Kahurangi National Park in the northwest of the South Island of New Zealand is the second largest of the thirteen national parks of New Zealand. It was gazetted in 1996 and covers 5,193 km2 (2,005 sq mi), ranging from the Buller River near Murchison in the south, to the base of Farewell Spit in Golden Bay in the north. The park has no single dominant landform, but includes an unusually wide variety of landscapes, including mountain ranges, rivers, gorges, raised peneplains and karst features such as caves and arches. Many of the landforms within the park are considered to be nationally or internationally significant.
The Aorere River is in the Tasman District of the South Island of New Zealand that flows from headwaters in the alpine regions of the Kahurangi National Park. It has a catchment area of 573 km2 (221 sq mi), representing around 11% of the total area of Kahurangi National Park. The river flows generally northwards for 40 km (25 mi) before draining into Golden Bay at the town of Collingwood. The Heaphy Track's northeastern end is in the upper valley of the Aorere.
The Heaphy Track is a popular tramping and mountain biking track in the north west of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located within the Kahurangi National Park and classified as one of New Zealand's ten Great Walks by the Department of Conservation. Named after Charles Heaphy, the track is 78.4 kilometres (48.7 mi) long and is usually walked in four or five days. The track is open for shared use with mountain bikers in the winter season from 1 May to 30 September each year. The southern end of the track is at Kōhaihai, north of Karamea on the northern West Coast, and the northern end is in the upper valley of the Aorere River, Golden Bay.
Moturoa / Rabbit Island is a small island that lies across the southernmost part of Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere, on the northern coast of New Zealand's South Island. The long narrow island runs east–west for 8 kilometres (5 mi), and covers 15 km2 (5.8 sq mi).
Mount Burnett is a hill in Kahurangi National Park, in Golden Bay / Mohua, New Zealand.
Lake Rotoiti, previously also known as Lake Arthur, is a lake in the Tasman Region of New Zealand. It is a substantial mountain lake within the borders of Nelson Lakes National Park. The lake is fed by the Travers River, water from the lake flows into the Buller River. The lake is surrounded by beech forest and is 82 metres (269 ft) deep. Saint Arnaud is a small community at the northern end of the lake.
The Heaphy River is a river of the northwestern South Island of New Zealand. It flows through Kahurangi National Park, rising on the northern slopes of Amohia Peak and initially flowing northwest before turning southwest to reach the Tasman Sea 30 kilometres north of Karamea. Stages of the Heaphy Track follow the lower course of this river, with the track reaching the coast at the river's mouth. The Heaphy River is located in the Buller District.
The Horomanga River is a river of the northeastern North Island of New Zealand. The river flows north through Te Urewera National Park, reaching its confluence with the Rangitaiki River 12 kilometres (7 mi) north of Murupara. A well formed horse track follows the river valley to its headwaters. There are an abundant amount of introduced species such as Red deer, Rusa deer and wild pigs that provide hunters and locals with a supply of meat and recreation. The river itself holds good numbers of rainbow and some brown trout. There is a rebuilt 5 bed hut where midway hut used to stand. Midway hut was burnt down. the forest cover in the river valley is predominantly Tawa and podocarps from the river level to about 700–800 metres, before transitioning to predominantly Tawai (beech) forest. The mountain range on the west side of the Horomanga is steep and rugged, with thick almost impenetrable bush. Serious care should be taken when hunting or tramping on this side of the river valley. The east side of the Horomanga is a sharp contrast to the west, as the bush here is more open, and the hills less steep. However, care should be taken when hunting on this side of the river, for the lower, less defined ridgelines of this area are easy to get disorientated or lost in.
The Hinemoatū / Howard River is a river of the northern South Island of New Zealand. A tributary of the Buller River, the Hinemoatū/Howard starts at the confluence of the Hodgson and Tier Streams in the Travers Range of Nelson Lakes National Park, flowing north between Lakes Rotoroa and Rotoiti, before reaching the Buller between Kawatiri and Saint Arnaud. Close to its confluence with the Buller, the river is bridged by State Highway 63 and further up by Howard Valley Road.
The Little Ōnahau River is a river of the northwest of New Zealand's South Island. It has its sources close to the track in Kahurangi National Park that follows a ridgeline to Parapara Peak, near the source of the Ōnahau River. From here, it flows initially southwest and then northwest, passing underneath State Highway 60 just west of the Tākaka Aerodrome. Shortly before reaching the sea, it flows into the Ōnahau River, reaching Golden Bay via a small estuary to the west of Rangihaeata.
The Pororari River, with an older spelling of Porarari, is a river of the West Coast Region of New Zealand's South Island. It flows northwest from its sources in the Paparoa Range, reaching the Tasman Sea at Punakaiki via Pororari Lagoon. Cave Creek / Kotihotiho is a tributary to the river. There are opportunities to tramp along this river, with two different options accommodating multi-hour loop walks. Further upstream, the Pororari River is followed by the new Paparoa Track, which provides an opportunity for multi-day tramping or mountain biking.
Yankee River is a short river on Stewart Island / Rakiura, New Zealand. The river flows genrally northwards from it source on the northern slopes of Mount Anglem / Hananui down to its mouth on Foveaux Strait. Yankee River Hut, a backcountry hut on the North-West Circuit track is located near the river mouth.
Golden Bay is a large shallow bay in New Zealand's Tasman District, near the northern tip of the South Island. An arm of the Tasman Sea, the bay lies northwest of Tasman Bay and Cook Strait. It is protected in the north by Farewell Spit, a 26 km long arm of fine golden sand that is the country's longest sandspit. The Aorere and Tākaka rivers are the major waterways to flow into the bay from the south and the west.
The Paparoa Track is a 55.7 km (34.6 mi) shared hiking and mountain biking track located in Paparoa National Park in the South Island of New Zealand. The track was created as a memorial for the 29 miners who lost their lives in the Pike River Mine disaster. The track is the tenth Great Walk to be created and has been fully open since 1 March 2020. It was the first addition to the Great Walks in 25 years.
The Lewis River is a tributary of the Heaphy River in New Zealand's Kahurangi National Park.
Boulder Lake is a lake in the Tasman District of New Zealand located within Kahurangi National Park. In the late 1890s and early 1900s, water from the lake was used for gold mining purposes for which the lake level was raised by a low dam. British investors lost much money with the venture and large scale mining stopped in 1905 when a flood took out part of the flume. The dam was blown up in the 1930s by a farmer disgruntled with depression-era gold miners stealing his sheep. Boulder Lake is today a tramping destination, with the Department of Conservation maintaining both a hut at the lake and a track to the lake.
Bainham is a settlement in the Tasman District of New Zealand. Originally called Riverdale, it is located inland from Golden Bay, 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) southwest of Collingwood.
The Waitakere / Nile River is a river on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It rises in the Paparoa Range and flows through a limestone karst landscape in a roughly northwest direction for its entire length, reaching the Tasman Sea just north of Charleston. The river and its surrounds are a popular tourist destination, particularly for a bush train along the river's canyon and caving through the nearby Metro / Te Ananui Caves. The lower reaches of the river are also a popular fishing spot, particularly for brown trout.
The Wangapeka Track is a tramping track in the north-west of the South Island of New Zealand. It is one of the main tramping tracks in the Kahurangi National Park, a protected area managed by the Department of Conservation. The route traverses the southern end of the park, from the historic Wangapeka goldfields area west of Tapawera, to the coastal plains of the West Coast at Little Wanganui. The route is 59 km (37 mi) long, and crosses the Wangapeka and Little Wanganui saddles, each over 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in elevation. The track passes through the valleys of the Wangapeka River, Karamea River, Taipō River and Little Wanganui River. The majority of the track is in river valleys and under forest cover, with small sections in tussock land at Stag Flat and the Little Wanganui Saddle. It typically takes walkers 4–6 days to complete the route.
The Kaituna River is a river in Tasman District's Golden Bay / Mohua, New Zealand.
Brown Hut
Heaphy Track bridge over Brown River
