When: 3-4 times over 2012
The Drury creek is kayaked with guides and just a few minutes' drive from my house, so it was one of the first places we started exploring with Ciao.
The good thing about this trip is that it can be done on the incoming tide from Bottletop Bay down the creek, or on the outgoing tide from Drury. We usually would do a return trip and wait for the tide to turn, but for a longer, less repetitive trip, we would park one car at either end and do some back-and-forthing. (Easier to do with more than two people though!)
Sorry about the lack of photos for these trips - the waterproof camera had not yet been bought and the few photos I took on my ipod have disappeared.
Going from Drury:
Driving down Great South Road from Papakura to Drury, a small culvert runs under the road just before getting to the town centre and there is a car-park with water access on the right.
Almost immediately, you pass underneath the motorway bridge - a noisy but unique experience. From there, you meander through farm land, passing duck maimais and the occasional hand-made, rickety jetty. We've seen plenty of kingfisher and there are usually ducks. It is a peaceful trip, though not incredibly exciting, scenery-wise, unless you are crazy about mangroves.
There is a side-branch of the river that travels further south. Having seen it from the road before, we aimed to go there once, but took the first branch to the left, which led us down a tiny creek instead, skirting the industrial block of Drury. Not quite what we had bargained for! If we go again, we will take the second branch instead!
After winding along the river for some time, it opens up to a bay where you can choose to explore the Whangapouri or Oira creeks to the left. We have never bothered - they look about the same as Drury creek.
The Hingaia Road bridge is over quite shallow water, causing some small rapids in the area when the tide is moving. Annette discovered this on one trip, where I had received an unexpected, important phone call and was deep in conversation, quite oblivious to what was happening while she negotiated us single-handedly through the white water. Go, Annette!
After the bridge, the river widens to join the Pahurehure inlet at Bottletop Bay. Some beautiful lifestyle blocks can be seen along the shore, as well as one tree with so many pine cones - we did a collection once for the fireplace - from tree to our feet in Ciao!
Bottletop Bay has a car park and boat ramp that gets very muddy - I have scars.
The trip, taken in either direction, can last from a couple of hours to a full day, depending on how much effort or exploring is put in. While I doubt we would go back, since there are many more interesting places to explore, I would happily take niece or nephews there. It's a good beginner's trip.
Good for: learning the highs and lows of tidal travel.
Not so good for: scenery, especially if you take the first branch to the left. Also, you hear the motorway for much of the Drury end of the trip - not my idea of getting away from things.
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| The route can be taken in either direction, depending on the tide |
