Waitakere / Nile River | |
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![]() The Waitakere / Nile River as viewed from State Highway 6 | |
![]() Route of the Waitakere / Nile River | |
Etymology | Named after Takere, a prominent figure in the war party of Te Pūoho. Named by Europeans for the Nile. [1] |
Native name | Ngāwaitakere (Māori) |
Location | |
Country | New Zealand |
Region | West Coast |
District | Buller |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | Paparoa Range |
• location | Near The Pinnacle |
• coordinates | 42°03′48″S171°35′02″E / 42.0633°S 171.5839°E [2] |
• elevation | 1,120 metres (3,670 ft) [2] |
Mouth | Tasman Sea |
• location | Little Beach |
• coordinates | 41°53′48″S171°26′39″E / 41.8968°S 171.4443°E [2] |
• elevation | 0 metres (0 ft) [2] |
Length | 29 kilometres (18 mi) |
Basin features | |
Progression | Waitakere / Nile River → Tasman Sea |
Tributaries | |
• left | Makirikiri Stream, Darkies Creek |
• right | Atbara Creek, Ananui Creek, Awakiri River |
Bridges | State Highway 6, foot and cycle suspension bridge. [3] |
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. [4] The lower reaches of the river are also a popular fishing spot, particularly for brown trout. [5]
Originally known to local Māori as Ngāwaitakere after Takere, a prominent figure in the war party of Te Pūoho-o-te-rangi which passed through the area on their way south in 1833, the river was named as the Nile by early Pākehā in the area during the late 1850s or early 1860s. [1] The etymology of this is unclear, with sources attributing it either to John Rochfort in 1859 after three pyramid-shaped hills near the river, or to the SS Nile, which became the first European ship to enter the river in 1866. [1]
Following the discovery of gold in the area in 1866 and the subsequent founding of Charleston, increased activity around the river prompted the construction of early bridges and other infrastructure. The first of these was a rough log bridge funded by settlers in Charleston and opened with a toll of one shilling in 1867. [6] This was replaced in 1870 due to damage from driftwood and again in 1875, when the replacement bridge was washed out. [6] This third bridge lasted for 65 years, before eventually being replaced by the present day road bridge. In 2021, the foundations of the third bridge were used to construct a new suspension bridge for foot and cycle traffic, which now forms part of the Kawatiri Coastal Trail. [3]
The area, particularly the river's canyon, was used as the backdrop for filming of the 2001 movie The Lost World. [4]
The Waitakere / Nile River is one of several roughly perpendicular rivers to flow from the western side of the Paparoa Range to the Tasman Sea, carving deep channels in the region's Whaingaroan limestone karst landscape in the process. [7] The river starts on the eastern side of the range's main ridgeline on the slopes of The Pinnacle, flowing northeast between Mounts Faraday and Priestley through a narrow valley. [2] Roughly a quarter of the way along its length, the river leaves the Paparoa Range, continuing to head northeast as it is joined by numerous unnamed tributaries. At roughly the 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) mark, the river is joined by the Atbara and Sirdar Creeks, both named for Lord Kitchener and in reference to the main river's European name. [8] [9]
Soon after this, the land around the river narrows and develops into a short canyon, estimated to have been formed during the last million years. [10] Ananui Creek feeds into the river at this point by way of the Metro / Te Ananui Caves, forming a popular black water rafting route. [11] At the northern end of the canyon the river is joined by the Awakari River, before entering a narrow coastal plain and meandering to the Tasman Sea at Little Beach. [2] The canyon is also the location to a small bush train reminiscent of those used by early loggers in the area, built in 2002 to ferry tourists and rafters to the upper canyon and top of the nearby cave systems. [12]
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.
Westport is a town in the West Coast region of the South Island of New Zealand. Established in 1861, it is the oldest European settlement on the West Coast. Originally named Buller, it is on the right bank and at the mouth of the Buller River, close by the prominent headland of Cape Foulwind. It is connected via State Highway 6 with Greymouth, 100 kilometres (62 mi) to the south, and with Nelson 222 kilometres (138 mi) in the northeast, via the Buller Gorge. The population of the Westport urban area was 4,250 as of June 2023. The Buller District had a population of 9,670.
Paparoa National Park is on the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand. The park was established in 1987 and encompasses 430 km2 (170 sq mi). The park ranges from or near the coastline to the peaks of the Paparoa Range. A separate section of the park lies to the north and is centred at Ananui Creek. The park protects a limestone karst area. The park contains several caves, of which Metro Cave / Te Ananui Cave is a commercial tourist attraction. The majority of the park is forested with a wide variety of vegetation. The park was the site of the 1995 Cave Creek disaster where fourteen people died as a result of the collapse of a scenic viewing platform.
Punakaiki is a small village on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located between Westport and Greymouth on State Highway 6, the only through-road on the West Coast. Punakaiki is immediately adjacent to Paparoa National Park, and is also the access point for a popular visitor attraction, the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes.
The Waitākere Ranges is a mountain range in New Zealand. Located in West Auckland between metropolitan Auckland and the Tasman Sea, the ranges and its foothills and coasts comprise some 27,720 hectares of public and private land. The area, traditionally known to Māori as Te Wao Nui o Tiriwa, is of local, regional, and national significance. The Waitākere Ranges includes a chain of hills in the Auckland Region, generally running approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) from north to south, 25 km west of central Auckland. The ranges are part of the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park.
Anawhata is a beach on the coast of New Zealand west of Auckland.
Charleston is a village in the South Island of New Zealand located 30 km south of Westport. It was founded as a goldmining town after a major goldrush in 1867, and is now an adventure tourist village noted for its extensive limestone caves and caving experiences. Guided tours of the nearby Metro Cave / Te Ananui Cave are operated out of Charleston and travel up the Waitakere / Nile River valley.
The Paparoa Range is a mountain range in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island. It was the first New Zealand land seen by a European – Abel Tasman in 1642. Part of the range has the country's highest protection as a national park; the Paparoa National Park was established in 1987. Within that park, the Cave Creek disaster occurred in 1995.
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 Punakaiki River is a river of the West Coast Region of New Zealand's South Island. It flows predominantly northwest from its sources in the Paparoa Range, reaching the Tasman Sea two kilometres south of the town of Punakaiki. Most of the river's length is within Paparoa National Park.
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 Fox River is a river in the Buller District of New Zealand. It arises in the Paparoa Range near Mount Dewar and flows north-west through the Paparoa National Park to the Tasman Sea at Woodpecker Bay. The river passes through a spectacular gorge. The northern branch of the river has limestone caves containing stalactite and stalagmite formations.
The Metro / Te Ananui Caves are a maze of limestone caves formed by the underground capture of Ananui Creek, a tributary of the Waitakere / Nile River. The caves are located in the Paparoa National Park in New Zealand, managed by the Department of Conservation. Parts of the cave system are accessible by cave tours and rafting, operated by a commercial tour operator out of Charleston.
The Paparoa Track is a 55.7 km (34.6 mi) shared hiking and mountain biking track located in Paparoa National Park in the South Island of New Zealand. The track was created as a memorial for the 29 miners who lost their lives in the Pike River Mine disaster. The track is the tenth Great Walk to be created and has been fully open since 1 March 2020. It was the first addition to the Great Walks in 25 years.
Cave Creek / Kotihotiho is a small river within Paparoa National Park, on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island.
West Auckland is one of the major geographical areas of Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. Much of the area is dominated by the Waitākere Ranges, the eastern slopes of the Miocene era Waitākere volcano which was upraised from the ocean floor, and now one of the largest regional parks in New Zealand. The metropolitan area of West Auckland developed between the Waitākere Ranges to the west and the upper reaches of the Waitematā Harbour to the east. It covers areas such as Glen Eden, Henderson, Massey and New Lynn.
Bullock Creek or Punungairo is a river valley in the Paparoa National Park, located just north of Punakaiki on the West Coast of New Zealand. It includes a rare and nationally significant polje, a large, flat-floored depression within karst limestone. The Bullock Creek polje is New Zealand's only example of this type of landform.
The Inland Pack Track is a trail in the Paparoa National Park on West Coast of New Zealand. The full length of the trail commences at the Punakaiki River in the south, and ends at the mouth of the Fox River in the north. It takes two or three days to complete the track.
Piha Stream is a stream of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows westwards from its sources in the Waitākere Ranges through Piha village, and enters the Tasman Sea south of Lion Rock.