Rivers in New Zealand

About the Rivers of New Zealand

The 42 rivers above with an encyclopedia article, in brief. Each name opens the river's full page, with its course on the map.

Ahuriri

The Ahuriri River is a river in the Canterbury and Otago Regions of the South Island of New Zealand. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Aparima

The Aparima River, earlier known as Jacob's River, is one of the southward-flowing braided rivers of Southland, New Zealand. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Awatere

The Awatere River is a large river flowing through Marlborough, New Zealand. Flowing along the trace of the active Awatere Fault, it runs northeast through a straight valley to the west of the Inland Kaikōura mountains. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Buller

The Buller River is a river in the South Island of New Zealand. The Buller has the highest flow of any river in the country during floods, though it is only the 13th longest river; it runs for 177 km from Lake Rotoiti through the Buller Gorge and into the Tasman Sea near the town of Westport. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Clutha

The Clutha River / Mata-Au is the second longest river in New Zealand and the longest in the South Island. It flows south-southeast 338 kilometres through Central and South Otago from Lake Wānaka in the Southern Alps to the Pacific Ocean, 75 kilometres south west of Dunedin. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Hawea

The Hāwea River is a river of New Zealand, draining Lake Hāwea into the Clutha/Matau-au. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Hurunui

The Hurunui River is the fourth largest of the four principal rivers in north Canterbury, New Zealand, with a catchment area of 2,670 square kilometres. The river flows from the eastern side of the Southern Alps, to the Pacific Ocean. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Inangahua

The Inangahua River is located in the north-west of New Zealand's South Island. It is a major tributary of the Buller River, where it joins at the town of Inangahua Junction. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Karamea

The Karamea River is located in the West Coast Region of the South Island of New Zealand. The river rises within Kahurangi National Park in the Matiri Range of the Southern Alps. The river rises to the east of Mount Allen, meandering west briefly before turning north. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Kawarau

The Kawarau River is a river in the South Island of New Zealand. It drains Lake Wakatipu in northwestern Otago via the lake's Frankton Arm. The river flows generally eastwards for about 60 kilometres and passes through the steep Kawarau Gorge until it joins Lake Dunstan near Cromwell. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Manawatu

The Manawatū River is a major river of the lower North Island of New Zealand. The river flows from the Ruahine Ranges, through both the Manawatū Gorge and the city of Palmerston North, and across the Manawatū Plains to the Tasman Sea at Foxton. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Mohaka

The Mōhaka River is on the North Island of New Zealand in the east central region of Hawke’s Bay. Mōhaka is a Maori word, roughly translated it means “place for dancing”. The iwi associated with the Mōhaka River are Ngāti Pāhauwera, Ngāti Hineuru, Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Mana Ahuriri. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Mokau

The Mōkau River is located in the North Island of New Zealand. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Motueka

The Motueka River is located in the north of the South Island of New Zealand and is a popular tourist destination for watersports and fishing. The Motueka flows 116 kilometres from the mountains 40 km west of the city of Nelson in the southeast of the catchment and flows north to the Tasman Bay. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Ngaruroro

The Ngaruroro River is located in the eastern North Island of New Zealand. It runs for a total of 164 km southeast from the Kaweka Range, Kaimanawa Range and Ruahine Range and then east before emptying into Hawke Bay roughly halfway between the cities of Napier and Hastings, near the town of Clive. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Ongarue

The Ongarue River is a river of the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Orari

The Orari River is a river of the south Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It rises to the northwest of the Four Peaks Range, initially flowing north then east to circumnavigate the range before flowing southeast across the Canterbury Plains. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Oreti

The Ōreti River is one of the main rivers of Southland, New Zealand, and is 170 kilometres long. The river has been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because, for much of its length, it supports breeding colonies of black-billed gulls. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Patea

The Pātea River is in Taranaki in the North Island of New Zealand. It runs for 174 kilometres from the eastern slopes of Mount Taranaki, passing east through Stratford before swinging south and reaching the South Taranaki Bight near the town of Pātea. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Piako

The Piako River is a lowland river system that drains into the Firth of Thames on the North Island of New Zealand. Together with the Waihou River, it is one of the two main rivers systems which drains the Hauraki Plains. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Pomahaka

The Pomahaka River is in South Otago in New Zealand's South Island. It is a tributary of the Clutha River, flowing south for 80 kilometres from the Old Man Range / Kopuwai mountains to join the Clutha about 15 km west of Balclutha. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Pukaki

The Pukaki River flows through the Mackenzie Basin, Canterbury, in New Zealand's South Island. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Rakaia

The Rakaia River is in the Canterbury Plains in New Zealand's South Island. The Rakaia River is one of the largest braided rivers in New Zealand. The Rakaia River has a mean flow of 203 cubic metres per second and a mean annual seven-day low flow of 87 m3/s. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Rangitaiki

The Rangitaiki River, also known as the Rangitāiki River, is the longest river in the Bay of Plenty region in New Zealand's North Island. It is 155 kilometres long, and rises inland to the east of the Kaingaroa Forest in the Taupō District. The Rangitaiki catchment covers an area of 3,005 km2. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Rangitata

The Rangitata River is one of the braided rivers of the Canterbury Plains in southern New Zealand. It flows southeast for 120 kilometres from the Southern Alps, entering the Pacific Ocean 30 kilometres northeast of Timaru. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Rangitikei

The Rangitīkei River is one of New Zealand's longest rivers at 253 kilometres long. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Ruakituri

The Ruakituri River is a river of the Gisborne District and Hawke's Bay Region of New Zealand's North Island. It initially flows northeast from its sources north of Lake Waikareiti. Within its course are the 72 m high Waitangi Falls. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Taieri

The Taieri River is the fourth-longest river in New Zealand and is in Otago in the South Island. Rising in the Lammerlaw Range, it initially flows north, then east around the Rock and Pillar range before turning southeast, reaching the sea 30 kilometres south of Dunedin. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Tekapo

The Tekapo River flows occasionally through the Mackenzie Basin, Canterbury, in New Zealand's South Island, although the riverbed is now often dry in the upper reaches. It maintains a constant flow below the confluence of several tributaries, notably the Maryburn, Forks, and Grays rivers. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Tongariro

The Tongariro River is a river in the North Island of New Zealand. The part of the Waikato River from the Waihohonu Stream, down to Lake Taupō, was formally named the Tongariro River in 1945. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Tukituki

The Tukituki River is in the Hawke's Bay region of the eastern North Island of New Zealand. It flows from the Ruahine Ranges to the Pacific Ocean at the southern end of Hawke Bay. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Turakina

The Turakina River is a river of the southwestern North Island of New Zealand. It flows generally southwestward from its source south of Waiouru, roughly paralleling the larger Whangaehu River, and reaches the Tasman Sea 20 kilometres southeast of Whanganui. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Tutaekuri

The Tūtaekurī River flows eastward for 99.9 km through the Hawke's Bay region of the eastern North Island of New Zealand into the Pacific Ocean. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Waihou

The Waihou River is located in the northern North Island of New Zealand. Its former name, Thames River, was bestowed by Captain James Cook in November 1769, when he explored 14 mi of the river from the mouth. An older Māori name was "Wai Kahou Rounga". (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Waikato

The Waikato River is the longest in New Zealand, running for 425 kilometres through the North Island. It starts on the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and flowing through Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Waimakariri

The Waimakariri River is one of the largest rivers in Canterbury, on the eastern coast of New Zealand's South Island. It flows for 151 kilometres in a generally southeastward direction from the Southern Alps across the Canterbury Plains to the Pacific Ocean. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Wairau

The Wairau River is one of the longest rivers in New Zealand's South Island. It flows for 170 kilometres from the Spenser Mountains, firstly in a northwards direction and then northeast down a long, straight valley in inland Marlborough. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Waitaki

The Waitaki River is a large braided river in the South Island of New Zealand. It drains the Mackenzie Basin and runs 209 kilometres south-east to enter the Pacific Ocean between Timaru and Oamaru on the east coast. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Waitoa

The Waitoa River is a major river of the Waikato Region of New Zealand's North Island. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Whakatane

The Whakatāne River or Ōhinemataroa is a major river of the Bay of Plenty region in the North Island of New Zealand. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Whangaehu

The Whangaehu River is a large river in the central North Island of New Zealand. Its headwaters are the crater lake of Mount Ruapehu on the central plateau, and it flows into the Tasman Sea eight kilometres southeast of Whanganui. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Whanganui

The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the country's third-longest river, and has special status owing to its importance to the region's Māori people. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)