Taylor River, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
The Taylor River is one of the two rivers that flow across the Wairau Plain into Blenheim, New Zealand
, where it joins the Opawa River
. It arises near Taylor Pass to the south of the Wither Hills and flows north-east and north. The river and pass were named for Joseph Taylor, a New Zealand Company
surveyor who worked in the area from 1842.
At the time Blenheim was settled and for some years thereafter, floods were frequent occurrences in winter at the confluence of the two rivers and occasioned the nickname "Beavertown" for Blenheim because of the fancied resemblance to beaver lodges of buildings in the town when surrounded by floodwaters. The town mascot is a beaver in spite of the fact that none have ever existed in New Zealand outside zoos.
Blenheim, New Zealand
Blenheim is the most populous town in the region of Marlborough, in the north east of the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the regional council. It has a population of The area which surrounds the town is well known as a centre of New Zealand's wine industry...
, where it joins the Opawa River
Opawa River
The Opawa River is in the Marlborough region of the South Island of New Zealand. It begins in the Wairau valley where floodways are joined. It makes its way down the valley and flows through and looping around the eastern suburbs of Blenheim where it is crossed by the Opawa River Bridge...
. It arises near Taylor Pass to the south of the Wither Hills and flows north-east and north. The river and pass were named for Joseph Taylor, a New Zealand Company
New Zealand Company
The New Zealand Company originated in London in 1837 as the New Zealand Association with the aim of promoting the "systematic" colonisation of New Zealand. The association, and later the company, intended to follow the colonising principles of Edward Gibbon Wakefield, who envisaged the creation of...
surveyor who worked in the area from 1842.
At the time Blenheim was settled and for some years thereafter, floods were frequent occurrences in winter at the confluence of the two rivers and occasioned the nickname "Beavertown" for Blenheim because of the fancied resemblance to beaver lodges of buildings in the town when surrounded by floodwaters. The town mascot is a beaver in spite of the fact that none have ever existed in New Zealand outside zoos.