Matiri River
Encyclopedia
The Matiri River is a river located in the northwest of New Zealand
's South Island
.
It runs south for 30 kilometres from its headwaters west of Mount Owen
in Kahurangi National Park
to its confluence with the Buller River
just below the town of Murchison
. Halfway along its length, it passes through Lake Matiri
. Downstream from Lake Matiri the banks of the river has mixed livestock farming and some small scale forestry.
recreation. It has a tight grade III rapid in a narrow cleft of a gorge a short distance upstream of the road end. There are also two bouldery drops that can only be run in high flows when it may reach grade IV. The river is considered to be best run when the Buller River is too high and dangerous.
A tramping track that starts at the road end runs along the western side of the river.
hydroelectric power scheme on the river.
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...
's 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...
.
It runs south for 30 kilometres from its headwaters west of Mount Owen
Mount Owen
Mount Owen can refer to:*Mount Owen, New Zealand*Mount Owen, California, former name of Brown, California*Mount Owen in the Bow Range of the Canadian Rockies*Mount Owen *Mount Owen in the Ruby Range of Colorado, USA...
in Kahurangi National Park
Kahurangi National Park
Kahurangi National Park is a national park in the northwest of the South Island of New Zealand. It was gazetted in 1996 and covers 4,520 km². It is the second largest of New Zealand's fourteen national parks...
to its confluence with the Buller River
Buller River
The Buller River is in the South Island of New Zealand. One of the country's longest rivers, it flows for 170 kilometres from Lake Rotoiti through the Buller Gorge and into the Tasman Sea near the town of Westport...
just below the town of Murchison
Murchison, New Zealand
Murchison is a town in the Tasman Region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is near the western end of the "Four Rivers Plain", at the confluence of the Buller River and the Matakitaki River...
. Halfway along its length, it passes through Lake Matiri
Lake Matiri
Lake Matiri is a lake adjoining Kahurangi National Park, in the North West corner of New Zealand's South Island. The lake is part of the Matiri River.-Hydroelectric power scheme:...
. Downstream from Lake Matiri the banks of the river has mixed livestock farming and some small scale forestry.
Recreation
The river is used for whitewaterWhitewater
Whitewater is formed in a rapid, when a river's gradient increases enough to disturb its laminar flow and create turbulence, i.e. form a bubbly, or aerated and unstable current; the frothy water appears white...
recreation. It has a tight grade III rapid in a narrow cleft of a gorge a short distance upstream of the road end. There are also two bouldery drops that can only be run in high flows when it may reach grade IV. The river is considered to be best run when the Buller River is too high and dangerous.
A tramping track that starts at the road end runs along the western side of the river.
Hydroelectricity
New Zealand Energy Limited have proposed the Matiri ProjectMatiri Project
The Matiri Project is a hydroelectric scheme proposed by New Zealand Energy Limited for Lake Matiri and the Matiri River in the South Island of New Zealand....
hydroelectric power scheme on the river.
External links
- Department of Conservation - Matiri Valley & 1000 Acre Plateau