The Tasman Sea is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about 2,000 km (1,200 mi) across and about 2,800 km (1,700 mi) from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, who in 1642 was the first known person to cross it. British explorer Lieutenant James Cook later extensively navigated the Tasman Sea in the 1770s during his three voyages of exploration.
The Buller River is a river in the South Island of New Zealand. The Buller has the highest flow of any river in the country during floods, though it is only the 13th longest river; it runs for 177 km (110 mi) from Lake Rotoiti through the Buller Gorge and into the Tasman Sea near the town of Westport. A saddle at 710 m (2,330 ft) separates the Buller from the Motupiko River and that is divided from the Wairau River by a 695 m (2,280 ft) saddle, both aligned along the Alpine Fault, as is the top of the Buller valley.
The Ōtira River is located in the central South Island of New Zealand. It rises on the slopes of Mount Rolleston in the Southern Alps, and flows north for 20 kilometres (12 mi), passing through the town of Otira before joining the Taramakau River. The Taramakau's outflow is into the Tasman Sea, 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of Greymouth.
The Inangahua River is located in the north-west of New Zealand’s South Island. It is a major tributary of the Buller River, where it joins at the town of Inangahua Junction.
The Murchison Glacier is an 18-kilometre (11 mi) long glacier flowing through Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park in the South Island of New Zealand. Lying to the east of the Malte Brun range and west of the Liebig Range, high in the Southern Alps, it flows from the Tasman Saddle at 2,435 m mostly southwestwards to around 1,110 m. The Murchison River, which takes its meltwater, flows under the larger Tasman Glacier to the south.
The Hinatua River is a small river in the Westland District of New Zealand's South Island. Its headwaters are on Mount Hercules, near State Highway 6 as it runs between Harihari and Te Taho. The Hinatua River then flows in a general northerly direction, passing just to the east of the Saltwater Lagoon before flowing close to the Tasman Sea coastline before joining the Poerua River at its rivermouth.
State Highway 6 is a major New Zealand state highway. It extends from the Marlborough region in the northeastern corner of the South Island across the top of the island, then down the length of the island, initially along the West Coast and then across the Southern Alps through inland Otago and finally across the Southland Plains to the island's south coast. Distances are measured from north to south.
Kawatiri railway station was a rural railway station that served the small settlement of Kawatiri in the Tasman District of New Zealand’s South Island. Kawatiri is located on State Highway 6 at the junction with State Highway 63. It was one of 25 stations on the Nelson Section, and marked the furthest extent of Railways Department operations on the line. Kawatiri was one of the shortest-lived stations operated by the Railways Department: 5 years, 21 days between 1926 and 1931. The original intention was to extend the line to Inangahua Junction and Westport. Only the Westport-Inangahua section was built in the end.
The Baton River is a river in the Tasman District of the South Island of New Zealand. It rises near the Baton Saddle in the Arthur Range and flows ESE then northeast before feeding into the Motueka River 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south of Woodstock. A tramping track follows the upper part of the river valley, leading to the Karamea-Leslie track and Kahurangi National Park.
The Little Hope River is a river of the northwest of New Zealand's South Island. It flows from the western flank of the Hope Saddle, meeting with the waters of the Hope River after seven kilometres at the settlement of Glenhope. State Highway 6 follows the valley of the Little Hope River immediately after crossing the saddle.
The Motupiko River is a river of the Tasman Region of New Zealand's South Island. A major tributary of the Motueka River, it flows north from its origins southeast of the Hope Saddle, meeting the Motueka at Kohatu Junction, 15 kilometres west of Wakefield. The Motupiko's tributaries include the Rainy River.
The Te Rahotaiepa River is a river of the West Coast Region of New Zealand's South Island. It rises to the north of Lake Ianthe and flows parallel with the Tasman Sea coast along the edge of marshy ground for several kilometres to flow into the mouth of the Waitaha River.
State Highway 63 is a state highway located in the northern parts of the South Island of New Zealand. It is 117 km long and runs between the settlements of Renwick and Kawatiri Junction via Saint Arnaud, providing a bypass of the city of Nelson. Despite being a convenient link between the West Coast and Marlborough, and being a relatively straight highway along most of its length, it is only classified by the NZTA as a secondary collector highway.
The Rainy River is a river of the southern Tasman Region of New Zealand's South Island. It flows north from its sources 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north of Saint Arnaud, reaching the Motupiko River 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) east of the Hope Saddle. The Motupiko River is a tributary of the Motueka River.
The Spey River is a river in the Tasman Mountains in the northwest of the South Island of New Zealand. The river drains Lake Aorere near the Aorere Saddle, and is fed by numerous small streams draining the Gouland Range on the west and part of the Domett Range on the east. It flows north then east before joining the upper reaches of the Aorere River.
The Tōtara River is a river of the northern West Coast Region of New Zealand's South Island. It rises near Mount Kelvin in the Paparoa Range and flows northwest to reach the Tasman Sea 10 kilometres south of Cape Foulwind. The Little Totara River joins the Tōtara just before it reaches the sea.
The Wainui River is a river of the Tasman Region of New Zealand's South Island. Wainui is a Māori language term and the umbrella entity for the three local iwi gives a meaning of "where the tidal flow leaves a big expanse of bay empty".
The Greenstone River / Hokonui, also known as the Big Hohonu River, is a river on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It rises in the Hohonu Range, an outlying range of the Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana, roughly 30 kilometres (19 mi) southeast of Greymouth. The river flows northwest for its entire length, eventually joining the same river valley as the larger Taramakau River near the town of Kumara. From here, the two rivers flow roughly parallel for around 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) before the Greenstone / Hokonui joins the Taramakau just shy of the latter's mouth in the Tasman Sea. The area surrounding the river was historically home to gold mining operations, following the discovery of payable amounts of gold in 1864. The township of Greenstone was established on the river in the wake of this discovery, with other industries including a sawmill soon being established.
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 limestome 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 Tūtaekurī River starts near the Hope Pass, in the Southern Alps and flows north-west to join the Ahaura River. The Ahaura joins the Grey River which flows to the Tasman Sea at Greymouth. Tūtaekurī River has been its official name since 21 June 2019. Tūtae kurī is a grass with the latin name agropyron multiflorum.
