The Ohikanui River is a tributary of 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...

 in 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...

'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 flows north for 20 kilometres, joining the Buller 14 kilometres from its outflow into the Tasman Sea

Tasman Sea

The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...

. It and its smaller neighbour the Ohikaiti River are often called the Big Ohika River and Little Ohika River respectively.

The Ohikanui River is a medium sized tributary consisting of a bouldery river bed and clear swift water. It flows through the paparoa wilderness area meaning it is unaltered by man (no tracks or huts). The area is popular with trampers because of its natural beauty but is mostly frequented by trout fisherman and deer stalkers.