| Oroua River | |
|---|---|
 Oroua River next to Iron Gate Hut in the Ruahine Ranges in 2016 | |
| Location | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Ruahine Ranges |
| Mouth | Manawatu River |
• coordinates | 40°26′13″S175°26′14″E / 40.4370°S 175.4371°E |
| Length | 131km [1] |
The Oroua River is a river of the southwestern North Island of New Zealand.
The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "place of dredging for shellfish" for Ōroua. [2]
The Oroua River is a tributary of the Manawatu River, it flows generally southwestward from its source in the Ruahine Range. In its upper reaches, near the small town of Āpiti, the river passes through a deep gorge before emerging onto plains south of Kimbolton.
Near Feilding, the Oroua River is fed by the Makino and Kiwitea streams, which are both significant tributaries. The river passes along the eastern edge of Feilding, through Timona Park, where it is a popular local swimming spot. [3] Beyond Feilding, the river feeds into the Manawatu River just to the west of Opiki (between Palmerston North and Shannon).
Oroua River is in the bottom 25% of New Zealand's most polluted waterways. Some significant causes include run-off from local agriculture and issues relating to the Feilding Wastewater Treatment Plant. [4] A 2011 report concluded that the quality fell from fair to poor at the AFFCO meat works effluent discharge point, but a 2015 resource consent application claimed an 87% improvement in that effluent quality. [5]
In spite of this, Oroua was awarded the New Zealand River award from Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA) for significant improvements in dissolved reactive phosphorus, nitrogen, e. coli, and turbidity. [6]
Near the top of the Oroua River is one of the most significant whio populations. It is the southernmost wild population of the bird in the north island. [7]
The river, and surrounding areas, have been the site of many floods over the years. Major flooding has been recorded in the area in 1880, 1897, 1902, and 1953. [8]
In February 2004, significant rainfall in the surrounding streams caused a once-in-a-hundred-years flood. [9] [10] The flooding forced over 500 people from their homes and over $100 million in damage. [11]
The plains near Opiki have also faced flooding where the river meets the Manawatu River. [12]
Palmerston North is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the Manawatu River, 35 km (22 mi) from the river's mouth, and 12 km (7 mi) from the end of the Manawatū Gorge, about 140 km (87 mi) north of the capital, Wellington. Palmerston North is the country's eighth-largest urban area, with an urban population of 82,500. The estimated population of Palmerston North city is 91,800.
Manawatū-Whanganui is a region in the lower half of the North Island of New Zealand, whose main population centres are the cities of Palmerston North and Whanganui. It is administered by the Manawatū-Whanganui Regional Council, which operates under the name Horizons Regional Council.
Tangimoana is a community in the Manawatū-Whanganui Region of the North Island of New Zealand. It had a population of 303 permanent residents in 2018. It is located 15 kilometres southwest of Bulls, and 30 kilometres west of Palmerston North.
Wairoa is a town and territorial authority district in New Zealand's North Island. The town is the northernmost in the Hawke's Bay region, and is located on the northern shore of Hawke Bay at the mouth of the Wairoa River and to the west of Māhia Peninsula. It is on State Highway 2, 118 kilometres (73 mi) northeast of Napier, and 92 kilometres (57 mi) southwest of Gisborne. Wairoa is the nearest town to the Te Urewera protected area and former national park that is accessible from Wairoa via State Highway 38. It is the largest town in the district of Wairoa, and is one of three towns in New Zealand, the others being Kawerau and Opotiki, where Māori outnumber other ethnicities, with 62.29% of the population identifying as Māori.
Manawatū District is a territorial authority district in the Manawatū-Whanganui local government region in the North Island of New Zealand, administered by Manawatū District Council. It includes most of the area between the Manawatū River in the south and the Rangitīkei River in the north, stretching from slightly south of the settlement of Himatangi in the south, to just south of Mangaweka in the north, and from the Rangitīkei River to the top of the Ruahine Range in the east. It does not include the Foxton area and the mouth of the Manawatū River, or Palmerston North City. Its main town is Feilding. The district has an area of 2,624 km².
Feilding is a town in the Manawatū District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 54, 20 kilometres north of Palmerston North. The town is the seat of the Manawatū District Council.
Woodville, previously known as The Junction, is a small town in the southern North Island of New Zealand, 75 km north of Masterton and 25 km east of Palmerston North. The 2013 census showed that 1401 people reside in Woodville.
The Manawatū River is a major river of the lower North Island of New Zealand. The river flows from the Ruahine Ranges, through both the Manawatū Gorge and the city of Palmerston North, and across the Manawatū Plains to the Tasman Sea at Foxton.
Himatangi is a small settlement in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located at the junction of State Highways 1 and 56, 25 kilometres west of Palmerston North, and seven kilometres east of the coastal settlement of Himatangi Beach.
John George Cobbe was a New Zealand politician of the Liberal Party, United Party and the National Party.
Water pollution in New Zealand is an increasing concern for those who use and care for waterways and for New Zealand regulatory bodies. An increase in population is linked to an increase in water pollution, due to a range of causes such as rural land use, industrial use and urban development. Fresh water quality is under pressure from agriculture, hydropower, urban development, pest invasions and climate change. While pollution from point sources has been reduced, diffuse pollution such as nutrients, pathogens and sediments development and from stormwater in towns is not under control. There are more than 800 water quality monitoring sites around New Zealand that are regularly sampled.
Oroua was a parliamentary electorate in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand from 1902 to 1938.
The Mayor of Manawatu officiates over the Manawatū District of New Zealand.
Kakariki railway station was a station on the North Island Main Trunk and in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand.
Aorangi railway station was a small station on the North Island Main Trunk in New Zealand.
State Highway 54 (SH 54) is a New Zealand state highway nearly all in the Manawatū District in the North Island. It runs from SH 1 at Vinegar Hill to SH 3 near Palmerston North. The highway connects the Manawatū District's chief town, Feilding, to the New Zealand state highway network and forms an alternative route to SH 1 and SH 3 between the North Island Volcanic Plateau and Palmerston North.
Pukeokahu is a rural community in the Rangitikei District and Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island.
Rangiotu is a farming community in the Manawatū District and Manawatū-Whanganui region in New Zealand's central North Island.
Rangiwahia is a small, elevated, farming settlement in the North Island, New Zealand, 26 km (16 mi) northeast of Kimbolton in the Manawatū-Whanganui region. It is in the Kiwitea valley, near the Whanahuia Range of the Ruahines. Due to its height and the nearby ranges, Rangiwahia has a mean annual rainfall of 1267mm; 309mm more than Feilding's.
The Tamaki River is a river in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. Tamaki River starts at the confluence of two parallel rivers, the Tamaki River West and Tamaki River East Branches. The west Branch flows south from its source on the slopes of Takapari, in the Ruahine Range.
