From parks to campus along the Okeover

Press, 15 February 1985, Page 17

From parks to campus along the Okeover

STAN DARLING

continues his exploration of Christchurch’s waterways.

Okeover Stream is a small companion of the Avon River that flows through the University of Canterbury campus before merging with the river.

Although early parts of the stream are dry most of the time, there is a distinct channel that stays above ground except through Christchurch Teachers College land.

The main reason for following the Okeover’s channel is to view the surroundings, not the water. Start a bit away from the channel, in Tall Tree Avenue. In that neighbourhood, you are not far from the Avon’s source.

Walk up the street to the tall gums that mark the eastern boundary of Stewarts Bush Reserve, a lovely neighbourhood park. A pathway wanders through the park from Glenharrow Avenue and on to Yardley Street. Go right in Yardley Street and cross to the far side of Woodbury Street. On that side, you will find a pedestrian way between houses through to Crosbie Park. Once inside the park, you will walk through a wide dip whose grassed slopes mark the early channel of Okeover Stream. Keep going into the park or walk along-J the channel bottom. Over near < Woodbury Street is a nicely landscaped cluster of trees, shrub-

bery and a footbridge over the watercourse.

You can often follow the dry channel down a path to Withells Road, but it is something of a scramble at the end to reach that street. Instead, walk down Woodbury Street after- leaving the park and cross Withells Road at the intersection where Staveley Street takes over from Woodbury.

Continue on the left hand footpath in Stavely Street to Colina Street. Turn left there to come upon the streambed to your left, still a long way down from the street. Cross the street to see where the channel goes, then turn left to Brigadoon Place.

There is a small reserve on the corner here. Walk through it to a public way at the far corner. That access leads to Highfield Place. Follow that street down to Maidstone Road. Down Avonhead Road there is not much to see except a “Danger, Keep Out” sign above the stream’s channel, so continue down Maidstone to Westmont Street. Turn right in Westmont Street, then left in Glenside Avenue. That will bring you out to the Teachers’ College campus.

Walk to the left of the college buildings and out into the grounds facing the university campus. Near the tennis courts, you will come to

a concrete structure in the ground that marks the start of Ham Stream, a short channel that soon meets the Avon at Ham Homestead.

Keep going through the grounds to Waimairi Road, then turn left on the far side of that street to find the vehicle entrance to the university sports grounds. Walk up the drive and turn left along the side of those fields to find Okeover Stream on their northern boundary. From there it is a pleasant, grassed walk along the stream bank, with views across the fields to the homestead gardens, university buildings and Port Hills.

The stream is covered again as it reaches the halls of residence, so just stay on the grass past the tennis courts and come out to Ham Road. By this time, the channel has reappeared, but is at the other side of a fence on private property.

Cross Ham road next to the first house past the university campus and walk along the footpath to a car park. On your left, before the workshops, the stream’s course can be seen in the trees. There is a similar opportunity to walk near it on the far side of the workshops, left. from Engineering Road. kcross the campus road the stream suddenly springs to life where it has been engineered to

form part of the university’s landscaping. It passes between the civil engineering and science blocks and becomes scenic, with lawns sweeping down to it, rock formations and side channels entering as waterfalls.

The Okeover spreads out into a pond here as it flows beside and round a lecture theatre. Then it returns to being a normal stream alongside the electrical engineering block.

Across Forestry Road is a nice stretch near the School of Forestry and forestry research buildings as the stream goes into a couple Of curves. A new footbridge leads to the new research building across the stream.

Either walk out to Creyke Road through that building’s grounds or go back into the campus to Arts Road and back out to Clyde Road. Reaching Clyde Road by either route will bring you to the last public view of the stream, which reaches the Avon inside a block of residential properties. How To Get There: Take a Woodbury Street bus to the corner of Stavely Street and Withells Road, then walk south to Tall Tree Avenue. The university section of the stream can be reached by leaving a Woodbury Street- b'tfs at the Waimairi Road/Maidstone Road roundabout.