The Hurunui creates a shingle bar, maybe a mile long, as it runs parallel to the sea. The actual entrance, shown here at low tide, is a tiny gap in the shingle, with fearsome breakers at all times. It makes the entrance to Suffolk's River Ore look like a piece of cake.
Behind the shingle is a beautiful lagoon, which is obviously very popular with anglers. Not only humans; mollyhawks and gulls screamed up and down into the water all through our stay here.
The river then curves away from the sea, and runs through braided shingle inland. We did see dinghies on the river, but nothing of any size; it's shallow and fast running. We crossed the pretty swing bridge and continued our journey through Blythe Valley and Happy Valley.
This area, like much of the Canterbury Plains is seeing an increase in cattle; in these foothills they are stocky, chunky little beasts, though further out into the flatter areas, there are Fresians. This is a controversial policy, for cattle need much more water than sheep and environmentalists fear habitat destruction through using the rivers, and a permanent drop in the water table. It is also an issue for Christchurch, which relies on the water aquifers stored beneath the gravel and silt of this glacial plain.