The Wairoa River of the Hawke's Bay region in New Zealand runs south for 65 kilometres from the inland east coast region of the North Island, west of Gisborne, before flowing into northern Hawke Bay at the town of Wairoa.
The full Māori name of the river is Te Wairoa Hōpūpū Hōnengenenge Mātangi Rau, which means the long, bubbling, swirling, uneven waters.[1] The Wairoa River and its tributaries are vital for mahinga kai and hold high cultural value for Māori iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa, many of whom report an overwhelming sense of spiritual connection when they are at the river.[2]
The Hangaroa River and the Ruakituri River merge at Te Reinga Falls, near Te Reinga. This is where the Wairoa River begins.
Lake Waikaremoana is formed in the rockfall-dammed headwaters of the Waikaretaheke River. It has a confluence with the Waiau River 14 miles from the coast.[3]
Wairoa River Valley between Te Reinga and Frasertown
Sediment and erosion
The Wairoa River carries large quantities of fine sediment (clays, silts and sands) that cloaks both the bed and the banks of the river. The rate of sediment loss has increased because of changes in land use from native forest to pasture, and forestry and farming land use practices, with current sediment losses estimated to be approximately 240% higher than before human arrival.[4]
In 2023, an assessment of the lower Wairoa River, downstream of Marumaru, suggested that the river had a gravel (or bedrock) bed down to Awamate until about 3000 years ago.[5] It remains unclear whether it was gravel-bed before widespread land cover change around 100 years ago. The lower river (downstream of Awamate) is most likely naturally soft-bottomed.
Extreme weather events
In 1948 a big flood of the Wairoa River submerged the traffic bridge in Wairoa and flooded parts of the town to a depth of 3 feet (0.91m). This flood flow is one of the largest recorded for any river in New Zealand.[3] The river rose to a "record height", the bridge "took a battering", and "telephone lines 4.3 metres above road level were carrying grass and twigs, showing the phenomenal rise of the floodwaters".[6]
Cyclone Gabrielle resulted in erosion of stream banks, removal of riparian vegetation, and stream-bed disturbance in Wairoa River. A 2023 study estimated that erosion control measures on land could reduce sediment loads in the river by up to 60%, improving visual clarity and creating better conditions for sensitive fish species.[7] However, this would result in significant economic impacts, including reduction in farm revenue and employment.[8]
Walkway
In 2010, the Wairoa Township River Walkway project commenced. The Walkway is a pedestrian and cycle path starting at the bridge on the south bank of the Wairoa River. It is planned that it will eventually completely encircle the town.[9]
Hawke's Bay is a region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region is named for Hawke Bay, which was named in honour of Edward Hawke. The region's main centres are the cities of Napier and Hastings, while the more rural parts of the region are served by the towns of Waipukurau, Waipawa, and Wairoa.
Wairoa is the largest town in the Wairoa District and the northernmost town in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand's North Island. It 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 118 kilometres (73 mi) northeast of Napier, and 92 kilometres (57 mi) southwest of Gisborne, on State Highway 2. It is the nearest town to the Te Urewera protected area and former national park, which is accessible from Wairoa via State Highway 38. It is one of three towns in New Zealand where Māori outnumber other ethnicities, with 62.29% of the population identifying as Māori.
Te Urewera is an area of mostly forested, sparsely populated rugged hill country in the North Island of New Zealand, located inland between the Bay of Plenty and Hawke Bay. Te Urewera is the rohe of Tūhoe, a Māori iwi (tribe) known for its stance on Māori sovereignty.
Hawke's Bay's Waiau River is one of at least four rivers of this name in New Zealand. It rises in the Kaingaroa Forest to the west of Lake Waikaremoana, and flows southeast for 60 kilometres before joining the Wairoa River.
Tiniroto is a small farming and forestry community on the “inland” road from Gisborne to Wairoa in the eastern part of the North Island of New Zealand.
Frasertown is a small settlement in the northern Hawke's Bay Region of New Zealand's eastern North Island.
Putorino is a small farming settlement in northern Hawke's Bay, on the eastern side of New Zealand's North Island. It is located on State Highway 2 between Tutira and Mohaka, on the Hastings side of the border between Hastings and Wairoa.
State Highway 38 is a road in the North Island of New Zealand that starts from SH 5 near Waiotapu, and ends at Wairoa, where it connects to SH 2. It is the shortest connection from the central North Island (Rotorua) to the East Coast (Gisborne), but it is not often used as such. Large parts of the road are narrow and winding, and about 74 kilometres (46 mi) of the road is unsealed. Travel on this highway takes roughly four hours.
The Hangaroa River is a river in the Gisborne Region of New Zealand. Its source is the Huiarau Ranges in the Te Urewera National Park, and flows southeast to merge with the Ruakituri River near Te Reinga. The combined rivers form the Wairoa River, which flows south into Hawke Bay.
The Mangapōike River is a river beginning in the Gisborne Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows generally southwest from sources south of Waingake, reaching the Wairoa River in Hawke's Bay 10 kilometres (6 mi) northeast of Frasertown. Mangapōike River was Gazetted as an official name on 28 November 2022.
The Ruakituri River is a river of the Gisborne and Hawke's Bay Region of New Zealand's North Island. It initially flows northeast from its sources north of Lake Waikareiti. Within its course are the 72 m high Waitangi Falls. Afterwards it turns southeast for the majority of its course, reaching the settlement of Te Reinga, 25 kilometres (16 mi) north of Wairoa. It merges with the Hangaroa River resulting in the Wairoa River.
The Waikaretāheke River is a river of the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand's North Island. It serves as the outflow of Lake Waikaremoana, flowing southeast from the lake's southeastern shore to reach the Waiau River 20 kilometres (12 mi) northwest of Wairoa. State Highway 38 follows the river's course for much of its length.
Wairoa District is a territorial authority district within the Hawke's Bay Region in the North Island of New Zealand. The Wairoa District Council is headquartered in the largest town, Wairoa. The district covers the northern half of the Hawke's Bay coast, extending from Māhia Peninsula to Lake Waikaremoana, and south to the mouth of the Waikare River.
Ruakituri is a rural area in the northern Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand's eastern North Island, located north of Wairoa and west of Gisborne. The 2013 New Zealand census recorded 708 people living in the Ruakituri-Morere area.
The Hawke's Bay District Health Board was a district health board with the focus on providing healthcare to Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. In July 2022, it was merged into the national health service Te Whatu Ora.
The Tutaekuri River, in the Wairoa District of New Zealand's Hawke's Bay, rises below Gaddum Road, in the Tutaekuri Conservation Area and flows about 24 km (15 mi) east before joining the Waiau River near Raumotu Bridge, about 3 km (1.9 mi) from its confluence with the Wairoa River at Frasertown.
Te Kapuamātotoru was a Māori rangatira (chieftain) of the Ngāti Kahungunu iwi and ancestor of the Ngāi Te Kapuamātotoru hapū based on the middle reaches of the Wairoa River in northern Hawke Bay, New Zealand. He was active in the eighteenth century. Through his marriage to Te Whewhera, he established several local lines of chiefs that remained important in the region into modern times.
Ngaherehere was a Māori rangatira in the upper Wairoa River valley in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand. He probably lived around the eighteenth century.
In late June 2024, torrential rain led to flooding in the North Island's East Coast regions of Hawke's Bay and the Gisborne District. This flooding led to evacuations and local states of emergency being declared in Hastings and Wairoa. 400 properties were flooded in Wairoa. In response, Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced that the New Zealand Government would contribute $300,000 to mayoral relief funds in Hastings, Wairoa and the Gisborne District. According to Mayor of Wairoa Craig Little, Wairoa sustained NZ$40 million worth of flood damage.
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