Canterbury River Facts

Canterbury has 78,162 kilometers of rivers and 4,753 lakes with a surface area of 702 square kilometers, an area the size of greater Christchurch. There are 580 kilometres of stopbanks and over 945,000 tonnes of rocks used as river protection in Canterbury.

Rivers and stream types are broadly described as follows:

Wide braided gravel-bed rivers – Examples: Waimakariri, Rakaia, and Rangitata. These rivers have their headwaters in the Southern Alps and are prone to large floods which could cause extensive damage to Canterbury’s rural and urban communities.

Narrow braided gravel-bed rivers – Examples: Pareora, Selwyn and Waipara. These rivers have their headwaters in the foothills and provide a stable habitat for native and introduced fish.

Small spring-fed streams – Examples: Avon River and Ohapi and Buchanans creeks. These streams flow in single channels and have small infrequent floods. They provide an important spawning habitat for native and introduced fish.