Kaituna River (Tasman)

Kaituna River
Kaituna Forks
Route of the Kaituna River
Mouth of the Kaituna River Show map of New Zealand Kaituna River (Tasman) (South Island) Show map of South Island
Location
Country	New Zealand
Physical characteristics
Source
• coordinates	40°40′19″S172°33′13″E / 40.6720°S 172.5537°E / -40.6720; 172.5537
Mouth
• location	Aorere River
• coordinates	40°42′06″S172°37′00″E / 40.70155°S 172.61657°E / -40.70155; 172.61657
• elevation	0 metres (0 ft)
Basin features
Progression	Kaituna River → Aorere River → Golden Bay / Mohua → Tasman Sea
Tributaries
• left	Little Granity Creek
• right	Victoria Creek, Bonny Doon Creek, Scott Creek, King Creek, MacKay Creek

The Kaituna River is a river in Tasman District's Golden Bay / Mohua, New Zealand. ^[1]

Location

The Kaituna River originates in Kahurangi National Park. It flows through a valley that forms the boundary between the Burnett Range and the Wakamarama Range. ^[2] The Kaituna Track, which runs between the hamlet of Aorere and Whanganui Inlet, follows the river from the end of Carter Road to Kaituna Forks, from where the track climbs up onto the ridge east of the river valley. ^[1]

The Kaituna River flows into the Aorere River north of Rockville. ^[1]

Gold mining

New Zealand's first gold rush occurred in the Aorere Valley and surrounding areas from 1857. ^[3] One of the gold fields was just off the Kaituna River and this was the reason for the Kaituna Track to be built. ^[4]

Cyclone Gita

Kaituna River Bridge repair in April 2018

In February 2018, Cyclone Gita caused destruction along the Kaituna River. At first, debris from a slip upstream blocked and then destroyed Carters Bridge near the Carter Road beginning of the Kaituna Track. The resulting flood wave washed a shipping container off a farm property that damaged the Kaituna River Bridge in Aorere. ^[5] This closed access for locals and the tankers that collect the milk from 1,000 dairy cows. The third bridge over the Kaituna River, further downstream off Solly Road and privately owned, was used after farmers and local contractors built a new 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) road through a paddock to make a connection to the cut off-road network. ^{[6] [7]}

References

1. "Place name detail: Kaituna River". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand . Retrieved 4 June 2023.
2. "Kaituna River, Tasman". NZ Topo Map. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
3. "Aorere Gold : The history of the Golden Bay goldfields, 1856–1863". Smith's Bookshop. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
4. Barrett, Pat (23 November 2018). "Golden days". Wilderness Magazine. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
5. Hindmarsh, Nina (21 February 2018). "Couple watch as 'raging two-metre wall of water' washes shipping container away". Stuff . Retrieved 4 June 2023.
6. Ruddock, Kaitlin (8 March 2018). "Farmers find creative ways out of Cyclone Gita chaos and avoid losing $1 million worth of milk". 1News . Retrieved 4 June 2023.
7. "Aorere Goldfield, Tasman Region, New Zealand". Mindat.org. Retrieved 4 June 2023.