24F Marine Parade, Petone, Seaview, Lower Hutt City

Hutt River Estuary

Lower Hutt City Walks

Hutt Estuary
By Louise Thomas

Spoonbills, white-faced herons, oyster catchers (both variable and South Island pied), pied stilts, three shag species, black swans, sacred kingfishers, and gulls are among the regular visitors at the Hutt Estuary at the mouth of the Hutt River at Seaview. A flat gravelled walking trail takes you within close distance of the birds, which can be viewed dining on cockles and crabs at low tide.

Even at high tide, shags and the resident white-faced heron can be seen flipping up small fish for supper.
The pleasant picnic areas in the nearby Hikoikoi Reserve are an added bonus, as are the old boat sheds next to the estuary - adding a rustic coastal ambience to the area. Any time of year has its charms, but late October and November, when there is a good chance of spotting cygnets, ducklings, and summering spoonbills, is particularly exciting. At this time of year, if you follow the walking track around and along Petone Beach there is also a good chance of spotting banded dotterels, variable oyster catchers, and godwits.

The best way to access the estuary is to turn South off Waione Street onto Kirkaldy Street, then left onto either Hautonga Street or, for a less industrial vista, continue on Kirkaldy and turn left onto Marine Parade. The path is readily visible at the end of either street.

Spanning the wide mouth of the river just upstream is the Hutt Estuary Bridge, a feat of concrete engineering, in fact Aotearoa's first prestressed concrete superstructure, opened in 1954. Back on land, Hikoikoi Reserve is the start/finish line for the Hutt River Trail, and a couple of older human institutions are here; St James Sea Scouts (1938) and the Petone Rugby League Club (1912) just down the road on Marine Parade.

The area is semi-industrial, with sand and shingle dredging just around the corner from the estuary, but these areas are mostly hidden from the walkway, and industry hasn't stopped the birds of the Hutt River, or the odd person, carrying on the business of thriving at the wide mouth of the Hutt River.

Wetlands Of New Zealand New Zealand Wetland Birds and Their World Up the River: Explore and discover New Zealand's rivers, lakes & wetlands HB

Image Credits: Louise Thomas: White-faced heron, (Egretta novaehollandiae), Royal Spoonbill (Platalea regia), Little shags (Phalacrocorax melanoleucos), Royal Spoonbills (Platalea regia), Pied shag (Phalacrocorax varius), Little black shags (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris).

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