Patron: Diana, Lady Isaac

Inaugural Spring River Festival A fantastic opportunity for everyone to celebrate spring - on and along the eastern waterways of the city! 2012 is the inaugural year of the Spring River Festival to be held each Labour weekend on the lower Avon corridor, estuary and beaches – the playground of the city! This exciting programme, packed with almost 40 recreational and community events, is taking place on 20 and 21 October, 2012. With event hubs at New Brighton, Ferrymead, Burwood, Kerrs Reach, Travis, Shirley and Avonside, the festival showcases the vitality and potential of the east as “Otakaro: place of the game”. There is something for everyone, whatever their age, ability or interest, with a diverse range of activities embracing sport and recreation, culture and heritage, environment and gardens, and entertainment and community. It will be a very special weekend that recognises the importance of the Avon-Ōtakaro River and estuary to the history, health and wellbeing of Christchurch. Reconnecting people and communities from all parts of the city, this celebration of the human spirit will particularly support and strengthen many of the communities most affected by the quakes. Promoting local businesses and business opportunities along the lower Avon corridor, the festival restores confidence in the recovery of the east. By taking the opportunity to look at what could be, we take brief respite from the challenges of the here and now and imbue our visions for the future with hope and aspiration. Initiated, coordinated and promoted by AvonŌtakaro Network, the festival is supported by CCC, CERA, Sport Canterbury, CanCERN, Healthy Christchurch, and the Volunteer Army Foundation. The events are, however, autonomously run by a diverse range of local organisations, so this is a collaborative effort bringing together a broad combination of interests. Every spring the godwits return to the estuary from Siberia

Spring River Festival Programme Highlights Please note this is the current draft programme and is indicative only, events are being added daily. A definitive programme will be available in early September.

Saturday 20 October Along the River Cultural Event and Festival Opening Details can not yet be disclosed – a waka journey up the Avon-Ōtakaro is involved.

Avonside

Holy Trinity Avonside Community Fair A traditional fair with cake stalls, art, books, white elephant, food etc. An opportunity to come together as a community with free activities for the family, eg. bouncy castle, live music.

Testing the Waters Hands-on field workshop learning how to test water quality in natural waterways; making the science of water testing accessible to communities, so they can be more involved in monitoring the health of local rivers

Kerrs Reach

Flat Water Sports Regatta Dragon boats, rowing, waka ama, canoes and kayaks. An opportunity to have a go or cheer on your favourites as they race within and between the various codes. The sport of Olympians!

Biking & Cyclocross Circuit racing around a temporary track, kids fun cross-country course and track cycling display, with a chance to have a spin just like our Olympic champions!

Science for Communities A series of seminars on local geology (Dr Mark Quigley), water management (Prof Bryan Jenkins) and urban forestry and biodiversity (Alan Leckie). Followed by a talk on organic gardening and sustainable food sources by Christine Dann author of Food@Home.

Shirley

Shine!! Neighbourhood Fun Day with special guests, friendly family time and a chance to picnic in the park while being entertained

Shirley Intermediate Market & Car Boot Sale Traditional school community market and car boot sale – come and grab a bargain!

New Brighton

Community Market A super-sized version of the regular market with stalls along both sides of the mall.

River Memories Photo Display New Brighton Museum photographic display highlighting points of interest along the lower Avon

Kite Fest A splendid display of colourful kites along the beach south of the pier. Opportunities to bring your own kite and join in the fun

3on3 Basketball There’s a Better Way in association with Basketball New Zealand & FIBA International presents a basketball event for youth

Waterfront Concert An open concert with a variety of local acts with family and youth appeal. On the waterfront in front of the Library from noon until early evening.

New Brighton Community Garden An opportunity to visit a community garden and tap into local gardening expertise. Attractions for kids too.

Kite Boarding On the beach south of the pier.

Evening Gig A ticketed concert showcasing local bands and a couple of bigger names too! Fully licensed.

Elsewhere

National Skateboard Championships Two-day event at Washington Way

Community Garden Tour A bus tour of community gardens in the east of the city including Packe Street, Fitzgearald Ave, Delta, Linwood and New Brighton ending with the talk by Christine Dann at Wainoni. Check out different models that could be rolled out on some red zone lands in future.

Community Conservation Planting & BBQ Help the CCC park rangers plant indigenous plants at Burwood School (street frontage).

Packe Street Community Garden Open Day An excellent example of a local Community Garden project run under the CCC Adopt-a-Park scheme.

Sunday 21 October Along the River Avon River Walk A guided river walk, with stops along the way to hear about aspects of the proposed AvonOtakaro River Park/Reserve. The walk will be led by Rev. Mark Gibson (Co-ordinator of The River of Life Project & Co-Chair of the Avon Otakaro Network).

Ferrymead

Labour Weekend at Ferrymead Heritage Park Trams operating all weekend and steam trains running Sunday and Monday, as well as many heritage museums to browse. Vintage car displays, local craft stalls, bands, kids’ games, and our newly opened children’s playground for kids to enjoy. Special photo display put on by our very own photographic society “Photos of Yesteryear” featuring photographs of Christchurch as it has been throughout history and how the River and estuary have shaped the development of our city.

Sailing at Pleasant Point A chance for people to have a sail in a dinghy yacht with a skipper on the estuary. Lifejackets supplied.

Bird Watching on the Estuary Join enthusiasts as they try to spot the most number of species.

Travis Wetland Sunday Stroll Stroll around the Travis Wetland trail for families – wheelchair and pram accessible – Travis Guide Book available for sale $10

Shadow Puppet Show “ Enough Stuff” by papa Tree tells the story of a novice tramper and a kea and their parallel acquisitiveness. It is rare to see shadow puppets in Christchurch, let alone one of this quality. In the Travis Education Centre.

Eco-Sanctuary Tour Travis Take a tour of Travis wetlands and surrounds with Colin Meurk and hear his proposals for an eco-sanctuary.

Avonside

Lower Avon Heritage Trail Guided heritage trail tour taking in a number of specific sites, gardens and buildings – via double-decker bus.

CanCERN Community Picnic & BBQ BBQ picnic on the lawn of Avebury House – celebrating the second anniversary of the inauguration of Canterbury Communities Earthquake Recovery Network. An opportunity for neighbourhood reunions for all those communities impacted by the earthquakes.

Burwood

Jump Jam Jamboree Watch the Jump Jam Challenge teams display their routines and join in with JJ Idols as they lead you in the moves - All performers are finalists in the South Island Championships 3 weeks later.

Kids Games An afternoon of fun team and individual games for kids under 13 – including provision for under 5s.

Elsewhere

Scoot & Bike Jam Scooters and Bikes at Thompson Park.

Have a Go at Golf Try a round of golf at Avondale – ideal for those new to the game who want to give it a try!

About Avon-Ōtakaro Network (AvON) AvON is a network of organisations and individuals with a shared and popular vision to turn the earthquake-damaged lands along the Avon-Ōtakaro River into an ecological and recreational reserve from central city to sea. AvON wishes to establish a community-driven science-informed living memorial to rejuvenate and nurture the long-term environmental, economic, community and spiritual wellbeing of the eastern suburbs and of those living throughout greater Christchurch. Our aim is to turn a tragedy into an opportunity, a polluted drain into a vibrant river system, and exhaustion and despair into hope and inspiration. Contact details: Festival Project Manager:

[email protected] 029 739 9796 Evan Smith Co-Chair, Avon-Ōtakaro Network