The Copland River is a river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 on the West Coast

West Coast, New Zealand

The West Coast is one of the administrative regions of New Zealand, located on the west coast of the South Island, and is one of the more remote and most sparsely populated areas of the country. It is made up of three districts: Buller, Grey and Westland...

 of the South Island

South Island

The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...

 of New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. It flows for 20 kilometres from its headwaters in the Southern Alps

Southern Alps

The Southern Alps is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the island's western side...

 to its confluence with the Karangarua River

Karangarua River

The Karangarua River is located in the west of New Zealand's South Island. It flows northwest from the Southern Alps, entering the Tasman Sea 80 kilometres northeast of Haast. The main tributary of the Karangarua is the Copland River....

.

The headwaters of the Copland lie only eight kilometres to the northwest of Aoraki/Mount Cook

Aoraki/Mount Cook

Aoraki / Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand, reaching .It lies in the Southern Alps, the mountain range which runs the length of the South Island. A popular tourist destination, it is also a favourite challenge for mountain climbers...

 in a valley overlooked by the peaks of Mt. Sefton and Mt. La Perouse. A popular tramping track follows the river and leads to the Welcome Flat hot springs. The track leads onto the Copland Pass

Copland Pass

Copland Pass is a pass at about over Frostbite Spine, the ridge between Hooker Glacier and Salient Glacier in the Royal Society Range, Victoria Land. It was named after Copland Pass, New Zealand, by R.H. Findlay, leader of a New Zealand Antarctic Research Program geological party to the area,...

 and the Copland Glacier.

The river lies within the Westland Tai Poutini National Park.