandy beach on the northern side of the estuary mouth. Dogs are not permitted on the beach as this is a nesting area for coastal birds. Swimming can be dangerous in outgoing/incoming tides with swift current. Parking at end of Rocking Horse Road, walk in to site. Toilets located at beginning of track only. Monitored weekly between November-March by Environment Canterbury.

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COVID-19

Keep your distance from other people.

Practicing social distancing is still essential. Only go to the beach if you are able to keep 6 feet or 2 meters away from others. Follow the instructions provided by your local health authorities. If your community has asked that you remain indoors and away from others, do so. Spending a day in any crowded place is the worst thing we can do for our most vulnerable right now and will counter our efforts to curb the virus’s spread.

Water Quality

Meets water quality standards
Current Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on January 24th, 2023. The Swim Guide - New Zealand updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on January 24th, 2023 at 3:48 PM.

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Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

Environment Canterbury Regional Council monitors water quality at popular swimming beaches throughout the Canterbury region.

Water quality data on Swim Guide is sourced from the LAWA Can I Swim Here? website. www.lawa.org.nz/swim

At this site, water is regularly tested for levels of Enterococci during the summer months. This faecal indicator bacteria is used to indicate the level of harmful pathogens in the water.

See information on recreational water quality monitoring in New Zealand in this LAWA factsheet: https://www.lawa.org.nz/learn/factsheets/coastal-and-freshwater-recreation-monitoring/

Beach sites are shown as a GREEN swim icon if the latest Enterococci test result was in the range of 0 - 280 Enterococci / 100 mL.

Beach sites are shown as a RED swim icon if the latest test result exceeded 280 Enterococci / 100 mL or frequently exceeds the standard or there is a temporary water quality issue outside the routine testing programme (e.g. sewage overflow).

See information on the standards for recreational water quality monitoring in New Zealand in the 'What do the swim icons mean?' LAWA factsheet.

LAWA recommends for all sites, to avoid swimming for 2 - 3 days after significant rain, even for sites that normally have good water quality.

A good rule of thumb is to check that you can see your toes in knee deep water.

See www.lawa.org.nz/swim for up to date information on current warnings and alerts, weather conditions, tides, real-time water temperatures, what facilities are available, the monitoring history at this site and helpful factsheets.

Water Quality Graph