Pedestrians left goose stepping on $2 million 'poop loop'

Tuesday, 26 May 2020

Goose droppings make walking on the new Avon Loop riverside pathway a tricky business.

Locals are calling it the poop loop.

A new $2 million riverside walkway in central Christchurch's Avon Loop is splattered with goose droppings, leaving walkers either put off or putting their feet in it.

Several flocks of Canada geese are on the stretch of river, and locals say the guano has been building up since the path was cleaned for its official opening in late February.

'It's a real mess — you really have to watch where you put your feet, and it's very difficult to walk on,' said Ruth Gardner, chair of the local residents group.

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The guano-splattered kayak ramp in the Avon Loop.

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'What they've built is wonderful and cost a lot of money. But if they want people to use it, especially with young children, they have to do something about it.'

Gardner said she had seen parents trying to get the guano out of children's shoes, and buggy and scooter wheels. Cyclists have also been splattering through the mess.

Lee, right, and Sandy Hicks are not put off their regular walking spot despite having to watch their feet.

Posts on the Avon Loop Facebook page about the state of the path include 'I hope the goose mess gets cleaned up soon! I’m able to dodge it, but my son walks right into it and also tries to pick it up'.

Gardner said they had asked the city council in April if the area could be cleaned, but it was not done. So they called Government rebuild company Ōtākaro, who built the pathway as part of an anchor project riverside improvement.

On Tuesday afternoon an Ōtākaro spokesperson said workers would clean it on Wednesday morning.

Canada geese on the river in Christchurch's Avon Loop.

Ōtākaro remains responsible for the facility until it is officially handed to the city council, after which council company Citycare will maintain it. Much of the Avon Loop neighbourhood was red-zoned after the earthquakes.

City maintenance has been included in essential services continuing during the Covid lockdown, and Citycare staff have been in the area since April watering plants and lawn and painting.

Council did not respond to a request for comment on the care of riverside walkways.

Central city residents Lee Hicks, dodging the guano on Tuesday with his partner Sandy Hicks, said they walked the path a few times a week and it had been 'like this since it opened.'

'You just have to always walk looking down. We call it the poop loop.'

Hicks said they hoped the ongoing planting would help keep the geese off the path.

Canada geese have caused problems in many parts of New Zealand since they were introduced for game hunting over 100 years ago.

The geese have multiplied in parts of Christchurch, posing a safety risk to aircraft and causing environmental harm by defecating in waterways, particularly in red-zoned areas.

They can also be aggressive during the mating season and have harassed children in playgrounds.

The birds are listed as an 'organism of interest' in Environment Canterbury's pest management plan, but are not subject to population control measures.

The Avon Loop improvements include the new walking and cycle path, with a boardwalk, an eel feeding platform, and a kayak slipway. Some planting has been done and thousands more plants will be added in stages.