Birdlings Flats - Kiotorete Spit

 A sojourn to Birdlings Flat on the Christchurch-Akaroa Highway.....

Back in late April Karen and I went around to Little River on Banks Peninsula on a sunny Sunday afternoon. We were not going there for any particular reason just getting out of the house for a change of scenery and a café lunch. On the way back to Christchurch we went to the settlement at Birdlings Flat to have a look at the beach there. 

Crossing the stone bank oceanside at Birdlings Flat

The Birdlings Flat beach is made of pebbles...

The beach at Birdlings Flat and right along the Kiotorete Spit are covered in stone banks rather than the sand we are used to over in Pegasus Bay. They have been eroded out of the Southern Alps and deposited along this coast by the big braided rivers like the Rakaia and Rangitata. Some rock is also from the volcanic outcrops around Banks Peninsula. 

View south down Kiotorete Spit, Banks Peninsula

...the stones are mixed with fine sand at Birdlings Flat...

It can be a rough and wild coastline as it is fully exposed to any bad weather rolling up from the Antarctic Ocean so it often has huge waves rolling ashore. It can be starkly beautiful and terrifying in its violence all at the same time. 

Scattered people enjoying the sun at Birdlings Flat

It was uncharacteristically calm the day we visited...a rare occurrence but one to be enjoyed by the walkers and anglers who are often seen here. We were there to take some photographs as were a number of other people we saw along the beach.

...fishing is popular along Kiotorete Spit...

...the ocean was unusually calm at Birdlings Flat...

We sat on the beach for about 30 minutes and just enjoyed the sound of the crashing surf, the pebbles rolling ashore in the waves and the cry of the seabirds who reside here. 

Oashore, Tokoroa and Hikuraki Bays on Banks Peninsula

Southern Bays of Banks Peninsula from Birdlings Flat

Great color transition from grey to dark blue, Birdlings Flat

Nothing between Banks Peninsula and South America

Here is a set of black and white images I took from the beach...I think the muted tones of black and white really suit this area as they do any rocky terrain or coastal region. You can get a lot out of the different shading effect...in particular the sea looks awesome and the graduation of the rocks on the beach is very noticeable. 

View towards the southern Bays of Banks Peninsula

Looking south down Kiotorete Spit

Bluffs at base of Pt.181, Birdlings Flat

You often see Whales, Seals and Dolphins along this coastline and we saw a couple of Seals cruising back and forth just behind the surf zone obviously hunting for fish...

Seals were swimming just beyond the surf line at Birdlings Flat

If you have the time and inclination I recommend you walk down to the cliffs at the Peninsula end of the beach. They are volcanic in nature and have a vivid mix of colors in the different strata. Just be aware that rocks sometimes fall off the bluffs so do not get too close under them. 

Pt.181 rises high above the beach, Birdlings Flat

When you looked out to sea you could see a front coming up from the South...a line of black clouds fronted by high white ones made them look like a distant mountain range. 

Storm front approaches from Antarctica

There were a lot of people in the area mostly fishing, sitting or walking along the beach but it is such a large expanse of beach that it never felt really crowded. 

Quad bike heading along the beach at Birdlings Flat

The sea has sorted the stones into similar sizes

These bluffs are volcanic in nature...Birdlings Flat

There was a colony of Terns resting on the beach between the ocean and Lake Forsyth and we had fun watching their antics as they flew around us. There are also Stilts, Shearwaters, Geese, Ducks and Gulls around this end of the Spit. Occasionally you will see Penguins come ashore down by the seacliffs...

Terns on the stone bank at Birdlings Flat

 Red Bill Gulls and Terns inhabit the bank

View towards the outlet stream for Waiwera/Lake Forsyth

The farm near the old Oruaka Pa site, Banks Peninsula

The body of water behind the spit and curving around the hills is Wairewa/Lake Forsyth and has the dubious reputation as the most polluted lake in New Zealand. Is is full of fertilizer run off from the surrounding hillside farms and cyanobacteria. In Pre-European times it was a valued food source for the local Iwi and steps are underway to try to return it to its pristine condition. 

Wairewa/Lake Forsyth and distant hills of Bank Peninsula

If you have never visited Birdlings Flat and the Kiotorete Spit you should...it is interesting with some stunning views. Stop by the next time you are heading over to Akaroa. 

Access: On the Akaroa-Christchurch Highway, turn off at the sign for Birdlings Flat about 10km's from Little River Settlement

Miscellaneous: Do not get water from Lake Forsyth on your hands etc. as it is highly polluted. Keep dogs out of the water here. Do not swim off Birdlings Flat!!! There are rips, strong currents, big waves and lots of sharks...not a good spot for a dip in the ocean.