The Okuru River is located 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 northwest for 45 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 the west of the Haast Pass

Haast Pass

Haast Pass is a mountain pass in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand. It is named for Julius von Haast, a 19th century explorer who was also geologist for the Provincial government of Canterbury...

 to 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...

 at the northern end of Jackson Bay

Jackson Bay

Jackson Bay is a gently curving bay 24 kilometers wide, located on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It faces the Tasman Sea to the north, and is backed by the Southern Alps...

, 12 kilometres south of Haast

Haast

Haast is a German family name. It may refer to:* Bill Haast, founder of the Miami Serpentarium and pioneering snake venom collector* Julius von Haast, a German geologist and explorer of New Zealand; several things in New Zealand are named for him:...

.

The river shares its mouth with the Turnbull River

Turnbull River

The Turnbull River is a short river on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It flows northwest from the Southern Alps for 22 kilometres, entering the Tasman Sea at the northern end of Jackson Bay, 10 kilometres south of Haast. The Turnbull shares its mouth with the Okuru River....

. The settlement of Okuru

Okuru

Okuru is the name of a locality on the West Coast of New Zealand. The settlement lies 12 kilometres south west of Haast on the northern bank of the Okuru River....

 is set on the bank of the river close to its mouth.

The Open Bay Islands

Open Bay Islands

The Open Bay Islands are located off the south-west coast of the South Island of New Zealand. The group comprises two main islands Taumaka and Popotai plus several smaller islets and rocks. They lie approximately offshore from the Okuru River mouth, near Haast and are owned by Poutini Ngai...

lie five kilometres offshore opposite the mouth.