Wairoa River (Hawke's Bay)
Wairoa River | |
---|---|
Te Reinga Falls | |
Mouth | |
• location | Hawke Bay |
Length | 65 km (40 mi) |
The Wairoa River of the
The full Māori name of the river is Te Wairoa Hōpūpū Hōnengenenge Mātangi Rau, which means the long, bubbling, swirling, uneven waters.[1]
It has a catchment area of 1,415 square miles (3,660 km2),[2] which includes Lake Waikaremoana.
The major tributaries are:
- the Hangaroa River
- the Ruakituri River
- the Mangapoike River
- the Mangaaruhe River
- the Waiau River
- the Waikaretaheke River
The Hangaroa River and the Ruakituri River merge at Te Reinga Falls, near
Lake Waikaremoana is formed in the rockfall-dammed headwaters of the Waikaretaheke River. It has a confluence with the Waiau River 14 miles from the coast.[2]
In 1948 a big flood of the Wairoa River submerged the traffic bridge in Wairoa and flooded parts of the town to a depth of 3 feet (0.91 m). This flood flow is one of the largest recorded for any river in New Zealand.[2] The river rose to a "record height", the bridge "took a battering", and "telephone lines 4.3 metres above road level were carrying grass and twigs, showing the phenomenal rise of the floodwaters".[3]
In 2010, the Wairoa Township River Walkway project commenced. The Walkway is a pedestrian and cycle path starting at the bridge on the south bank of the Wairoa River. It is planned that it will eventually completely encircle the town.[4]
Footnotes
- ^ Brochure Wairoa Township River Walkway - Historical Plaque Sites, retrieved 2010-03-13
- ^ a b c Grant-Taylor, T.L. - 'Wairoa River' in McLintock, A.H. (1966) – An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand – in Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
- ^ "Plans finally underway to stop Wairoa flooding again". RNZ. 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
- ^ Brochure Wairoa Township River Walkway – A Walkway for the whole community, retrieved 2010-03-13