Wills River

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Wills River
Wills River
Route of the Wills River
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Mouth of the Wills River
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Wills River (New Zealand)
EtymologyNamed after William John Wills
Location
CountryNew Zealand
Region West Coast
District Westland
Physical characteristics
Source 
  coordinates 44°00′03″N169°35′24″E / 44.0009°N 169.59°E / 44.0009; 169.59
Mouth  
  location
Haast River
  coordinates
44°02′43″S169°23′13″E / 44.0453°S 169.3869°E / -44.0453; 169.3869
Length19 km (12 mi)
Basin features
ProgressionWills RiverHaast RiverTasman Sea
Tributaries 
  leftKea Creek, Hold Creek, Cheap Creek, Sweet Nell Creek, Safe Creek, Lost Creek, Dark Creek, Connors Creek, Rabbit Creek, Lodore Creek, Cascade Creek, Fleming Creek, Brewster Creek, Torrance Creek, Brae Creek, Plover Creek
  rightClumsy Creek, Swift Creek, Crook Creek, Shell Creek, Dredge Creek, Dun Creek, Dukes Creek, Lily Creek, Pansy Creek, Talent Creek, Shale Creek, Slip Creek

The Wills River is a river of the southern West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island. It flows west to reach the Haast River 10 kilometres north of the Haast Pass.

The river was named by Julius von Haast when he searched for a crossing from Otago to the West Coast. It is named for William John Wills of the Burke and Wills expedition. The nearby Burke River is named for Robert O'Hara Burke. [1]

See also

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References

  1. Holm, Janet (2005). Caught mapping: the life and times of New Zealand's early surveyors. Christchurch: Hazard Press. p. 170. OCLC   636380050.

"Place name detail: Wills River". New Zealand Gazetteer. New Zealand Geographic Board . Retrieved 12 July 2009.