Lewis River | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | New Zealand |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | Saxon Ridge |
• coordinates | 40°51′40″S172°14′06″E / 40.86122°S 172.23497°E |
Mouth | |
• location | Heaphy River |
• coordinates | 40°56′28″S172°08′49″E / 40.94119°S 172.14686°E |
Basin features | |
Progression | Lewis River → Heaphy River → Karamea Bight → Tasman Sea |
Tributaries | |
• right | Fox Creek |
The Lewis River is a tributary of the Heaphy River in New Zealand's Kahurangi National Park. [1]
The Lewis River is located in the Buller District. It was named for C. Lewis, one of the contractors who built the Heaphy Track in 1886. [lower-alpha 1] [2] The Lewis River originates at Mackay Downs, a flat south-west of the Saxon Ridge. [3] [4] It flows into the Heaphy River at Lewis Hut. After the river was encroaching the hut, it was removed and replaced nearby by Lewis Shelter. [5] Land Information New Zealand lists the name of the river as "official", i.e. the name is confirmed by the New Zealand Geographic Board. [6]
The Heaphy Track used to cross the Lewis River via a swing bridge near Lewis Hut. This swing bridge was washed away in July 2012. The track was rerouted and from 30 November 2012, it crossed the Heaphy River instead. [7]
Heavy rain in the Buller District in February 2022 caused significant damage. The suspension bridge over the Heaphy River was destroyed. The suspension bridge over the Gunner River was damaged but was deemed repairable, while the Pitt Creek bridge was swept away. Instead of replacing the damaged Heaphy River suspension bridge in its existing location, the solution chosen was to build two bridges, one across the Lewis River, and another across the Heaphy River downstream from the original bridge, with a small section of new track in between. The track re-opened in October 2023. [8] [9]
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.
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 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.
The Mangles River is in the South Island of New Zealand. Its main tributary is the Tūtaki River but it is also fed by water flowing off the Braeburn Range. It feeds into the Buller River near the town of Murchison. The river is popular destination for kayaking and trout fishing.
The Ōhikanui River is a tributary of the Buller River in New Zealand's South Island. It flows north for 30 km (19 mi), joining the Buller 20 km (12 mi) from its outflow into the Tasman Sea. It and its smaller neighbour the Ōhikaiti River are often called the Big Ohika River and Little Ohika River respectively. Another variation is Ohika-nui. Ōhikanui River has been the official name since 21 June 2019.
Hooker Glacier is one of several glaciers close to the slopes of Aoraki / Mount Cook in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. It is not as large as its neighbour, the Tasman Glacier, measuring 11 kilometres in length.
The Aropaoanui (Awapawanui) river runs through northern Hawke's Bay Region in the eastern North Island of New Zealand.
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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 Gunner River is a river on the West Coast of New Zealand. It rises in the Domett Range in the Kahurangi National Park and flows north-west into the Heaphy River, which flows into the Tasman Sea.
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 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 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.
The Waiheke River is a river of the West Coast Region of New Zealand's South Island. It flows west from its origins on Mount Barron in the Southern Alps to reach the Ahaura River, which it forms where it joins the Tūtaekurī River, 20 kilometres northwest of Lake Sumner.
The Waitangitāhuna River are two rivers in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island. It was a single river until an avulsion in March 1967, when it became two rivers. Since then, the southern portion of the river has flowed into Lake Wahapo, while the northern section discharges into the Tasman Sea north of Ōkārito Lagoon.
The Waingaro River is a river of the Tasman Region of New Zealand's South Island.
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 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 Kaituna River is a river in Tasman District's Golden Bay / Mohua, New Zealand.
Brown River is a river in Tasman, New Zealand.