Northern Pegasus Bay is a regional park in the northern part of Canterbury's

Pegasus Bay Pegasus Bay, earlier known as Cook's Mistake, is a bay on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand, to the north of Banks Peninsula. Toponymy Pegasus Bay takes its name from the brig ''Pegasus'', a sealing ship that was sailing fro ...

in New Zealand's

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

. It is operated by

Environment Canterbury Environment Canterbury, frequently abbreviated to ECan. is the promotional name for the Canterbury Regional Council. It is the regional council for Canterbury, the largest region in the South Island of New Zealand. It is part of New Zealand's s ...

. The regional park covers an area north of

Waimakariri River The Waimakariri River is one of the largest rivers in Canterbury, on the eastern coast of New Zealand's South Island. It flows for in a generally southeastward direction from the Southern Alps across the Canterbury Plains to the Pacific Ocean. ...

, including the beaches in

Kairaki Kairaki is a small rural community in the Waimakariri District, New Zealand. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "sky eater" for ''Kairaki''. Demographics Kairaki covers . It is part of the larger Pegasu ...

The Pines Beach The Pines Beach is a small town situated roughly 4 km east of Kaiapoi in the Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is 1 km north of the mouth of the Waimakariri River. It takes its name from its close proximity to bo ...

, Woodend,

Waikuku Waikuku is a small town in the Canterbury region of New Zealand, which sits 28 km north of central Christchurch. Waikuku lies south of Leithfield on state highway 1 and north of Woodend. In 1901 there were 86 people resident in Waikuku ...

Leithfield Leithfield is a small town in north Canterbury, New Zealand. It is on State Highway 1, south of Amberley and north of Christchurch and 11.8 kilometers north of Waikuku. The Leithfield area consists of two semi-distinct areas, Leithfield Beac ...

Amberley Amberley may refer to: Places Australia *Amberley, Queensland, near Ipswich, Australia *RAAF Base Amberley, a Royal Australian Air Force military airbase United Kingdom * Amberley, Gloucestershire, England * Amberley, Herefordshire, England ...

and Ashley River / Rakahuri estuary.

Geography and ecology

The sandy and pebbly beaches, river mouths, estuaries and dunes provide a range of important habitats. The Ashley Rakahuri Estuary is major site for birds on the South Island east coast, with colonies of spotted shags / pārekareka and white-fronted terns / kahawai regularly sighted. Other rate native bird species in the reserve include banded dotterels, pied stilts, the endangered wrybill, black billed gulls / tarāpuka and black fronted terns / tarapiroe. There are also seasonal migrations of grey tailed tattlers, whimbrels, eastern curlews, bar tailed godwits and

red knots Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

History

The mixed sand and gravel beaches of Northern Pegasus Bay have been eroding since the 1980s. This, combined with heavy rainfall, has been affecting tuatua in the bay. The Waimakariri District Council bylaw governing the park was changed in 2016 to restrict vehicles, horse riders, vehicles and dogs. The changes were aimed at improving public safety, reducing public nuisance and protecting the environment. The bylaw was further amended the following year to restrict

drone Drone most commonly refers to: * Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg * Unmanned aerial vehicle * Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft * Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to: ...

usage. In November 2018, extra enforcement patrols were introduced after four-wheel drivers caused destruction to the beach.

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

research, published in November 2020, found vehicles on Northern Pegasus Bay beaches had a significant impact on the environment and other beach users. Dune health had improved after vehicle permits were required. In January 2021 Environment Canterbury dealt with three breaches of the park bylaw. It also warned people to stop recreational driving on the beach after a vehicle was seen driving at speech down the beachfront at The Pines Beach.

Recreation

Beach activities

Swimming and surfing are safe at all beaches, except at Kairaki Beach close to the Waimakariri River mouth. A surf club patrols Waikuku, Pegasus Town and Woodend during summer months.

Land sailing Land sailing, also known as sand yachting, land yachting or dirtboating, is the act of moving across land in a wheeled vehicle powered by wind through the use of a sail. The term comes from analogy with (water) sailing. Historically, land saili ...

is allowed on sea beaches and the Ashley Rakahuri estuary, with some rules in place. Gas barbecues and picnics are allowed in areas free of vegetation, but fires are not allowed and there are no on-site barbecues. Use of drones and

microlights Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with aile ...

is restricted to protect sea and marine birds. This includes a ban on using a drone or model aircraft, or taking off or landing a microlight or helicopter, in the Ashley / Rakahuri and Saltwater Creek estauarine areas.

Vehicle access

Two-wheel motorbikes and recreational driving is banned. Vehicles are only allowed on the beach to transport recreational equipment such as boats, surf boards and fishing gear, and can get caught in changing tides.

Fishing

Fishing is allowed in a range of places around the reserve. Surfcasting is allowed along beach fronts.

Whitebaiting Whitebait is a collective term for the immature fry of fish, typically between long. Such young fish often travel together in schools along coasts, and move into estuaries and sometimes up rivers where they can be easily caught using fine-m ...

is permitted during the season at river mouths, but a permit is required at the Ashley River mouth.

Salmon Salmon () is the common name for several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family (biology), family Salmonidae, which are native to tributary, tributaries of the ...

fishing is possible at several places, particularly at Kairaki Beach. Offshore kayak fishing and boat fishing is safer in the bay than in the Canterbury Bight due to the lack of strong undertows and longshore rips. The bay is suitable for drag netting of

flounder Flounders are a group of flatfish species. They are demersal fish, found at the bottom of oceans around the world; some species will also enter estuaries. Taxonomy The name "flounder" is used for several only distantly related species, thou ...

and other fish, particularly just north of Kairaki at the Waimakariri River mouth.

Cycling

There are several cycling tracks within the reserve. A short track from Amberley Beach to the Waipara River mouth, where a four-wheel-drive track continues on to the Amberley Rocks. Kowai Track runs from the Leithfield Hotel to Leithfield Beach. Tutaepatu Trail connects Waikuku Beach to Woodend Beach, connecting to the Pegasus Trail to Kairaki Beach.

Dogs and horses

Dogs must be controlled at all times, and are prohibited in the Ashley-Rakahuri estuary area. Horse riding is permitted along sections of the bay below the high tide line. However, horses are prohibited from the Ashley Rakahuri Estuary, Kowai River mouth, Waipara River mouth, and between the Waikuku Beach horse-float car-park and the north side of the Ashley Rakahuri estuary.

Camping

There are campgrounds at Kairaki, Woodend, Waikuku, Leithfield and Amberley Beaches, but freedom camping is not permitted on the beaches or shore.

References

{{Protected areas of New Zealand Parks in Canterbury, New Zealand Regional parks of New Zealand Tourist attractions in Canterbury, New Zealand Protected areas of Canterbury, New Zealand Waimakariri District