Buller

History

Excavations at the mouth of the river, across from Westport, uncovered 77 stone adzes, 2,693 stone flakes (argillite, chert, obsidian and silcrete from manufacture of stone tools), minnow lures, moa bone, sites of huts, ovens, middens and urupā, with one shell carbon dated to between 1219 and 1316. Early trading is indicated by argillite from Ohana, at the south end of D'Urville Island, chert from upper North island and obsidian from Mayor Island / Tūhua. In 2004 the site was described as one of the largest and best preserved large Archaic sites in the country. More investigation may reveal whether it was occupied for more than a few years.

Subsequent pre-colonial history is obscure.

Tributaries

The Buller has several major tributaries. These include (in order from Lake Rotoiti) the Gowan River, the Matakitaki River, the Maruia River, and the Inangahua River. Other smaller tributaries include the Hinemoatū / Howard, Hope, Owen, Mangles, Matiri, Newton, Orikaka, Blackwater, Ohikaiti and Ohikanui Rivers.

In July 2001 the Buller Water Conservation Order came into force, listing the waters of the Buller River and tributaries that are to be retained in their natural state or protected because of the outstanding characteristics, features and values of the waters.

Natural history

In 1846 the land around what was later Westport was described as covered to the river edge with tōtara and kahikatea. Much of the river flows through beech forest, with matagouri scrub and mānuka in the upper reaches. Carmichaelia (New Zealand broom) grows in the lower valley, especially around Lyell. Along the river most lowland forest on the fertile alluvial soils has been felled, but stands of kahikatea and rimu remain in some inland lowland basins. Other trees and bushes in the valley include mountain akeake, daisy bush, Hector's tree daisy, Dracophyllum densum, mountain cedar, mountain neinei, mountain toatoa, mountain and silver beech, pink pine, yellow-silver pine, southern rātā and small rimu.

Geology

Lake Rotoiti was created by a glacier and glacial moraines occupy a large area between the Buller and Gowan rivers. From the lake the Buller flows west through a gorge cut in granitic rocks of the Median Batholith. It then turns southwest to follow the axis of the Longford Syncline to Murchison. Tributary valleys around Murchison commonly follow north-south trending faults and fold axes.

The Buller's deep gorges have been cut through the mountains as they have been raised by Quaternary faulting and folding. Some 350,000 years ago the river had wide floodplains, which remain as flat terraces above the narrow gorge, as at Manuka Flat, now roughly 300 m (980 ft) above the river.